International Journal of Asian Social Science, 2016, 6(2): 108-119 † Corresponding author DOI: 10.18488/journal.1/2016.6.2/1.2.108.119 ISSN(e): 2224-4441/ISSN(p): 2226-5139 © 2016 AESS Publications. All Rights Reserved. 108 PROPOSING A MODEL OF THE EFFECT OF WORD OF MOUTH ON DESTINATION IMAGE OF TOURISTS AND TRAVEL INTENTION Mohammad Reza Hamidizadeh 1 --- Manizheh Gharah Cheh 2 --- Akram Hadizadeh Moghadam 3 --- Sirous Salimipour 4† 1 Professor, Faculty of Management and Accounting, Shahid Beheshti University, Iran 2,3 Associate professor, Faculty of Management and Accounting, Shahid Beheshti University, Iran 4 Ph.D candidate of Marketing, Faculty of Management and Accounting, Shahid Beheshti University, Iran ABSTRACT The awareness of a tourism destination and establishment of a destination image are often the result of a long range of information resources on a place and its people in which the efforts of organizations related to destination management is a part of the resources. This paper aims to propose a conceptual model to understand the mechanism of affective information sources on formation of destination image in the mind of tourists and consequently, travel intention. This study is descriptive-analytical in terms of method which employed document studies. That is, it reviews theoretical background and related research conducted in various countries and then would propose a model to understand the dynamics of tourism industry. © 2016 AESS Publications. All Rights Reserved. Keywords: Information sources, Destination image, Travel decision, Information search. Contribution/ Originality This study is one of very few studies which have investigated the effect of word of mouth on destination image and travel intention in a conceptual model based on the comprehensive literature review in the area of information resources and destination image. The previous works have not addressed the issue in the context of tourism industry. 1. INTRODUCTION Century 21 is a century of utilizing valuable trade opportunities in service sector, particularly tourism industry. It has been predicted that financial turnover of tourism of world tourism would go beyond from financial turnover of other industries and would be about 2 trillion dollars. In this International Journal of Asian Social Science ISSN(e): 2224-4441/ISSN(p): 2226-5139 journal homepage: http://www.aessweb.com/journals/5007