Abstract:
Understanding the concept of destination choice is central to experiences that are
memorable to tourists; and to effective presentation of destinations by practitioners.
Although past studies have examined destination attributes with regard to tourists’
destination choice, the effect of psychological distance on international tourists’
destination choice remains unexplored. This study employs the Construal level theory
(CLT) to examine the effect of psychological distance on destination choice by
international tourists visiting the Maasai Mara National Reserve (MMNR).
Specifically, the study aimed at determining the direct effect of temporal, spatial and
social distances on destination choice by the tourists. In retrospect, the study
postulated that temporal, spatial and social distances had no significant effect on
destination choice. The study adopted the mixed methods research design anchored in
the pragmatist research paradigm. The target population included international tourists
and managers of the 38 star-rated lodges situated in the MMNR. A sample of 327
international tourists was obtained from 2105 accessible population using the
systematic random sampling technique. The 25 managers studied were picked from
the 38 star-rated purposively selected accommodation facilities. Data from the tourists
were collected using a self-administered questionnaire while interview schedules were
used to collect data from the managers. Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) was
employed to analyze data. The study established that; temporal distance (β=0.417,
p<0.05) and spatial distance (β=0.277, p<0.05) were positive and significant
predictors of tourists’ destination choice. It was further established that social distance
(β=-0.114, p>0.05) was not a significant predictor of tourists’ destination choice in the
context of this study. The three dimensions of psychological distance together
accounted for 63 percent of the variance in destination choice by international tourists
as determined by a coefficient of determination (R 2 ) value of 0.63. Unlike previous
studies which indicate that temporal distance as a construct has two indicators
namely: proximal future and distal future, this study revealed the intermediate future
as the third indicator of temporal distance and this constitutes new knowledge. This
study also reveals that distant tourists’ destination choice is influenced more by
abstract information while that of near future tourists is influenced more by concrete
information. The study concludes that under CLT, choice of MMNR as a destination
by international tourists was mainly driven by temporal and spatial distance. The
study confirms the effect of psychological distance on how tourists perceive
information by proving that both temporal and spatial distance dimensions have a
significant effect on international tourists’ destination choice. It is therefore
recommended that abstract information be created for tourists planning to travel in the
distant future and concrete information for those planning to travel in the near future.
