e-Review of Tourism Research (eRTR), Vol. 16, No. 4, 2019 http://ertr.tamu.edu 271 Vuyelwa C. Mashwama University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg Norman Chiliya University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg Tinashe Chuchu University of Pretoria Destination Image of Swaziland: Perceptions of Local and International Tourists The government of Swaziland labelled the tourism industry as one of the national priority sectors that have maximum potential to stimulate economic growth through the creation of employment opportunities, poverty alleviation, and foreign income generation. The industry has given birth to several supporting business areas such as tour operators, travel agencies, new airport hotels, and restaurants. This study aimed to identify the antecedents of future behavioural intentions of tourists in Swaziland. Employing a quantitative approach, a hypothesized model was developed with the destination image as the predictor while satisfaction, attitude toward the destination, and trust in the destination being the mediators and behavioural intentions as the outcome. Non-probability sampling was used to sample both local and international tourists that visited Swaziland between August and October 2016. Tourists were interviewed at Mantenga Cultural Village, Swazi Candles, Ngwenya Glass, and departing tourists were interviewed at the Sikhuphe International Airport. A total of 431 tourists participated in the study. Data analysis was performed using SPSS 24 and Amos 24. The majority of tourists viewed Swaziland positively and were willing to recommend it as a travel destination. Additionally, tourists indicated that they had satisfactory experiences in Swaziland and trusted the destination. Furthermore, the findings in this study show that there is a positive and significant relationship between the destination’s image and satisfaction. The study also revealed that satisfaction positively influenced tourists’ trust in the destination and their attitudes toward the destination. Key words: Destination image, attitudes, trust, behavioural intentions Ms Vuyelwa C. Mashwama Marketing Division School of Economic and Business Sciences Faculty of Commerce, Law and Management University of the Witwatersrand 1 Jan Smuts Ave, Johannesburg, 2000 Private Bag 3, Wits, 2050, Johannesburg, South Africa Dr Norman Chiliya Marketing Division School of Economic and Business Sciences Faculty of Commerce, Law and Management University of the Witwatersrand 1 Jan Smuts Ave, Johannesburg, 2000 Private Bag 3, Wits, 2050, Johannesburg, South Africa Phone: +27 11 717 8063 http://ertr.tamu.edu/ e-Review of Tourism Research (eRTR), Vol. 16, No. 4, 2019 http://ertr.tamu.edu 272 Email: norman.chiliya@wits.ac.za Dr Tinashe Chuchu Marketing Management Department Faculty of Economic and Management Sciences Lynwood Road, Hatfield, Pretoria, 0002 University of Pretoria Private bag X20, Hatfield, Hillcrest, Pretoria, South Africa, 0028 Phone: +27 12 420 4440 Email: tinashe.chuchu@up.ac.za Ms Vuyelwa C. Mashwama is a Marketing Officer at Eswatini Electrical Company in Swaziland where she specializes in marketing and research. Ms Mashwama holds a Master’s degree in Marketing from the University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg. She is a marketing and research professional whose current area of interest is social responsibility. Dr Norman Chiliya Ph.D is the head of the Marketing Division at the University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg. His current research focuses on adventure tourism and small business management. He has presented his research at academic conferences across the globe and published in high impact international journals. Dr Tinashe Chuchu Ph.D is a senior lecturer in the Marketing Management Department at the University of Pretoria. His area of research focuses on tourism and destination marketing. His work has been published and presented in numerous international journals and conferences respectively. http://ertr.tamu.edu/ mailto:norman.chiliya@wits.ac.za mailto:tinashe.chuchu@up.ac.za e-Review of Tourism Research (eRTR), Vol. 16, No. 4, 2019 http://ertr.tamu.edu 273 Introduction The government of Swaziland has labelled the tourism industry as one of the national priority sectors that has maximum potential to stimulate economic growth through the creation of employment opportunities, poverty alleviation, and foreign income generation (Central Bank of Swaziland, 2014; Chen & Tsai, 2007; Jesca, Kumbirai & Brighton, 2014). Over the years there has been an emergence of support areas such as tour operators, travel agencies, a new airport, and the construction