Destination Image, Cultural Intelligence, and Tourist Loyalty: Insights From a Tunisian Ecotourism Destinatio

This research aims to investigate the structural mechanisms underlying tourist loyalty in emerging ecotourism destinations. Using the Stimulus-Organism-Response framework, it examines how cognitive and affective dimensions of destination image influence loyalty intentions, while exploring the mediating role of cultural intelligence. A quantitative design was deployed, based on a survey of 720 ecotourists in Tunisia, with Structural Equation Modeling used to test the hypothetical relationships. The empirical analysis confirms that while both image dimensions promote loyalty, cognitive image appears to be an important predictor of cultural intelligence. Results demonstrate that cultural intelligence serves as a significant partial mediator, linking knowledge-based perceptions of the local context to loyalty intentions. Contrary to approaches prioritizing pure emotion, this study reveals that ecotourism loyalty is strongly dependent on cultural learning processes. For Destination Marketing Organizations, these findings suggest placing greater emphasis on cognitive positioning within existing destination marketing strategies. Strategies must invest in strengthening the cognitive image through rich educational content (traditions, ecology, local norms) and active learning experiences that foster cultural adaptation. Developing visitors' cultural intelligence thus constitutes a lever for competitive differentiation and sustainable loyalty. This research offers a threefold contribution to tourism marketing literature. First, it extends destination image theory by validating cultural intelligence as a psychological mediator that clarifies the perception-behavior relationship. Second, it repositions cultural intelligence as a dynamic, situational capability shaped by tourist experience. Finally, it fills an empirical gap by validating the SOR framework in a North African context, providing contextual legitimacy for sustainable tourism theories in emerging destinations.