Beschreibung:
<jats:p> This article studies the effect of ‘cultural proximity’ on the way tourists perceive North Portugal as a rural holiday destination. Based on results of a one-year-long survey ( N= 2280), the author questions if there is a relationship ‘the culturally closer the tourist, the better destination image’, as expected when following assumptions from product[destination]-self-congruity theory. Eventual moderating effects of Plog’s ‘psycho-graphic traveler type’ are also studied. Results confirm an impact of ‘cultural proximity’ on destination image, however not exactly in the direction indicated by product-self-congruity theory. Indeed, those visitors that are neither closest nor most distant in terms of ‘cultural proximity’ reveal the most positive destination image. The need most tourists feel for a balance between novelty and familiarity, as suggested by some researchers, appears as a reasonable explanation of these findings. </jats:p>