of hotels and restaurants (Swaziland Tourism Authority, 2015). Moreover, the Swaziland Tourism Authority reports that there was a 10% increase in tourists entering the country in 2014. This further indicates that most visitors come from Europe (Swaziland Tourism Authority, 2015). Destination image is recognized as a central area in tourism because it is a construct that captures the perceptions of tourists regarding a particular destination (Jenkins, 1999; Ramseook-Munhurrun, Seebaluck & Naidoo, 2015). Destination image as a concept is of importance because of its influence on pre-visit decision-making, actual vacation experience, experience assessments, and post-visit behavioural intentions and behaviours (Chen & Tsai, 2007). The existing body of literature has focused on the development of the tourism industry in Swaziland (Harrison, 2001), community-based tourism (Lukhele & Mearns, 2013), outdoor recreation activities in game reserves (Motsa, 2007), and the economic impact of tourism in Swaziland (Masuku, 2010). Furthermore, most studies have investigated how the destination image influences tourist behaviour (Rajesh 2013; Choi, Tkachenko & Sil, 2011; Chi & Qu, 2008). Petrick (2004) and Truong and Foster (2006) investigated mediating factors between destination image and future tourist behaviour and loyalty. The present research examines the same variables within the context of tourists’ perceptions of Swaziland as a travel destination. http://ertr.tamu.edu/ e-Review of Tourism Research (eRTR), Vol. 16, No. 4, 2019 http://ertr.tamu.edu 274 Harrison (2001) extensively investigated tourism in Swaziland and has focused on the development of tourism in Swaziland, how prostitution, tradition, and modernity have affected tourism in Swaziland. Masuku (2010) examined the economic impact of tourism, and Lukhele (2013) and Lukhele and Mearns (2013) have concentrated on operational challenges of community-based tourism ventures in Swaziland. The above-mentioned studies reveal the research problem that limited research exists on the image perception of Swaziland as a tourist destination, despite tourism contributing immensely to Swaziland’s economic growth (Central Bank of Swaziland, 2014). Regardless of scholars (Beerli & Martin, 2004) suggesting that perceptions play a key role in the selection of a destination (Beerli & Martin, 2004), the subsequent evaluation of that stay and deciding on future intentions (Bigne, Sanchez & Sanchez, 2001). This then suggests that views held by tourists about a destination in the marketplace are critical to that destination's marketing success (Leisen, 2001). A review of the literature on the expectancy disconfirmation paradigm, the theory of reasoned action, destination image and traveller satisfaction. The purpose of the study was to understand the perceptions of local and international tourists regarding the destination image of Swaziland. The following diagram illustrates the hypothesized model before testing. Figure 1: Hypothesized model before testing H3 H1 H2 H4 H5 Destination image Satisfaction Attitude toward destination Trust in the destination Behavioural intentions http://ertr.tamu.edu/ e-Review of Tourism Research (eRTR), Vol. 16, No. 4, 2019 http://ertr.tamu.edu 275 Destination Image and Attitude toward a destination H1: Destination image has a significant positive influence on satisfaction. Schiffman and Kanuk (2010) suggest that consumers’ attitudes are consistent, and therefore a consumer will act according to the attitude they hold. A favourable destination image positively influences the overall satisfaction of a tourist (Chi & Qu, 2008). Given that attitudes predetermine behavioural intention (Houran, Lange & Lange, 2013), a positively held attitude will result in a favourable behavioural intention. Thus it can be hypothesized that: H2: Satisfaction has a significant positive influence on attitude toward a destination. H3: Attitude toward destination has a significant positive influence on behavioural intentions. Satisfaction and Trust According to Chen & Chen (2010), loyalty will only occur if a customer is satisfied with the performance of a service, which is aligned with Chaudhuri and Holbrook’s (2001) definition of ‘brand trust’, namely that it is the willingness of the customer to rely on the capability of the brand to perform its stated function. It is expected that trust would mediate the relationship between satisfaction and loyalty (Madjid, 2013: Delgado-Ballester & Munuera-Alemán, 2001). Trust is an important element in building a long-term customer- seller relationship, and Jani & Han (2011) propose that it is forward-looking in nature, and therefore more