Impact of Chilam Joshi Festival on Destination Image and Tourist Behavioral Intentions: A Study of Kalash Valley, Chitral

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to examine the impact of the Chilam Joshi Festival on destination image and tourist behavioral intentions in Kalash Valley, Chitral. The study specifically investigated the relationships among festival experience, destination image, and tourist behavioral intentions, while also examining the mediating role of destination image. The research was grounded in the Stimulus–Organism–Response (S-O-R) model, where festival experience served as the stimulus, destination image as the organism, and tourist behavioral intentions as the response. A quantitative research approach was adopted, and data were collected through a structured questionnaire from 250 tourists attending the Chilam Joshi Festival. Purposive sampling was used to select respondents who had directly experienced the festival. The collected data were analyzed using SPSS through descriptive statistics, reliability analysis, correlation analysis, regression analysis, and mediation analysis. The findings revealed that festival experience has a significant positive effect on destination image and tourist behavioral intentions. The results further indicated that destination image significantly influences tourist behavioral intentions and partially mediates the relationship between festival experience and behavioral intentions. All proposed hypotheses were supported. The study confirms that positive festival experiences enhance tourists’ perceptions of Kalash Valley and encourage revisit intentions, positive word-of-mouth communication, and destination loyalty. The study contributes to the tourism literature by extending the application of the S-O-R framework within the context of indigenous cultural tourism in Pakistan. Practically, the findings highlight the importance of preserving cultural authenticity, improving tourism infrastructure, and promoting cultural festivals as strategic tools for destination branding and sustainable tourism development.