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Does Travel Really Enhance Destination-Country Image? Understanding Tourists’ Changes in Perception toward a Destination Country

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  • Peng Yu

    (School of Geography and Ocean Sciences, Nanjing University, Nanjing 210023, China)

  • Hongmei Zhang

    (Shanghai Institute of Tourism, Shanghai Normal University, Shanghai 200234, China)

Abstract

Tourism has played a fundamental role in shaping the image of destination countries. This study aimed to examine changes in international tourists’ enhanced and complex destination-country images (DCIs) by comparing pre- and post-trip perceptions. A total of 268 and 275 valid questionnaires from pre- and post-trip Chinese outbound tourists to South Korea, respectively, were collected. The results indicated that tourists’ DCIs were dynamic and could be effectively promoted through their actual tourism experiences. Overall, when considering enhanced DCI perception, compared with pre-trip tourists, post-trip tourists possessed a positive complex DCI perception. Tourism could provide an important channel for promoting a destination country’s image to the world.

Suggested Citation

  • Peng Yu & Hongmei Zhang, 2020. "Does Travel Really Enhance Destination-Country Image? Understanding Tourists’ Changes in Perception toward a Destination Country," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(10), pages 1-12, May.
  • Handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:12:y:2020:i:10:p:4294-:d:362324
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    References listed on IDEAS

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