The relationship between media and tourism destination choice

The main purpose of this study is to analyze the relationships among information sources, destination image and destination choice decisions of potential travelers. A conceptual model was generated on the basis of literature review in which five hypotheses were proposed. Research instrument administrated in the English language was used for this study. Data analysis was conducted in two stages. First, exploratory factor analyses using principal component method with Varimax rotation were conducted on destination image and information sources to examine their dimensionalities and psychometric properties. In the second stage, multiple regressions were used to test hypothesized relationships among all image factors, information sources and choice of Iran as a tourism destination. All of these procedures were performed using SPSS 17. The results confirmed that information sources have a significantly positive effect on destination image and choice decisions. The theoretical and managerial implications were drawn on the study findings.