How the characteristics of destination mascots build the affective destination image: The mediating role of emotional value and destination intimacy

This study adopted a mixed-method approach to study how destination mascots build an affective image of a destination. Stage 1 of the study included conducting a literature review, personal interviews, and a survey to develop a measurement scale for assessing destination mascot characteristics from tourists’ perspectives. The exploratory factor analysis resulted in 22 items of 5 dimensions: cuteness and fun, psychological closeness, cultural significance, auspiciousness, and distinctive appearance. Based on the stimulus-organism-response theory, stage 2 of the study investigated how these characteristics build affective destination image through emotional value and destination intimacy. The findings revealed that the five characteristics influence emotional value, only cultural meaning and psychological closeness influence destination intimacy, and emotional value and destination intimacy mediate the effect of five characteristics on constructing the affective destination image. This study contributed a measurement scale of destination mascots and demonstrated their mechanisms in building an affective destination image.