Author Bios (50 Words for each Author)

Florian Kock is a doctoral candidate at the Copenhagen Business School and Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology. His work has appeared in tourism journals such as Journal of Travel Research and Annals of Tourism Research.

Alexander Josiassen is an Associate Professor at the Copenhagen Business School. His work has appeared in several marketing and tourism journals, such as Journal of Marketing, Tourism Management, Journal of Travel Research, Annals of Tourism Research, and Journal of Retailing.

A. George Assaf is an Associate Professor at the Isenberg School of Management, University of Massachusetts- Amherst. His work has appeared in several tourism, marketing and economic journals, such as Tourism Management, Journal of Travel Research, Annals of Tourism Research, and Journal of Retailing.

Abstract (150 Words)

Most studies that investigate tourists' choices of destinations apply the concept of mental destination representations, also referred to as destination image. The present study investigates tourists’ destination choice processes by conceptualizing how different components of destination image are mentally processed in tourists' minds. Specifically, the seminal dual processing approach is applied to the destination image literature. By doing this, we argue that some components of mental destination representations are processed systematically while others serve as inputs for heuristics that individuals apply to inform their decision making. Understanding how individuals make use of their mental destination representations and how they color their decision-making is essential in order to better explain tourist behavior.

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A Dual Process Approach to Understand Tourists’ Destination Choice Processes

Most studies that investigate tourists' choices of destinations apply the concept of mental destination representations, also referred to as destination image. The present study investigates tourists’ destination choice processes by conceptualizing how different components of destination image are mentally processed in tourists' minds. Specifically, the seminal dual processing approach is applied to the destination image literature. By doing this, we argue that some components of mental destination representations are processed systematically while others serve as inputs for heuristics that individuals apply to inform their decision making. Understanding how individuals make use of their mental destination representations and how they color their decision-making is essential in order to better explain tourist behavior.