Enhancing Tea Tourism Destination Image through Digital Marketing: The Mediating Role of Visitor Experience in Sri Lanka
Abstract
The growing importance of experiential tourism has increased the need for effective digital marketing strategies to promote niche tourism destinations. Despite Sri Lanka's global recognition for Ceylon tea, limited empirical evidence exists regarding how digital marketing tools contribute to strengthening tea tourism destination image. Therefore, this study examines the influence of digital marketing tools on tea tourism destination image while investigating the mediating role of visitor experience. A mixed-method research approach was employed by combining quantitative and qualitative techniques. Quantitative data were collected from 382 foreign tea tourists using structured questionnaires, while qualitative data were gathered through semi-structured interviews with 12 tea tourism stakeholders. Quantitative data were analyzed using Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM) with SmartPLS 4, whereas qualitative data were analyzed using thematic content analysis. The findings reveal that digital marketing tools significantly enhance visitor experience but do not exert a significant direct influence on tea tourism destination image. However, visitor experience significantly mediates the relationship between digital marketing tools and destination image, demonstrating that memorable tourism experiences transform digital promotional efforts into favorable destination perceptions. The qualitative findings further indicate limited adoption of immersive digital technologies, fragmented promotional strategies, and inadequate stakeholder collaboration within Sri Lanka's tea tourism sector. The study extends the Stimulus-Organism-Response (S-O-R) framework within the tea tourism context and provides practical recommendations for tourism authorities and industry stakeholders to strengthen digital engagement, improve visitor experiences, and enhance the international competitiveness of Sri Lanka's tea tourism destinations.