Does Economic Animosity Affect Country Image and Tourism Behavior? A Study on the Perception of Germany in Italy and Spain During the Euro Crisis

This paper investigates the impact of economic animosity and nationalism on tourists’ behavior. Drawing from the literature on animosity, consumer ethnocentrism/ nationalism, and country image, it is proposed a comprehensive research model which analyzes the relationship between economic animosity and nationalism and their impact on perceptions of general country image, tourism destination image, and destination receptivity. The model was tested on a sample of 384 Italian and Spanish graduate students with regard to the image of Germany during the Euro crisis. Based on the results the paper concludes with a discussion of contribution to animosity and country image theory and underlines potential implications for both police makers and national companies.