Do tourists perceive destination brands as masculine, feminine, or androgynous? An empirical study using the Neo-Destination Gender Scale

Tourism marketers and researchers are intrigued by destination gender. This study introduces the Neo-Destination Gender Scale for emerging markets, with 31 items evaluating masculinity, femininity, androgyny. Masculinity involves charisma, adventure, and optimism; femininity is linked to romance, loyalty, and gracefulness; androgyny is marked by conscientiousness, social boldness, and possessiveness. The scale was validated through responses from foreign and domestic tourists in three stages (387, 443, and 435 valid respondents). The study validated the scale by testing respondents’ gender identities and intention to revisit destinations, advancing destination branding and aiding the development of targeted marketing strategies in the tourism industry.