likely to influence behavioural intentions. Lau & Lee (1999) argue that experiences result in the customer and provider understanding each other, consequently increasing the chances of both parties trusting each other. Moreover, Madjid (2013) concluded that there is a positive relationship between satisfaction and trust, and subsequently loyalty. Thus it can be hypothesized that: H4: Satisfaction has a significant positive influence on trust in the destination. http://ertr.tamu.edu/ e-Review of Tourism Research (eRTR), Vol. 16, No. 4, 2019 http://ertr.tamu.edu 276 H5: Trust in the destination has a significant positive influence on behavioural intentions. The Expectancy Disconfirmation Paradigm Expectancy-disconfirmation paradigm (EDP) has been used by tourism researchers such as Zehrer, Crotts, and Magnini (2011) to elucidate the impact that consumers who post on travel blogs have on blog users through analysing user reactions to travel matched blog recommendations. Vroom (1964) developed the expectancy theory which is concerned with the mental processes regarding choice. After that, the expectation-disconfirmation model was then proposed by Oliver (1980), which was traditionally used to measure customer satisfaction (Wang, Hung, & Li, 2018). Prior tourism research that utilised the expectancy disconfirmation paradigm suggested that consumers develop expectations about a product or service before purchasing it (Wang et al., 2018). Tourism researchers Oliveri, Polizzi, and Parroco (2018) measured customer satisfaction through examining tourist satisfaction and dissatisfaction. Furthermore, Oliveri, Polizzi, and Parroco (2018), posited that the gap between expectations and perceptions would produce a feeling of satisfaction or dissatisfaction. In terms of the present study which is examining the behaviour tourists entering Swaziland, it was therefore imperative to comprehend customer expectations of the destination. Destination Image, Traveller Satisfaction and Customer Trust Due to the fierce competition in the global tourism industry, countless nations are seeking to develop their country images to be able to compete with other destinations. Consequently, the destination image has drawn the attention of various scholars (Artuğer, Çetinsöz, & Kiliç, 2013; Bigne et al., 2001; Chen and Tsai, 2007; Leisen, 2001). The grown interest in the destination image results from the conclusion of many scholars that the image of destination influences a tourist in the process of selecting a place to visit, the subsequent evaluation of that stay and in his or her future intentions (Bigne et al., 2001; Cai, & Bai, http://ertr.tamu.edu/ e-Review of Tourism Research (eRTR), Vol. 16, No. 4, 2019 http://ertr.tamu.edu 277 2003; Lee, Graefe, & Burn, 2004). The destination image becomes the traveller’s expectation (Leisen, 2001) thus, used as the standard to measure the trip experience. Generally, tourism managers would acknowledge that they strive to satisfy their customers in confidence that they will desire to repurchase the experience (Petrick, 2004). Thus, in tourism satisfaction is mainly denoted to as a function of pre-travel expectations and post-travel experiences (Chen et al., 2010; Sanchez et al., 2007). According to Schiffman and Kanuk (2010), ‘attitude' is a learned predisposition to behave in a reliably favourable or unfavourable manner with a given object. Ghorban (2012) describes ‘attitude' as an achievable, relatively enduring, determined, gradual, more or less intensive, and roused consumers' intention to react to a particular object such as the destination image in this case. Moreover, Schiffman and Kanuk (2010) state that attitude is consistent; that is, consumers' behaviour is expected to correspond to their attitude. ‘Trust' is defined as the consumer's likelihood to depend on the brand's ability to perform as promised (Chaudhuri & Holbrook, 2001). The ultimate goal of any marketer is that their strategies will help to develop a long- term relationship bond between the target consumer and the brand (Hsu & Cai, 2009). Trust is a cross-disciplinary concept and therefore it can be explored at different levels of social interaction, namely interpersonal, intergroup, and inter-organisational (Nguyen, Leclerc & LeBlanc, 2013). However, in marketing literature, trust is mainly examined with the focus on the buyer-seller relationship where consumers create bonds with brands (Zboja & Voorhees, 2006). Loyalty is a construct that has been conceptualised as a multidimensional construct, namely attitudinal, behavioural intentions and actual loyalty (Tanford, 2013); and in tourism; loyalty has been studied from a behavioural