Comparing Tourism Destination Images Between Before the Trip and After the Trip

Abstract

There are several studies identifying tourism destination images to three types-original image, reduced image, and complex image based on before and after a traveler's itinerary. However, little empirical research has focused on comparing the transformation of these three types in different formation stages. This research aims to explore the transformation of the reduced image before the trip and the complex image after the trip based on the traveler's experiences, and then further approach to the important forces which influence image development.
This research identified four major dimensions-nature ecology, religious culture, leisure activity, and travel atmosphere to analyze the tourism destination image through literature reviews. We used these four dimensions extended to design 24 image items as measuring determinants of the reduced images and the complex images of the travelers.
We conducted 400 questionnaires for two categories: travelers with the travel experience (after the trip) and without the travel experience (before the trip) by cluster sampling. The 24 image items were factor analyzed using t-test and principal component analysis with a varimax rotation procedure to examine whether the reduced image and the complex image transformed or not, and the influences of stimulus factors and personal factors to destination image development.
There were two study findings in this research. First, the reduced image and the complex image transformed with significance, especially identified in dimensions on nature ecology and travel atmosphere of the reduced images, and on religious culture and leisure activity of the complex images. Secondly, from the 16 items distinguished based on p<0.05 significance level, the stimulus factors over personal factors played a more important role to the development of destination image.

Keywords: Tourism destination image、Destination image formation、Reduced image、Complex image



Author Information
Ya Hui Hsueh, National Taichung University of Education, Taiwan

Paper Information
Conference: ACAH2013
Stream: Arts & Humanities

This paper is part of the ACAH2013 Conference Proceedings (View)
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To cite this article:
Hsueh Y. (2013) Comparing Tourism Destination Images Between Before the Trip and After the Trip ISSN: 2186-229X – The Asian Conference on Arts and Humanities 2013 – Official Conference Proceedings https://doi.org/10.22492/2186-229X.20130129
To link to this article: https://doi.org/10.22492/2186-229X.20130129


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Posted by James Alexander Gordon