Title: Mega projects effect on destination Ethiopia: using destination image dimensions as a mediator

Authors: Mulugeta Girma; Manjit Singh

Addresses: Department of Marketing Management, College of Business and Economics, Dire Dawa University, Dire Dawa, Ethiopia ' Department of Applied Management, School of Business Studies, Punjabi University, Punjab, India

Abstract: Destination images are widely regarded as a soft-power the nation possibly will have to win the competitive environment. However, such image may affect the destination brand in the positive or negative direction of natural and human-made phenomena that received significant media coverage. Mega projects are among human made factors that believe to be affected destination image by attracting considerable media coverage. Hence, the current study was predicted the extent to which mega projects that attract significant media coverage at the time of inauguration and project level are valid predictors of cognitive, affective and unique images and tourist behaviour in general. The objectives of the current study were pursued through empirical analyses by collecting 400 questionnaires from tourists who visited Ethiopia in 2018. The result of the empirical analysis shows mega projects affects the cognitive, affective and unique image of destination Ethiopia and tourists' behaviour in general.

Keywords: megaprojects; destination branding; cognitive image; affective image; unique image; Ethiopia.

DOI: 10.1504/IJTTC.2021.114845

International Journal of Technology Transfer and Commercialisation, 2021 Vol.18 No.1, pp.76 - 93

Received: 25 May 2019
Accepted: 13 Nov 2019
Published online: 10 May 2021 *

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