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Author(s): Andreas Zins

Publication date: 7. 2016

Place of Publication Volume: New York

Publisher: Springer

Host publication editor(s): J. Jafari, H. Xiao

Tourism development is officially recognized by the Chinese central government as one of the strategic pillars of the country's economy. Hence, regional authorities are responsible for developing positioning strategies for their tourism destinations. This study investigates the following: (1) the variety of planned image positions among sub-provincial prefectures in China; (2) the commonalities of these image propositions across China and (3) the differences within and across the regions and provinces. This research is based on a representative sample of tourism development plans of 77 prefectural administrations. The texts (in Chinese language) were content analyzed and condensed in two steps into semantically similar terms and concepts. The results show that image-positioning objectives are generally lean in the planning documents lacking sophistication and creativity. The variety of used image terms tempts to believe in quite different positioning goals. Yet, from a compound perspective, this does not yield very distinct overall image positions.

Author(s): Shasha Lin, Andreas Zins

Publication date: 5. 2. 2016

Volume: 21

Issue number: 11

Pages: 1241-1257

Electronic version(s), related files and links: http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/10941665.2016.1140662

Purpose
– Reviews of scientific publications in the area of tourism continuously find commonalities and repeatedly applied criteria in conceptualizing destination image. Much emphasis has been placed on investigating the image components (dimensions) and potential impacts as perceived by the consumer. Publications on the image formation and change, however, do not disclose many details on the process and impacts of change agents. Hence, this study aims to look into the initial stages of destination image planning and how these plans are implemented through projecting onto the official destination websites.

Design/methodology/approach
– The text-based content analysis builds on a random sample of one-third of the tourism development plans and the respective official tourism websites of sub-provincial prefectures in China. Terms (originally phrased in Chinese language only) were extracted that could be classified as image components considering the context where they appeared.

Findings
– Results exhibit a sparse application of varied and imaginative image elements in both the tourism development plans and the official websites. Deviations between intended and projected destinations are substantial. An overwhelming majority of prefectural destination management organizations (DMOs) appears to be distant from a professional implementation of an image positioning strategy.

Research limitations/implications
– Due to resource limitations, only a random sample of one-third of the 365 sub-provincial prefectures in China could have been screened. To draw a complete, though structurally most probably not very different, picture on the scope and variety of image elements, a complete investigation would be necessary. The projection of image items on the official websites represents a restricted view on possible image formation agents. For a more comprehensive understanding, other information channels (e.g. printed advertising material, travel catalogues and guide books) would complement the perspective on induced image agents.

Practical implications
– From a managerial perspective, it appears to be an easy job to position a destination along one or two main appeal characteristics, particularly when the majority of these are factual aspects of geography, landscape, history or culture. Whether such a positioning strategy materializes in view of an increasing competition among destinations is questionable. The condensed image profiles identified in this study can act as blueprints for developing more pronounced positioning profiles. The variation across groups of destination image profiles and the composition of prefectures for each group reflects the potential competitive pressure that prefectures may excel unless the DMO representatives decide to go for an adapted target position.

Originality/value
– This study is a rare attempt to analyse the intended/planned and projected image elements of a multitude of tourism destinations simultaneously. Such a comparison is usually done on a case-by-case basis only. Thus, the insights of this study go beyond the limits of an individual destination enabling structural comparisons across neighbouring and nation-wide regions.

Author(s): Andreas Zins, Shasha Lin

Publication date: 1. 2016

Volume: 10

Issue number: 1

Pages: 38-52

Capturing and retaining tourists are the main driving forces behind tourism marketing research. Nevertheless, research on how to retain tourists and why they persist in repeating the same destination is not consensual. Following the early work of Ehrenberg and the recency–frequency–monetary value paradigm, this study applies a Poisson distribution model to estimate the past frequency of revisiting Portugal based on information collected from international repeat visitors surveyed at all airports of Portugal in 2012. Results from estimating the model show mixed effects for recency, country of origin and destination region. Recommendation behaviour could not be identified as an explanatory variable for past visitation frequency.

Author(s): A. Correia, Andreas Zins, F. Silva

Publication date: 2. 2015

Volume: 21

Issue number: 1

Pages: 205-221

Electronic version(s), related files and links: http://dx.doi.org/10.5367/te.2014.0443

Author(s): A. Goll, S. Ochs, Andreas Zins

Publication date: 1. 2015

Pages: 367-384