Abstract
Tourism has played a fundamental role in shaping the image of destination countries. This study aimed to examine changes in international tourists’ enhanced and complex destination-country images (DCIs) by comparing pre- and post-trip perceptions. A total of 268 and 275 valid questionnaires from pre- and post-trip Chinese outbound tourists to South Korea, respectively, were collected. The results indicated that tourists’ DCIs were dynamic and could be effectively promoted through their actual tourism experiences. Overall, when considering enhanced DCI perception, compared with pre-trip tourists, post-trip tourists possessed a positive complex DCI perception. Tourism could provide an important channel for promoting a destination country’s image to the world.
Highlights
With the globalization of the world economy, countries are facing heightened competition for investments, immigrants, tourists, etc
Exploratory factor analysis was applied to figure out the destination-country images (DCIs) factors
This study examined the perception changes in enhanced DCI and complex DCI items and factors in the international tourism context, taking Korea as the tourism destination and pre-trip and post-trip Chinese mainland tourists as the research subjects
Summary
With the globalization of the world economy, countries are facing heightened competition for investments, immigrants, tourists, etc. Given the intensive competition in the tourism market, the overall image of a country plays an important role in attracting international tourists [2,3]. Country image includes consumers’ perceptions of country stereotypes, reflected in a country’s politics, economy, cultural heritage, technological resources at the macro level, and specific product categories at the micro-level [7,8]. Both the macro and micro characteristics may come into play in the choice of tourism destination country [9,10]. Tourism managers and researchers should pay considerable attention to the role that destination-country image plays in attracting international tourists
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