intention perspective where scholars have argued that it reflects loyal behaviour (Lee & Back, 2010). Behavioural intentions have used to study loyalty because it is not always easy to observe loyal behaviour directly (Tanford, 2013). In http://ertr.tamu.edu/ e-Review of Tourism Research (eRTR), Vol. 16, No. 4, 2019 http://ertr.tamu.edu 278 tourism literature behavioural intentions have been measured in terms of the intention to revisit the destination and the willingness to recommend it to others (Bigné, Sanchez & Sanchez., 2001), because it is argued that a favourable image of a destination positively affects the intention to revisit in the future (Court & Lupton, 1997). Research methodology The positivist doctrine was adopted as the research was quantitative in nature. The target population for the study includes both local and foreign tourists (Quintal, Phau, & Polczynski, 2014) aged 18 and above that visit the chosen destinations in Swaziland between the months of July and October 2015, when the country receives more international tourists in August because of their interest in the Umhlanga Reed Dance, an annual national cultural event. The population includes tourists from the following places identified by the Swaziland Tourism Authority (2014) in the report of arrivals by region, Africa, North and South America, Asia, Middle East, Australia, and Europe. The tourists targeted for the study include those that visit Mantenga Cultural Village, Swazi Candles and Ngwenya Glass. Using the formula s = X 2NP(1− P) ÷ d 2 (N −1) + X 2P(1− P), Krejcie and Morgan (1970) argue that a representative sample of a target population of more than one million elements should at least include 384 participants (Artuğer et al., 2013). Working with the Department of Immigration and Central Statistics Office, the Swaziland Tourism Authority reports that on average, Swaziland receives tourists of approximately 1.3 Million annually (Swaziland Tourism Authority, 2015) thus, the study uses the same formula. In the same way, scholars that have conducted studies on destination images have employed samples of more than the 384 estimates (Chen and Tsai, 2007; Chen and Chen, 2010; Artuğer et al., 2013). This study adopted the non-probability sampling technique, which is non-proportional quota sampling and convenience sampling. The five areas identified for collecting the data http://ertr.tamu.edu/ e-Review of Tourism Research (eRTR), Vol. 16, No. 4, 2019 http://ertr.tamu.edu 279 were used, and these were: Mantenga Nature Reserve/ Cultural Village, Swazi Candles, Ngwenya Glass, Shewula Mountain Camp, and the Sikhuphe International Airport. Due to the absence of a sample frame convenience sampling was adopted in selecting respondents. This approach is supported by Acharya, Prakash, Saxena, and Nigam (2013) who suggested that there is no requirement for a list of all the population elements in convenience sampling. The justification for using a sample of 431 is based on prior research that utilised human subjects in environments that had no definite population sizes. This study followed Malhotra (2007), Zikmund and Babin (2010) who suggested that in situations where population size is unknown past similar studies can be followed as a good estimation. Therefore this study’s estimated sample of 431 participants was loosely based on Maduku (2011) who utilised 394 participants due to the absence of a known population and sampling frame. Beri (2007), suggested that a widely used approach for determining as a sample size in non-probability sampling is to obtain the largest possible sample within the available constraints of time and money. Respondents were profiled according to the following characteristics: tourist’s gender;, tourist’s age; tourist’s educational level; tourist’s qualification; tourist’s nationality;, tourist’s marital status; tourist’s occupation; main travel motivation to Swaziland (Valle et al., 2006); tourist’s travel party and tourist’s past experience (Chen & Tsai, 2007). There was no pilot test conducted as this study was based on the use of existing scales. In terms of data preparation, the data was coded in Microsoft Excel followed by cleaning to ensure that it was appropriate for further analysis. The statistical analysis techniques included descriptive statistics conducted in SPSS24 software to obtain the tourist profile which was presented in frequency tables. Additionally, AMOS 24 was used for hypotheses testing to determine the outcomes and strengths of the model’s proposed relationships. The structural equation modelling (SEM) conducted began with confirmatory http://ertr.tamu.edu/ e-Review of Tourism Research (eRTR), Vol. 