Exploring the dimensions of online destination brand experience: Spanish and North American tourists' perspectives

Abstract

As the use of online platforms to search for information about tourist destinations grows, so does the need for destination marketing organizations (DMOs) to offer positive online destination brand (ODB) experiences. Two studies were conducted online to explore the central elements of a positive ODB experience with four official destination platforms (the website, Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter). Based on a photo-elicitation technique, the grounded theory approach, and data triangulation, this study identified six dimensions of a positive ODB experience: sensory, affective, behavioral, intellectual, interactive, and social. Thus, it extends the four-dimensional brand experience scale created by Brakus, Schmitt, and Zarantonello (2009) and proposes two other dimensions that deepen the understanding of an ODB experience: interactive and social. The results indicate that, rather than disseminating content, DMOs should focus on generating sensory, affective, behavioral, and intellectual experiences as well as fostering person-to-person connection and enabling users to create content on destination platforms.