Can a destination really change its image? The roles of information sources, motivations and visits

This study researches both the perception of a destination and the importance of the previous visit in shaping that perception. First, the factors that influence the image (information sources and motivations) are analysed, moderated by the effect of the previous visit. Next, the gap between the projected image and the perceived image of Malaga, which is located in a tourist area specializing in “sun and beach” and trying to become a cultural destination, is studied. Data are obtained from 301 surveys administered through proportional and stratified sampling. A descriptive, inferential analysis and a structural equation model are proposed to analyse the causal relationships. The results confirm the influence of information sources and motivations on the image, as well as the importance of the previous visit. The conclusions suggest that there are significant difficulties in changing the Malaga image as a seaside destination for visitors, but not for the local community.The research was supported by research projects: “Transformations of the historical urban landscape induced by tourism: contradictions and controversies, government and local governance” (CSO2016- 75470-R); “Over-tourism in Spanish coastal Destinations. Tourism degrowth strategies An approach from the social dimension” (RTI2018- 094844-B-C33), Spanish Ministry of Science, Innovation and Universities (National Plan for R+D+i)

New perspective of film tourism: a comparative study (2014-2020)

This study aims to compare film tourism and their activities, before and during the CoViD-19 pandemic. For this purpose, a comparative analysis is carried out between 2014 and 2020, the latter date being affected by the pandemic caused by Covid-19. This study is based on 888 surveys between the mentioned two years, distributed mainly among respondents from Europe and the United States. The results of the research indicate that there are no changes concerning the knowledge of the film tourism term, but differences are observed in the study period regarding the activities linked to this type of tourism, as well as to motivations and travel intentions driven by films or series. Lastly, changes in the popularity or knowledge of film destinations were observed during the study period. The findings of this research are particularly useful for destination managers

Films and Destinations—Towards a Film Destination: A Review

The destination image is a complex construction in which the different sources of information consulted are decisive. Among these information sources, we can find films, which have a relevant function to create destination images. Films are one of the factors that most influences people in their motivation to travel to a destination. The academic literature on film tourism has grown considerably in recent years, but an updated revision is needed. Due to this fact, the main contribution of this paper is the proposal of an updated review of the academic literature focused on film tourism and destinations and their management implications. The general objective of this research is to analyse the existing literature, systematising the relationships that exist between films, film tourism, destination image, and tourist destination. To this end, a systematic review of the literature has been carried out, with two aims: on the one hand, a review of the existing literature from a descriptive perspective, showing the main publications, authors and topics, and on the other hand, a review from a thematic perspective. The results of the latter will be addressed in the discussion and conclusions. The results of the descriptive analysis highlight the significant growth in the literature analysed over the last 45 years, especially between 2005 and 2015. They also underline that the most studied topics are film destinations, marketing and destination image. The results of the thematic analysis highlight the importance of films and series as important information sources on the creation of destination images. The thematic analysis also provides information on the negative and positive aspects of film destination management