An investigation into international tourists' perceptions of Cape Town as a holiday destination : one destination - an unforgettable experience

Bibliography: leaves 283-291.The fundamental product in tourism is the destination experience. Despite Cape Town offering a unique experience, the destination lacks a dear and positive brand images that persuade international tourists to visit. Currently, it cannot be ascertained how international travellers perceive brand Cape Town. As such it is felt that a significant number of tourists are being forsaken. Thus, it is imperative that research be conducted in order to gain a greater understanding of the brand, thereby enabling Cape Town to be positioned in a manner that lives up to tourists' expectations. In April 2001, the Joint Marketing Initiative was created to align the marketing efforts of the various destination-marketing organisations responsible for marketing the province of Western Cape and the city of cape Town both internationally and domestically. This is necessary to achieve consistency in image and message communication. This investigation is one of many commissioned by the Cape Metropolitan Tourism to improve stakeholders' understanding of brand Cape Town

Positioning the city product as an international tourist destination: Evidence from South Africa

Increased competition among international tourism destinations has turned many countries to seek growth from destination branding and positioning strategies. The most popular type of destination of interest for positioning studies has been countries, followed by states and very few studies have focused on city products. This study aims at contributing to city marketing and positioning literature. The objectives of this study are two-fold: firstly to identify whether cognitive images of Cape Town are perceived differently from that of Johannesburg, Durban and Pretoria, and secondly, whether demographic and travelling characteristics have an impact on image perceptions. A systematic sample of international visitors was interviewed using the face-to-face method, which led to a response rate of 199 completed questionnaires. Correspondence analysis revealed that Cape Town was perceived to be similar to the other three cities on attributes such as service levels, variety of accommodation, and transport and infrastructure. The other three cities were rated worse than Cape Town in terms of variety of activities, attractions and scenery, and to some extent safety. