Destination image (DI) has an important role in destination choice. DI is considered as one of the main factors in destination competitiveness. The main aim of this study was to explore the projected image of Portugal as a tourism... more
Destination image (DI) has an important role in destination choice. DI is considered as one of the main factors in destination competitiveness. The main aim of this study was to explore the projected image of Portugal as a tourism destination. The projected image was obtained through an analysis of the pictures of the official page of destination management organization of Portugal on Instagram (@visitportugal). The research used a sample of 1,306 photos. Samples included photographic and textual data. Visual content analysis and content analysis were adopted to analysis data. Appling content analysis for images refers to break a picture into a number of categories. The results showed that the projected destination images of Portugal were dominated by attributes related to natural attractions. In addition, the geographical distribution of the DMO photos showed that 880 photos (67%) of all 1,306 DMO photos were associated with nine destinations. Food/drink category was the most engaging image for followers. Additionally, the findings indicated that the most common applied hashtags for describing Portugal as a tourism destination and inspire travelers to visit were related to nature-based activities (e.g., nature, river, beach, ocean, sea).
By the development of information communication technologies, destinations have widely started using the internet and social media to promote themselves. Along with this trend, owing the critical impacts of destination image on the... more
By the development of information communication technologies, destinations have widely started using the internet and social media to promote themselves. Along with this trend, owing the critical impacts of destination image on the decision making and destination selection, the focal aim of this study is to explore the representative characteristics of the projected image of Turkey. The projected image was acquired through a pictorial analysis of the pictures of the official Instagram page of Turkey (@Turkey_Home) which has been operated by The Ministry of Tourism and Culture of Turkey. The pictorial analysis was conducted on a sample of 2159 photos in May 2017. The results of this study can be helpful for Turkey's destination marketing and/or managerial decisions to optimize its promotional and photo sharing activities, by identifying the most favorable photos for followers, providing insights about the geographical distribution and visualizing the most applied hashtag to promote Turkey.
