Determinants of visit intention to Lake Toba geopark: The roles of publicity, destination awareness, destination image, and word of mouth

Tourism research has increasingly emphasized the importance of communication and perception factors in shaping tourists’ behavioral intentions, particularly in sustainable tourism destinations such as geoparks. However, limited studies have comprehensively examined the interplay between destination publicity, word of mouth (WOM), destination awareness, destination image, and visit intention within the context of UNESCO Global Geoparks. Therefore, this study aims to investigate the relationships among these variables in the context of Lake Toba Geopark, Indonesia, by applying the stimulus–organism–response (SOR) framework. A quantitative approach was employed using a structured online survey distributed to 425 respondents who had previously visited Lake Toba Geopark. The collected data were analyzed using Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) with AMOS. The findings reveal that destination publicity does not significantly influence destination awareness or destination image. Similarly, destination awareness does not directly affect tourists’ visit intention. In contrast, WOM significantly influences destination awareness, while destination awareness significantly enhances destination image. Furthermore, destination image emerges as the strongest determinant of visit intention. These findings indicate that tourists’ behavioral intentions are shaped more strongly by interpersonal communication and psychological perceptions than by conventional publicity exposure. This study contributes theoretically by extending the application of the SOR framework in geopark tourism through the integration of publicity, WOM, awareness, and image variables into a single model. Practically, the findings suggest that tourism stakeholders and destination managers should prioritize strategies that encourage positive WOM, strengthen destination awareness, and enhance destination image through authentic tourist experiences and digital engagement. Ultimately, destination image plays a central role in encouraging tourists’ intention to visit Lake Toba Geopark.