بررسی و تحلیل ارزش ویژه برند گردشگری روستایی (مورد مطالعه روستاهای شهرستان طرقبه و شاندیز)

نوع مقاله : مقاله پژوهشی

نویسنده

استادیار گروه اقتصاد گردشگری، پژوهشکده گردشگری سازمان جهاد دانشگاهی خراسان رضوی، مشهد، ایران.

10.30490/rvt.2023.360822.1502

چکیده

ارزش ویژه برند به ­عنوان یک ابزار در بررسی و تحلیل جایگاه برند و پیش ­بینی عملکرد آن در آینده حائز اهمیت است. هدف اصلی این مطالعه، بررسی و تحلیل ارزش ویژه برند گردشگری روستایی در روستاهای هدف گردشگری شهرستان طرقبه و شاندیز است. جامعه آماری این مطالعه، گردشگران شهرستان طرقبه و شاندیز است که از طریق نمونه­ گیری دو مرحله ­ای تصادفی ساده، از دو روستای ازغد و جاغرق به دست آمد. ابزار تحقیق پرسش­نامه است که از طریق مصاحبه حضوری و تکمیل پرسش­نامه از 403 گردشگر به دست آمد. تحلیل آمار و اطلاعات به دست آمده از طریق معادلات ساختاری مورد بررسی قرار گرفت. نتایج نشان داد که ارزش ویژه برند گردشگری روستایی متأثر از شاخص­ های مختلفی همچون آگاهی از برند، وفاداری به برند، کیفیت درک شده و تصویر از برند گردشگری روستایی در مناطق مورد مطالعه است که میزان اثرگذاری شاخص ‏های مذکور به ترتیب 0/616 ، 0/282 ، 0/106 و 0/611 است. بنابراین دو شاخص آگاهی از برند و تصویر از برند به­ عنوان دو شاخص اصلی اثرگذار بر ارزش ویژه برند، ایفای نقش می­ کنند. همچنین نتایج نشان داد که آگاهی از برند تأثیر معنی ­داری بر کیفیت درک شده (مقدار ضریب 0/225) و ارزش ویژه برند (مقدار ضریب 0/084) دارد که مقادیر هر دو ضریب نیز معنی ­دار است. با توجه به نتایج به دست آمده، حفظ و ارتقاء کارکردهای زیست­ محیطی روستاهای هدف گردشگری، حفظ ویژگی ­های روستایی مناطق مورد مطالعه، ممانعت از شهری شدن روستاهای گردشگری، ارزیابی دوره ­ای تصویر گردشگران از مقاصد هدف روستایی و اجرای برنامه ­های مختلف در ارتباط با آموزش جامعه روستاییان ساکن روستاهای گردشگری (جامعه میزبان) در خصوص میزبانی از گردشگران جهت ارتقاء سطح کیفی خدمات گردشگری به ‏عنوان اصلی ­ترین پیشنهادها ارائه شد.

کلیدواژه‌ها

موضوعات

عنوان مقاله [English]

Investigating and Analyzing the Brand Equity of Rural Tourism (Case Study of Torqabeh and Shandiz Villages)

نویسنده [English]

  • H. Rafiei Darani
Assistant Professor of Tourism Economic Department, Institute of Tourism Research at ACECR (Academic Center for Education, Culture and Research) Khorasan Razavi, Mashhad, Iran.
چکیده [English]

