Linking tourists’ performing arts experience and perceived destination image

With the rapid growth of the middle class in emerging economies, more consumers are patronising commercial arts performances as their leisure choices. As a unique cultural element of a destination, performing arts continue to attract both local and tourist audiences’ attention and contribute to construct its destination image. Despite the importance of performing arts, the link between the branded performing arts product and the perceived destination image by tourist audiences remains unexplored. This study fills the research gap through developing and testing a conceptual model that connects tourist audiences’ living performance experience and the perceived image of a destination. A total of 419 completed questionnaires from the audience of a live circus show in Zhuhai, China were collected and analysed. The results of structural equation modelling reveal that the quality of both core and supplementary services of performing arts affects tourist audiences’ perceived value of spectating performing arts, which then influences their satisfaction and perceived destination image. The findings highlight the potential role of performing arts in promoting a destination. Managerial implications for performing arts service providers and destination marketing organisations are also discussed.