Forming A Destination Image from Travel Writers’ Perspective

Abstract

This study was an attempt to analyze destination image through the writings of travel writers who have undergone Familiarization or FAM programs organized by Tourism Malaysia. The idea behind the FAM program is for the writers to experience first-hand specific destinations in Malaysia and express their experiences through article writings. The most important tool that the writers need is an endorsed information. Valid information would be a source to write interesting articles. The data in the form of the travel articles (FAM articles) were collected with the assistance of Tourism Malaysia based on the suggested criteria The articles that we used in this research was back in 2010. Since then, there is little research being done using this type of articles. This study aims to determine what are the focus of attraction at the destinations described by FAM writers. It also aims to interpret and assign conceptualization image as per their descriptions thereof. The study uses qualitative methods of content analysis and adapts the coding procedures of open, axial and selective codding from the grounded theory approach. This study analyses and interprets selected travel articles written by FAM writers. FAM articles were collected for analysis. This study addresses the gaps between destination image theories and the depiction of such destination image by travel writers. It is postulated that writers envisage the perception of the destination and therefore enhance the understanding of destination image through their writings. Although the present depiction of destination image is very much relevant within most tourism contexts, what is perhaps not considered precisely is whether such interpretation still holds when the image is derived merely from textual data as they are interpreted by FAM writers. These writers provide the linkage between the destinations and the potential tourists. How they write, what they write, and their expressions of the destinations will influence potential tourists to visit.