The relationship between online destination brand experience and brand credibility tourists’ intention towards tourist destination in the South Central Coast of Vietnam

Abstract

Using online platforms to search for travel-related information is widespread among travelers. Understanding brand experience and destination brand credibility in online destinations is advantageous for implementing destination marketing on these platforms effectively. This paper will examine the relationship and influence of destination brand experience and brand credibility on visitors’ intentions (visit intention, recommendations about the destination) for several provinces along Vietnam’s South Central Coast. This article sheds light on the issue mentioned by surveying 325 Website, Facebook, TikTok, and YouTube users about South Central Coast destinations on these online platforms. In addition, the PLS SEM model is used to assess the relationships between the various factors within the research model. The results confirmed the direct and indirect influence of online destination brand experience on tourists’ intention to visit a destination, with destination brand credibility mediating. Since then, this article has contributed to completing the theoretical foundation for the study by Jiménez-Barreto, Rubio, Campo, and Molinillo (2020) and offers governance implications to assist South Central Coast managers in improving tourism policies.