ABSTRACT

The global tourism market is by its very nature fiercely competitive; no other marketplace has as many 'brands' all competing for attention and selection by the potential tourist. Tourism destination image (TDI) is of crucial importance and has demanded the attention of tourism academia and researchers. Researchers have considered and analysed the topic of destination image from three main perspectives: consumer behaviour/segmentation, competition and image formation and its components. This chapter gives an integrated review of these three issues and summarizes and critiques the literature on the broad topic, then suggests a revised research agenda for the field. It deals with a view of historical and current literature taking into account the main elements and attributes of TDI explored by academic tourism research. The chapter presents a case study that illustrates the application of the concept of TDI to a practical tourism problem.