DOI: 10.4018/IJABIM.2019070105 International Journal of Asian Business and Information Management Volume 10 • Issue 3 • July-September 2019 Copyright © 2019, IGI Global. Copying or distributing in print or electronic forms without written permission of IGI Global is prohibited. 74 Empirical Investigation of Relationship Among Destination Brand Equity Dimensions: A Mediation Analysis Approach Vikrant Kaushal, Lovely Professional University, Phagwara, India Suman Sharma, Central University of Himachal Pradesh, Dharamsala, India Nurmahmud Ali, Lovely Professional University, Phagwara, India ABSTRACT The concept of destination brand equity remains an intriguing area for scholars and practitioners, yet an empirical investigation of its structural composition and interrelationship among its constituent dimensions remains inadequate. This study proposes a theoretical model where in addition to assessing a model adequacy, mediation analysis has been carried out with the help of structure equation modelling. Specifically, it investigates the interplay among five crucial dimensions of destination brand equity: destination brand awareness, destination image, perceived quality, perceived value, and tourist loyalty. A structural model with mediating role of perceived value dimension has been empirically verified for an Indian tourism destination. The results indicate that perceived value is central to the realisation of impacts of destination image and perceived quality on loyalty shown by the tourists toward the destination. Drawing on the results of the analyses several implications have been put forward. KEywoRDS Destination Brand Awareness, Destination Image, Interrelationship, Model, Perceived Quality, Perceived Value, Structure Equation Modelling, Tourist Loyalty INTRoDUCTIoN A destination is a “geographic competitive region, which attempts to create value for guests. It is based on a bundle of services and products created by a variety of different businesses” (Wagner & Peters, 2009, p. 55). Branding a destination is conceptualised as “selecting a consistent element mix to identify and distinguish it through positive image building” (Cai, 2002, p. 722). A much inclusive and intriguing concept in destination branding studies remains that of destination brand equity. Brand equity has drawn considerable attention from scholars and practitioners, yet chiefly remains vague and subjective (Broyles, Schumann & Leingpibul, 2009). Brand equity, when seen in tourism frame of reference is often referred to as destination brand equity and is defined as “the combination of key factors that can be described as the overall utility that tourists place in the destination brand when compared to its competitors” (Ferns & Walls, 2012, p. 27). Brand equity for a destination is based on the visitors’ perceptions and results in loyalty behaviour of tourists (Liu & Chou, 2016) and an ideal way to measure brand equity can be the examination of its individual dimensions (Aaker, 1991).