16, No. 4, 2019 http://ertr.tamu.edu 280 factor analysis whereby adopted scales were tested for their suitability, and the values are found in table 3 (Accuracy Analysis Statistics) under the factor loading column. The second stage was the path modelling (hypotheses testing) stage where significance levels, path coefficients were obtained so as to establish whether proposed relationships were supported or rejected. Questionnaire development The questionnaire served as the data collection instrument incorporating items (questions) from all constructs of the proposed model aimed at investigating the study’s hypotheses. All questions were measured on a 1-5 point Likert scale. “Destination image” questions were adapted from (Chen & Tsai, 2007) measured questions from “strongly disagree to strongly agree”. “Satisfaction” questions were adapted from (Lee, Yoon & Lee, 2004) measured questions from “not satisfied to very satisfied” while “Customer trust in destination” questions adapted from (Alan & Kabadayi, 2014) measured questions from “strongly disagree to strongly agree”. “Attitude toward the destination” question adapted from (Jalilvand, Samiei, Dini & Manzari, 2012) measured questions from “strongly disagree to strongly agree”. Lastly, “Intention to revisit” and “Willingness to recommend” questions were all taken from (Artuğer et al., 2013) and assessed from “strongly disagree to strongly agree”. The sources for all items used to measure the constructs are provided in table 1. Table 1: Research variables measurement Research Constructs Sources Destination Image (Chen & Tsai, 2007) Satisfaction (Lee et al., 2004) Customer trust in destination (Alan & Kabadayi, 2014) Attitude toward the destination (Jalilvand et al., 2012) Intention to revisit (Artuğer et al., 2013) http://ertr.tamu.edu/ e-Review of Tourism Research (eRTR), Vol. 16, No. 4, 2019 http://ertr.tamu.edu 281 Willingness to recommend (Artuğer et al., 2013) Source: Authors’ own research Findings of the study Descriptive statistics were utilised to illustrate characteristic information about the sample; it mainly focuses on demographic or descriptive traits of the sampled population. The aim is to discuss the characteristics of the sample population in an abridged yet comprehensible manner. The sample consisted of both local and international tourists that visited Swaziland between August and October 2015. The tourists were intercepted at four sites, namely Mantenga Cultural Village, Ngwenya Glass, Swazi Candles, and those departing from Sikhuphe International Airport. The study had more international respondents (348) than local respondents (83). As with the international sample (55.2%), the local sample had more female respondents (63.9%) than male respondents (36.1%). From both samples, the majority of the respondents were aged between 25-34 years. However, the international sample also had a high number of the respondents (25.6%) aged between 18-24 years. The international sample had many respondents with a post-graduate degree (51.4%) yet, the local sample had most respondents holding an undergraduate degree (60.2%). Data analysis, results and discussion Demographic profile of respondents Descriptive statistics were utilised to illustrate characteristic information about the sample; it mainly focuses on demographic or descriptive traits of the sampled population. The aim is to discuss the characteristics of the sample population in an abridged yet comprehensible manner. The sample consisted of both local and international tourists that visited Swaziland between the months of August and October 2015. The tourists were http://ertr.tamu.edu/ e-Review of Tourism Research (eRTR), Vol. 16, No. 4, 2019 http://ertr.tamu.edu 282 intercepted at four sites, namely Mantenga Cultural Village, Ngwenya Glass, Swazi Candles, and those departing from Sikhuphe International Airport. The study had more international respondents (348) than the local respondents (83). As with the international sample (55.2%), the local sample had more female respondents (63.9%) than male respondents (36.1%). From both samples, the majority of the respondents were aged between 25-34 years. However, the international sample also had a high number of the respondents (25.6%) aged between 18-24 years. The international sample had many respondents with a post-graduate degree (51.4%) yet, the local sample had most respondents holding an undergraduate degree (60.2%). The findings are reported in Table 2. Table 2: Sample Description of both International and Local Tourists Gender Frequency Percentage INTERNATIONAL LOCAL INTERNATIONAL LOCAL Male 156 30 44.8 % 36.1 % Female 192 53 55.2 % 63.9% Total 348 