Introduction
Customer-based brand equity is one of the topics that have attracted a lot of attention and researches among academics and professionals, especially in marketing field. According to Acker, brand equity has four main dimensions: brand awareness, brand associations, perceived quality, and brand loyalty. This shows that the special value of a strong brand consists of different dimensions, the main of which includes the following: customers are aware of the brand, have a favorable image of the brand, and understand that the brand is of high quality, and they are loyal to the brand.
The tourism industry has emerged as one of the important and growing economic sectors in the last few decades and has been able to allocate a relatively high share and position in the budget of households. Since the main goal of branding is to create positive associations with the destination and distinguish it from other destinations, branding in the tourism industry has become an important element of tourism management. Therefore, the marketers of tourist destinations need to focus on all dimensions of brand equity in tourism destinations in order to increase and promote the brand equity of a destination.
Among the tourist destinations that have gained an important position among tourists in recent years, there are rural areas. In various studies, rural tourism has been mentioned as a means to rebuild development in different social and economic dimensions. Therefore, rural tourism includes all the activities and services provided by rural people, farmers and governments for recreation and relaxation and attracting tourists to rural areas. Rural tourism relies on the combination of the rural environment, farm activ  ities and village cultures, which is attractive for tourists and can sometimes play a role in generating income and creating employment opportunities. The main purpose of this study is to investigate the special value of the tourism brand in the villages of Torqabeh and Shandiz cities of Razavi Khorasan province. In this study, the factors and structures affecting the special value of the rural tourism brand of Torqabeh and Shandiz cities are investigated.
Materials and Methods
The special value of the brand is a multifaceted and complex concept and from the consumer's point of view, it includes the dimensions of awareness, mental image, quality and loyalty. Brand awareness has been mentioned as the main component for creating brand equity in a product or service. According to Acker, consumers must first be aware of the brand in order to have a set of brand associations. Brand awareness affects the formation and strength of brand associations and perceived quality. In other words, consumers' brand awareness leads to attitudes such as brand association and perceived quality, which in turn affect attitudinal brand loyalty. Previous studies show that destination brand awareness and brand image have a positive relationship. As a result of these findings, the following hypotheses are presented:
H1: Awareness of the destination brand has a positive and significant effect on the image of the destination brand.
H2: Awareness of the destination brand has a positive and significant effect on the perceived quality of the destination.
H3: The brand image of the destination has a positive and significant effect on the perceived quality of the destination.
H4: Destination brand image has a positive and significant effect on destination brand loyalty.
H5: Perceived destination quality has a positive and significant effect on destination brand loyalty.
H6: Awareness of the destination brand has a positive and significant effect on the special value of the destination brand.
H7: The image of the destination brand has a positive and significant effect on the special value of the destination brand.
H8: The perceived quality of the destination has a positive and significant effect on the special value of the destination brand.
H9: Loyalty to the destination brand has a positive and significant effect on the special value of the destination brand.
In terms of the purpose, the current research is of the type of applied research and in terms of the method of collecting information; it is of the type of descriptive-survey research. In this study, Structural Equation Modeling was used to examine and test the assumptions and fit of the research model. The geographical area of the research is the tourism target villages of Torqabeh and Shandiz cities in Razavi Khorasan province. In this study, according to the sampling method (simple random two-stage method), two villages of Azghod and Jaghargh were selected. The estimated number of samples based on the formula "Sample size for structural equations" is 380, and 403 questionnaires were completed in this study.
Results and Discussion
According to the theoretical model presented in the research method section, the structural equation model was estimated using SmartPLS3 software.
The results show that all the hypotheses considered in the theoretical model are approved and therefore the model presented, regarding the explanation of brand equity in rural tourism, have a high prestige. The significance level of the sixth assumption is 10% and the eighth assumption is 5% and other assumptions are less than one per cent.
Among the other investigated indicators is the loyalty of tourists to the investigated villages. The results show that this index has a positive and significant effect on brand value, whose coefficient value is 0.282. According to the estimated model and the value of the calculation coefficient in different paths, it seems that the main path affecting the special value of the brand is the following three paths:

Brand awareness - Brand image - Brand loyalty - Brand equity
Brand awareness - Brand image - Perceived quality - Brand loyalty - Brand equity
Brand awareness - Brand image - Brand value

Therefore, it can be acknowledged that in the tourism of the studied villages, the image of tourists from rural areas plays a significant role as an important indicator directly and indirectly in explaining the special value of the brand. Since the image of the brand is a mental phenomenon and based on the feelings caused by understanding and receiving different information, in this regard it seems that the role and function of summer villages in Tarqabeh and Shandiz cities as villages with unique characteristics, including weather and natural scenery, continue to play a role as the main components explaining the image of the brand, which has a positive and significant effect on the brand's special value, loyalty and perceived quality. Therefore, over time, such natural resources can continue to play a role as a key factor in the positive image of tourists towards the target villages of Torqabeh and Shandiz cities.
Conclusions
The results showed that different indicators of brand awareness, brand loyalty, perceived quality, and brand image have a positive and significant effect (directly and indirectly) on the special value of the rural tourism brand of Torqabeh and Shandiz cities.
According to the estimated pattern and the values of the estimated coefficients, it can be said that the image of rural tourism destinations and loyalty to such destinations play a role as the main and key factors in explaining the special value. In this regard, it is suggested that the main features and functions of rural tourism in Torqabeh and Shandiz cities, which are the main functions that form the image of such destinations, should be maintained and promoted.
Considering the relatively high influence of brand image indicators on brand equity, brand loyalty and perceived quality, it seems that brand image is a main indicator that acts as the main and direct variable influencing equity value and it plays a role as an intermediate variable influencing the special value of the brand. Therefore, periodic evaluation of tourists' image of rural destinations and paying attention to their evaluation and feedback of such destinations can play a key role in identifying issues and challenges and providing plans for rural tourism development.
Considering the direct and indirect role of the perceived quality index in the special value of the rural tourism brand, it is suggested that various programs be developed about the tourist host community and the villagers living in the tourist villages who are the main providers of services in rural tourism.

کلیدواژه‌ها [English]

  • Brand equity
  • Rural Tourism
  • Destination Image
  • Loyalty of Tourism Destination
  • Torqabeh and Shandiz

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