DESTINATION IMAGE FORMATION AND THE INTERNET

Abstract

The internet has become a growing repository of not only text, but also photographs and videos. Sites like YouTube provide new ground for the exchange of information. In terms of tourism, this has an impact on destination image formation. Tourists are able to upload images of their experiences at a destination to internationally popular websites and in so doing have a lasting effect on a destination's image and the travel selection process. Businesses and government agencies can also take advantage of the increasing interest in and availability of online video sharing websites. Destination marketers can now observe how their destination is being portrayed by tourists, residents, businesses and government agencies alike and discover which kinds of videos are most widely viewed. This information has great potential for increased intelligence concerning and manipulation of destination image. This study is based on an inductive approach to the development of a model for future research into destination image formation, online destination image, videos of tourist destinations and online destination marketing. It contains an analysis of the characteristics of the most popular videos of Jeju Island posted on www.youtube.com, the most widely known and visited free video sharing website. The sample consists of 175 videos of Jeju Island, selected through convenience sampling out of a population of 561. Relationships between a video's viewcount and several important variables were discovered. The results are discussed in relation to online destination image and the formation of strategies for destination marketing online.