83 100 % Age Frequency Percentage 18 -24 89 7 25.6 % 8.4 % 25-34 94 46 27.0 % 55.4 % 35-44 59 20 17.0 % 24.1 % 45-54 57 9 16.3% 10.9 % 55+ 49 1 14.1 % 1.2% Total 348 83 100 % Level of Education Frequency Percentage Primary 1 2 0.3 % 2.4 % High School 40 4 11.5 % 4.9 % Undergraduate 128 50 36.8 % 60.2 % Post Graduate 179 27 51.4 % 32.5 % Total 348 83 100% Occupation Frequency Percentage Student 79 3 22.7 % 3.6 % Housework 9 1 2.6 % 1.2 % Civil Servant 64 17 18.4 % 20.5 % Self Employed 48 7 13.8 % 8.4 % Other (employed by a company) 148 55 42.5 % 66.3 % Total 348 83 100% Traveling with who Frequency Percentage By Self 36 5 10.3 % 6.0 % With Family 99 40 28.5 % 48.2 % http://ertr.tamu.edu/ e-Review of Tourism Research (eRTR), Vol. 16, No. 4, 2019 http://ertr.tamu.edu 283 With Friends 101 33 29.0 % 39.8 % With a tour group 112 5 32.2 % 6.0% Total 348 83 100% Past traveling Experience Frequency Percentage First-time visitor 264 10 75.9 % 12.0 % Second-time visitor 84 73 24.1 % 88.0 % Total 348 83 100% The international sample had 42.5% employed in private companies. Similarly, the local sample had most of the respondents employed in private companies (66.3%). Unlike the international sample with 22.7% of respondents being students, 3.6% of the local sample was students. Accuracy scale analysis statistics are presented in the table that follows. Table 3: Accuracy Analysis Statistics Research Construct Descriptive Statistics Cronbach’s Test C.R. Value Factor Loading Mean Value Standard Deviation Item- total α value DI DI1 3.46 0.914 0.384 0.714 0.969 0.659 DI2 3.77 0.845 0.310 0.704 DI3 3.93 0.934 0.405 0.606 DI4 3.48 0.937 0.513 0.689 DI5 3.39 0.937 0.463 0.614 DI6 3.97 0.955 0.465 0.753 DI7 3.83 0.948 0.425 0.745 S S1 4.27 0.757 0.455 0.790 0.963 0.754 S2 4.26 0.738 0.738 0.787 S3 4.26 0.777 0.428 0.704 CT CT1 3.85 0.903 0.504 0.879 0.973 0.747 CT2 3.74 0.927 0.567 0.880 CT3 3.84 0.872 0.603 0.857 CT4 3.72 1.005 0.543 0.737 ATT ATT1 4.00 0.852 0.562 0.798 0.964 0.793 ATT2 3.94 0.827 0.492 0.686 ATT3 4.13 0.847 0.497 0.782 BI BI1 3.40 1.132 0.546 0.892 0.976 0.568 BI2 3.97 1.038 0.661 0.703 BI3 3.88 1.129 0.619 0.661 BI4 4.34 0.729 0.657 0.763 BI5 4.30 0.817 0.707 0.832 BI6 4.23 0.856 0.637 0.793 BI7 4.05 1.008 0.621 0.691 http://ertr.tamu.edu/ e-Review of Tourism Research (eRTR), Vol. 16, No. 4, 2019 http://ertr.tamu.edu 284 DI: Destination Image, S: Satisfaction, CT: Customer Trust, ATT: Attitude toward destination, BI: Behavioural intentions, CR: Composite reliability The average variance extracted values were above the acceptable threshold of 0.5 as advised by (Fraering & Minor, 2006). As for the Cronbach's alpha values were above 0.6 as suggested by literature (Dusick, 2011). The composite reliability values were higher than the recommended 0.6, meeting the threshold put forward by Hair, Anderson, Tatham and Black (2006) respectively. The highest shared value of each construct presented in the table was lower than the corresponding average variance extracted value for the same value thereby demonstrating the presence of discriminate validity according to (Nusair & Hua, 2010). The following table presents the model fit findings. Table 4: Model Fit Results Model fit criteria Chi- square (χ2 /DF) GFI CFI TLI IFI RFI NFI RMSEA Indicator value 2,23 0.910 0.941 0.929 0.942 0.879 0.900 0.054 (χ2 /DF): Chi-square, GFI: Goodness of fit index, CFI: Comparative fit index, TLI: Tucker Lewi index, IFI: Incremental fit index, RFI: Relative fit index, NFI: Normed fit index As indicated in the table above most of the model fit indicators such as the CFI, GFI, TLI, IFI, RFI, and NFI were close to the recommended threshold of 0.900, and the RMSEA was acceptable at 0.054, which was below the recommended level of 0.06. The Chi-square (χ2 /DF) was below the recommended value of 3. Hypotheses Testing (Path Modeling) SEM was performed to evaluate the relationships between the five latent variables in the proposed hypothesized model. Figure 2 illustrates the model after testing and is followed by a discussion of the results. http://ertr.tamu.edu/ e-Review of Tourism Research (eRTR), Vol. 16, No. 4, 2019 http://ertr.tamu.edu 285 Figure 2: Hypothesized model after testing 0.69** 0.62** 0.48** 0.45** 0.29** Significance level p< 0.01: ** The hypothetical model above presents the path coefficients and levels of significance after hypotheses testing. The relationship between destination image and satisfaction had a path coefficient of 0.62. Satisfaction and attitude toward destination having the strongest of all relationships had a path coefficient of 0.69. Attitude toward destination and behavioural intentions were found to have a path coefficient