Making the right impression is paramount to succeed in today’s very competitive market, where photographs have acquired a prominent role in doing so. The evaluation and analysis of destination image have been tackled mainly from the perspective of the tourists’ perceptions. However, the projected image of destinations has received limited attention in the literature and the topic has not yet been successfully operationalized. Moreover, existing literature on the projected image on photographs (PIP) is scattered and lacking of an integral approach. Thus, the aim of this article is to fill this gap by carrying a comprehensive literature review on the destination’s PIP, covering information sources analyzed, destinations included, number of pictures, time framework, methodology, and specially categorization (people, activities represented, and tourism context) and specific attributes used. As a result, this article provides researchers with a reference guide to understand the current situation of the research on this topic, context, methods, and focus of previous studies. Finally, it identifies trends and reflections on future research.
1 June 2017 in Journal of Destination Marketing & Management
This study seeks to provide a deeper understanding of the image formation process as it relates to museums with a view to comparing and contrasting tourists and residents as the two main target segments for this high-quality attraction. This study theoretically develops and empirically tests a measurement model of the museum image formation process, integrating the processes for both residents and tourists. The model also examines visitor motivations and information sources as conditioning variables. Finally, it studies the effect of visitor image on satisfaction with the museum visitation experience. The results of this study suggest that residents and tourists have some differences in their image formation process following visitation to a museum. Theoretical and managerial implications are discussed.
This study examines the destination image of South America among young North American students through the lens of a historic movie with controversial content. The results of the study reveal that South America is perceived as an affordable ecotourism destination, with emphasis on the nature, cultural and heritage attributes of the region. It is also perceived as less developed, secured and westernized than their home environment. It is found that watching the movie has not dramatically changed the destination image of South America, but rather strengthened previous perceptions. Nevertheless, an increasing desire to visit South America is evidenced among the participants. The findings of the study call for more critical and cautious analysis of the phenomenon of film tourism. In addition, it also suggests that with certain conditions even films with controversial plot may contribute to tourism industry of a destination.