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Destination image online analyzed through user generated content: a systematic literature review

Publication . Stopp, Valerie Sabine Gisela; Matos, Nélson; Ramos, Célia M. Q.

Destination Image is a concept that has been studied for a long time in tourism research. The question of how a destination is perceived by tourists and potential new guests is an important insight, especially for local tourism managers, in order to evaluate the implemented strategies and to plan further tactics. Since the last two decades, due to a drastic digitalization, tourism research is now increasingly examining the Destination Image online. This creates new challenges in the selection of sources, methods, and in data collection. The aim of the present study was to systematically capture the approach to analyze the online Destination Image through User Generated Content using studies from the last ten years. Therefore, a Systematic Literature Review on primary research from academic databases was conducted. As a summary of the findings, a conceptual model was developed, based on the insights of the studies in the dataset, to contribute a guidance for the preparation phase of future online Destination Image research. In short, the main findings are: TripAdvisor.com is the main source for online Destination Image analysis. Researchers recommend using the help of software and programming languages to collect and analyzed the data. Equally to earlier Destination Image studies, the main methods applied in online Destination Image analysis are quantitative content analysis, qualitative content analysis and sentiment analysis. In combination with the examination of cognitive and affective factors, co-occurrence analysis, and correlation analysis. The present study has several limitations, which are: the loss of detail information due to reducing the studies to comparable key parameters, the absence of Anglo-American studies, due to the database selection as well as the lack of quality testing of the studies included.

2021-12-07Master thesis

Open Access

Exploring emotions in tourists´ experiences based on cognitive appraisal theory insights from Algarve, Portugal

Publication . Martins, Rafaela Sofia Cabrita Catarina; Guerreiro, Manuela; Sequeira, Bernardete

Current literature on emotions in the tourism and marketing fields focuses on assessing how to identify, understand, design methods to measure and define emotions within the post-consumption experience. Recent tourism studies have understood the importance of emotions in designing better touristic experiences. They have succeeded in identifying ways to discriminate the best methods to measure emotions in broader senses but failing to identify specific and discrete emotions and their existent reasons while directly involving the individual to understand the underlying emotional reasons within Tourism Destinations. This study employs the S-O-R paradigm to comprehend tourists’ emotions in a tourism experience context and the Cognitive appraisal approach since emotions are viewed as mental states arising from subjective evaluations. In doing so, this research aims, specifically, to (1) identify the emotions spontaneously elicited by tourists about their experiences in the Algarve destination; (2) explore possible linkages between sensory stimuli and emotions, and (3) explore possible linkages between emotions and behaviour regarding destination recommendations. A sample of tourists sectioned into two touristic seasons (high and low) was interviewed within the project TurExperience (SAICT-ALG/39588/2018). Based on Del-Bosque and San Martín (2008) and Richins (1997), 16 emotional states were regressed alongside drivers and behavioural outcomes identified with significant co-occurrences, suggesting an association between the elicited emotions and sensory stimuli, namely regarding the vision, taste, and smelling senses. And secondly, the elicited emotions and loyalty behaviours, namely regarding tourists’ loyalty behaviours on destination recommendation. Adopting a qualitative approach, by using semi-structured interviews with tourists visiting the Algarve, an illustrious and reputable destination in the south of Portugal, findings suggest that emotional states vary under the influence of certain circumstances, namely when people experience emotional states like Happiness, tranquility, calmness, sadness, discomfort, Saudade or even nostalgia. These outcomes have huge practical implications on the tourism experience design, destination marketing, positioning, and branding. As well as for theoretical implications providing further understanding on emotions spontaneous elicitation and underlying emotional reasons in the context of a tourism destination. This paper is financed by National Funds provided by FCT- Foundation for Science and Technology through project UIDB/04020/2020.

2023-06-26Master thesis

Open Access

The customer experience at the destination and behavioural intentions: exploring the role of tourists´ emotions

Publication . Piedade, David Alberto Encarnação; Guerreiro, Manuela; Valle, Patrícia Oom do

Customer experience, and its effects on tourism development, has been the focus of many researchers over recent decades. The continuous demand to increase customer experience levels has been the driving factor for businesses and marketing practitioners to understand how to implement added value to their regions as to obtain sustainable growth and competitive advantage. This challenge has led to researchers exploring the critical post-visit stage of the tourist visit, particularly focusing on the effect of emotions on customer experience. The experience of the visit has a direct effect on tourist’s emotions, and a successful impact at this stage leads not only to tourist loyalty, but also in tourist recommendation of the destination. The primary goal of this study was to address whether customer experience had a positive effect on loyalty, and on positive and negative emotions. Afterwards, we aimed to determine whether these positive and negative emotions themselves had an effect on tourist loyalty. A conceptual model was created to understand the correlations between four latent variables: touristic experience, positive emotions, negative emotions, and destination loyalty. The model was tested through by questionnaire data immediately retrieved post-experience from tourists in the Algarve, between 15th July and 15th September 2021 under the TurExperience project. The data was then analysed under descriptive statistics and utilized to validate the relationships between the constructs proposed in the conceptual model. All hypotheses were supported and validated, indicating that customer experience directly affects tourist’s loyalty at the destination, the Algarve. These results also show that positive and negative emotions with customer experience strongly influence tourist loyalty. Our findings highlight the importance to consider not only customer experience as a valuable tool in creating customer experiences at the tourism level, but also the role of positive emotions in creating experiences by introducing positive emotional stimuli to create memorability, leading to the sharing of these experiences and tourist retention.

2022-07-07Master thesis

Open Access