A Study on Brand Personality Traits of Tourist Destinations and Tourist Self-Congruity

Abstract

The application of brand personality theory in the study of tourist destinations has received increasing attention. However, existing research mostly remains a simple transplantation of consumer goods frameworks and fails to fully address the uniqueness of tourism contexts and the complexity of tourists' self-concepts. This study constructs a systematic analytical framework for brand personality of tourist destinations and tourist self-congruity. It proposes that the dimensions of destination brand personality should be contextually reconstructed by incorporating trait factors deeply associated with tourism experiences. It also reveals the multiple levels of tourists' self-concepts in tourism contexts and the characteristics of selective activation. This study further extends congruity theory from static matching to a bidirectional interactive logic. The analysis further clarifies the mediating role of cognitive appraisal, the catalytic effect of emotional resonance, and the nonlinear influence of the dynamic evolution of self-congruity on behavioral intention. From three dimensions, namely differentiated positioning, contextual regulation, and experience co-creation, this study explores the shaping paths of destination brand personality. This research provides an integrated theoretical perspective for understanding the psychological connection between tourists and destinations.