Different tourists – different perceptions of different places: accounting for tourists’ perceptual heterogeneity in destination image measurement

We suggest that differences between tourists be evaluated as part of any destination image study. In doing so, one can avoid the potential pitfall of deriving one single destination image by averaging over individuals with possibly very different perceptions. A typology of destination image measurement approaches is presented that provides a framework for the evaluation of past destination image studies and shows directions for future developments of destination image measurement. The perceptions based market segmentation (PBMS) framework and indices derived from this approach are proposed as one possible way to explore differences in destination images between tourist groups. An empirical data set is used to illustrate the proposed approach. The data consists of perception statements of 575 respondents who evaluated six Australian tourism destinations along four dimensions. Disciplines Business | Social and Behavioral Sciences Publication Details Dolnicar, S & Huybers, T, Different tourists different perceptions of different places: accounting for tourists' perceptual heterogeneity in destination image measurement, Tourism Analysis, 12 (5-6), 447-461. This journal article is available at Research Online: http://ro.uow.edu.au/commpapers/252 Different tourists – different perceptions of different places Accounting for tourists’ perceptual heterogeneity in destination image measurement Sara Dolnicar* School of Marketing & Management University of Wollongong Northfields Ave 2522 Wollongong, NSW Australia Phone: +61 2 4221 3862 Fax: +61 2 4221 4154 [email protected] Twan Huybers* School of Business University of New South Wales Australian Defence Force Academy Canberra, ACT 2600 Australia Phone: +61 2 6268 8075 Fax: +61 2 6268 8450 [email protected] * Authors listed in alphabetical order. Different tourists – different perceptions of different places Accounting for tourists’ perceptual heterogeneity in destination image measurement