Business tourists’ perceptions of nation brands and capital city brands: a comparison between Dublin/Republic of Ireland, and Cardiff/Wales

Abstract

ABSTRACTThis paper explores the relatively under-researched area of business tourists’ perceptions of conference destinations. Data were gathered through questionnaires distributed at two international conferences. Findings indicate that business tourists’ perceptions of a destination can influence their decision to attend or not to attend events, and that they perceive the brand images of the nation in which they may spend leisure time differently from the cities in which conferences are often held. Conclusions suggest that, particularly in countries less frequently used for hosting such business events, Destination Management/Marketing Organisation should better coordinate the promotion of a capital city and host nation, and diversity of the destination as a whole, and encourage event planners to organise more trips and delegate activities further afield, away from the main conference venue.