Perceptions of blended destination image: the case of Rio de Janeiro and Brazil

Abstract

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to investigate the image of Brazil and Rio de Janeiro as a blended tourism destination (TD) image, by examining the categories of the image, and whether it is positive or negative and cognitive or affective.Design/methodology/approachA quantitative approach was employed to verify the relations between the image of Brazil and Rio de Janeiro by visit, location, categories and subcategories and dimensions. Data were collected online from a “snowball” sample and were analyzed applying non-parametric hypothesis testing. Statistical analysis was performed with Statistical Package for the Social Sciences software version 25.0 for Windows.FindingsResults reveal that respondents share the same image of the city of Rio de Janeiro and Brazil, a conclusion that is partially confirmed by statistical findings. The quantitative results also showed that the image is positive and “natural attractions” and “unique city attractions” are, respectively, the most mentioned subcategory and category. Cognitive attributes of the image have been more mentioned than affective ones.Originality/valueTo the best of the authors’ knowledge, the image of Brazil and Rio de Janeiro as a blended TD image has never been explored before, however, it has been assumed as being the same.