The perceived cultural distance of Kazakhstan and the impact of destination image on travel intention

Purpose This study aims to examine the effects of perceived cultural distance (CD) among potential tourists considering a visit to Kazakhstan on destination image (cognitive and affective dimensions) and travel intention (TI), while also exploring how tourism stakeholders perceive the destination's functional characteristics and cultural differences to contextualize the quantitative findings through a convergent mixed-methods approach. Design/methodology/approach In this study, a convergent mixed-methods approach, based on data triangulation, was adopted to enhance the reliability of the findings and address the subject holistically from both supply and demand perspectives. Accordingly, quantitative data collected through surveys of potential tourists (308 respondents) were analyzed using partial least squares structural equation modeling, while qualitative data obtained from interviews with industry stakeholders (20 respondents) were subjected to content analysis. Findings The cognitive image has a strong and significant effect on TI. Furthermore, perceptions of the destination's functional characteristics indirectly influence TI through the cognitive image. Kazakhstan's untouched nature and nomadic culture stand out as the most important tourist attractions. The biggest obstacles are inadequate infrastructure, language differences and low international recognition. Stakeholders emphasize that cultural differences can be transformed into value-added assets through experience-focused projects such as digital marketing and ethno-villages. Research limitations/implications In Kazakhstan's tourism strategies, focusing on data-driven promotional activities (to strengthen tourists' cognitive image) and improving service quality are seen as critical steps to boost TI. It addresses infrastructure gaps, overcomes language barriers and markets cultural assets, such as through experiential projects like ethno-villages, on digital platforms. Originality/value This study adopts a mixed-methods approach to examine Kazakhstan's tourism potential through the perceptions of prospective tourists (external perspective) and local tourism stakeholders (internal perspective); it comprehensively explores the relationships among CD, image dimensions and TI.