of 0.48. Satisfaction and trust in the destination had a path coefficient of 0.45. Lastly, trust in the destination and behavioural intentions had a path coefficient of 0.29. All relationships indicated that proposed hypotheses were supported and significant at p< 0.01 as denoted by the double asterisks (**). The following table, presents the checks that were conducted to test for discriminant validity of the data. Destination image Satisfaction Trust in the destination Behavioural intentions Attitude toward destination http://ertr.tamu.edu/ e-Review of Tourism Research (eRTR), Vol. 16, No. 4, 2019 http://ertr.tamu.edu 286 Table 5: Check for Discriminant Validity Research Construct AVE HSV Destination Image 0.817 0.216 Satisfaction 0.896 0.186 Customer Trust 0.764 0.249 Attitude toward destination 0.901 0.249 Behavioral intentions 0.856 0.234 To determine discriminant validity, the average variance extracted (AVE) was compared to the highest shared variance (HSV) for each construct. For example, Customer Trust (CT) had an AVE of 0.764 which was greater than the shared variance between CT and Attitude toward the destination (ATT) which was 0.249. This indicated the existence of discriminant validity. Path analysis involves the estimation of presumed causal relations among observed variables. The table above demonstrates the proposed hypothesis, path coefficients, and the rejected/supported hypothesis. According to Chinomona, Lin, Wang & Cheng (2010) p<0.05, p<0.01 and p<0.001 are indicators of relationship significance between the variables, and positive path coefficients indicate favourable strong relationships among latent variables. Path coefficients in the table above denote positive relationships between the variables, and the P value indicates a 0.01 level of confidence, which denotes support and significance of the hypotheses. Below is the discussion of the hypotheses test results The path coefficient for H1 was 0.62, which suggests that there is a positive and strong relationship between destination image and satisfaction. Furthermore, the P value was 0.01, demonstrating that the hypothesis is supported and significant. The path coefficient for http://ertr.tamu.edu/ e-Review of Tourism Research (eRTR), Vol. 16, No. 4, 2019 http://ertr.tamu.edu 287 H2 was 0.69, which suggests that there is a positive and strong relationship between satisfaction and attitude toward the destination. Also, the P value was 0.01, demonstrating that the hypothesis is supported and significant. The path coefficient for H3 was 0.48, which suggests that attitude toward destination positively influences behavioural intentions. Also, the P value was 0.01, demonstrating that the hypothesis is supported and significant. The fourth hypothesis, H4 had a path coefficient of 0.45, which demonstrates that satisfaction has a positive effect on customer faith in the destination. This hypothesis had a p- value level of significance was 0.01, demonstrating that the hypothesis is supported and significant. This implied that the more travellers were satisfied with the destination their faith in that destination also grew as customers. The last, hypothesis H5, had a path coefficient of 0.29 with a p-value level of significance of was 0.01 indicating that it was both supported and significant. This relationship revealed that customers' trust in the destination positively influences the behavioural intentions of visitors. This implied that travellers would consumer behaviour changed based on the amount of trust they had with the destination. This finding posited that the more trust the travellers had regarding the destination, the more money they would likely spend at that destination. Conclusions and implications Based on the findings it was established that most tourists that visited Swaziland were females. From both the national and international sample, most of the visitors are aged between 25-34 years. However, the international respondents also have a high number of tourists aged between 18-24 years, and the local sample has a high number of visitors aged between 35-44 years. This finding is possibly linked to the expectancy-disconfirmation paradigm, which views the mental process that tourists go through in making choices. It was observed that international tourists were significantly younger than the local tourists that visited Swaziland. This probably suggested that older international tourists had a lower http://ertr.tamu.edu/ e-Review of Tourism Research (eRTR), Vol. 16, No. 4, 2019 http://ertr.tamu.edu 288 preference of the destination implying that possibly Swaziland positioned itself more in-line with the foreign youth possibly due to