Stopover destination image — Using the Repertory Test to identify salient attributes

Abstract

This paper reports a rare investigation of stopover destination image. Although the topic of destination image has been one of the most popular in the tourism literature since the 1970s, there has been a lack of research in the context of stopover destinations. The purpose of this study was to identify attributes deemed salient to Australian consumers when considering stopover destinations during travel to Europe. Underpinned by Personal Construct Theory, the study used the Repertory Test to identify 21 salient attributes, for use in the developing a survey measuring the attractiveness of a competitive set of stopover destinations. While the list of attributes shared some commonality with general studies of destination image reported in the literature, the elicitation of a relatively large number of stopover context specific attributes highlights the potential benefit of engaging with consumers in qualitative research, such as using the Repertory Test, during the questionnaire development stage.