Tourism Image and Visitor's Behavior

Dear Colleagues,

The image of different tourist destinations has been one of the most studied topics during the last three decades, with previous research recognizing its power not only to influence visitors’ decision making and tourist behavior, but also to determine the competitiveness of a given destinations. Thus, tourist destinations must manage their image well in order to be popular and successful.

Tourists perceive a set of attributes and mental constructions related to a place. This is a slow process based on the accumulation of their own experiences and information from various sources (cinema, literature, advertising, social networks, etc.). As a result, the perceived overall image of a destination may influence both decision-making processes and onsite behavior. Therefore, the tourist image becomes a relevant factor that stimulates “consumption” of the space (selection of visited monuments and attractions, itinerary followed, etc.) and the tourist gaze (expectations, angles from which sites are looked at, etc.).

Although there has been extensive research on destination image and visitor behavior separately, however, it seems that studies that relate tourism image and tourist behavior are scarce; thus, our understanding of how image influences the behavioral patterns of visitors is incomplete. For example, the influence of the image disseminated and perceived by information sources (online and offline) on actual behavior, film-induced destination image and consequent tourist behavior, neuromarketing and its role in decision making and place visitation, consequences of tourist-phobia and negative perceptions of in situ behavior and decision making, and destination image impacts on pre-, post-, and on-site behavior are poorly understood at present.

This Special Issue aims to attract high-quality papers that analyze the effect of image on the behavior of visitors in tourist destinations, in order to achieve a better comprehension of its relationship. Both qualitative and quantitative studies are welcome.

Dr. Nuria Galí
Dr. Raquel Camprubí
Guest Editors

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