the nature of the activities they offered visitors. From both samples, the majority of tourists have a minimum university undergraduate degree, while the international respondents mostly hold post-graduate qualifications. Accordingly, most visitors are employed by private companies. Moreover, most of the international tourists that visited Swaziland were students, which may be the reason why the majority of them were aged between 18-24 years. From both sample groups, most tourists were travelling either accompanied by family or friends, but most international visitors travelled with tour groups. The majority of international visitors were first-time visitors to Swaziland, and local visitors had visited destinations around the country more than once. During the months of August to October, most visitors to Swaziland were from South Africa, Netherlands, United States of America, United Kingdom, Germany, France, and Swaziland, and their visits coincided with some of the cultural events in the country during the period when the country generally welcomes most of its visitors. The Contributions of the Study The beneficiaries of the current study will include tourism marketing practitioners, especially destination marketing organisations and other relevant stakeholders in the tourism industry, particularly in the Kingdom of Swaziland. Moreover, the study aimed to contribute to the body of knowledge in the tourism marketing field, especially in the area of place marketing. Contribution to Practice The majority of tourists, both international and local were aged between 25-34 years. The implication is that since most of the visitors were young adults, the government of Swaziland needs to add more effort in providing products, services, and activities that http://ertr.tamu.edu/ e-Review of Tourism Research (eRTR), Vol. 16, No. 4, 2019 http://ertr.tamu.edu 289 resonate with this market. Moreover, another important age group that should be taken into consideration is the 18-24 year old group from the international sample. The understanding is that international visitors to Swaziland are predominantly young people. However, another age group to be considered is the 35-44 year old group from the local sample. These findings mean that as practitioners package their products, they should take into account segmentation according to age. Furthermore, this also affects the communication and marketing strategies targeted to each age group which should be relevant to each group. Additionally, an important result was that most visitors travel in groups (with friends, family members, or tour groups) rather than on their own, and thus, it is important to package products that are more inclusive of all age groups. Contribution to the Body of Knowledge Academically, the current study contributes to literature regarding relationships between the five variables, namely destination image, satisfaction, attitude toward the destination, trust in the destination, and behavioural intentions. The current study was underpinned by two theories, namely the EDP and the TRA. The results of the study proved that EDP best explains satisfaction. Generally, the majority of participants in the study indicated that their expectations were met, and consequently, most of them were satisfied. Moreover, the satisfaction of tourists affected their post-purchase intentions. Therefore, the relationship between satisfaction and the two other variables - attitude toward destination and trust in the destination- were significant. Additionally, the TRA was employed to explain that attitude is the best predictor of behavioural intentions. Limitations and Suggestions for Future Research The current study did not segment the international market per country. Future research may consider focusing on samples from each international market targeted by the Swaziland Tourism Authority in an attempt to better understand the perceptions of each http://ertr.tamu.edu/ e-Review of Tourism Research (eRTR), Vol. 16, No. 4, 2019 http://ertr.tamu.edu 290 segment. Participants were intercepted as they arrived in the different sites chosen for study. Future research may also consider intercepting travellers before visiting the destination and again after their visit. This will provide an opportunity to compare perceptions held before travelling and after travelling, therefore, help destination marketers identify areas of improvement. In terms of the conceptual framework, future research can either maintain the same constructs or proposes variations to this study’s framework to establish if similar results to this study would be obtained. 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