ABSTRACT
Destination image has a major influence on consumers’ travel decisions, to the extent that perceptions held by target consumers and travel trade intermediaries are so important that they can affect destination competitiveness. Therefore, monitoring perceptions held of the destination in target markets is essential for the destination marketing organisation (DMO). Chapter 7 – Destination brand identity introduced the concepts of destination brand identity, destination image and destination brand positioning, as the three key pillars in the co-creation of the destination brand by the DMO, stakeholders, travel intermediaries and target consumers. The destination brand identity, designed by the DMO, represents the image aspired to in the marketplace. This chapter discusses destination image, as representing the actual perceptions held of the destination by target consumers, which might or might not be similar to that intended in the brand identity. Chapter 9 – Destination brand positioning discusses the role of positioning as the attempt to achieve congruence between the destination image and the destination brand identity. Consumers are spoilt by choice of available destinations for a travel situation but will only actively consider an average of four in their decision set. Membership in consumers’ decision sets represents a source of competitive edge and is underpinned by destination image. A key influence on destination image and decision set membership is travel context, where an individual’s perceptions of a 164destination’s attractiveness might vary across different travel situations. Not surprisingly then, the topic of destination image has been the most popular in the tourism marketing literature, and there exists a rich resource to guide DMOs. However, despite nearly 50 years of published destination image research there is no widely accepted agreement on how to measure this important construct. The chapter concludes with a summary of common limitations in destination image measurement.
