Examining Perceived and Projected Destination Image: A Social Media Content Analysis

Wei Sun, Shoulian Tang and Fang Liu
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Wei Sun: School of Economics and Management, Beijing University of Posts and Telecommunications, Beijing 100876, China
Shoulian Tang: School of Economics and Management, Beijing University of Posts and Telecommunications, Beijing 100876, China
Fang Liu: Business School, University of Western Australia, Perth 6009, Australia

Sustainability, 2021, vol. 13, issue 6, 1-16

Abstract: Destination image has been extensively studied in tourism and marketing, but the questions surrounding the discrepancy between the projected (perceptions from the National Tourism Organizations) and perceived destination image (perceptions from tourists) as well as how the discrepancy may influence sustainable experience remain unclear. Poor understanding of the discrepancy may cause tourist confusion and misuse of resources. The aim of this study is to empirically investigate if the perceived (by tourists) and projected (by NTOs) destination image are significantly different in both cognitive and affective aspects. Through a comprehensive social media content analysis of the NTO-generated and tourist-generated-contents (TGC), the current study identifies numerous gaps between the projected and perceived destination image, which offers some important theoretical and practical implications on destination management and marketing.

Keywords: destination image; sustainable tourism; sustainable experience; projected destination image; perceived destination image; content analysis; social media; tourist generated contents (TGC); National Tourism Organization (NTO); Australia; Chinese tourists (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2021
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (5)

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