Factors Of Perceived Image Of A Tourism Destination

Destination image and factors influencing it are becoming more and more important for tourism destinations due to the growing competition on international tourism market. Since tourism demand has been increasing year after year, tourism destinations are facing the challenge of finding new ways of attracting tourists. The researches are showing that image is becoming one of the key factors in a process of selecting a destination. The aim of this paper is, using a combination of structured and unstructured methodologies, to define factors influencing destination image. The research was carried out in Dubrovnik, Croatia on a sample of 705 tourists. The SEM results indicate that natural resources, elements of tourism leisure and recreation, elements of social environment, economical factors and atmosphere of the place are extremely important for the perception of image of Dubrovnik. The results obtained by unstructured methodology show that, among other attractions, the Old town of Dubrovnik and city walls are perceived as determining factors of image differentiation for the city of Dubrovnik.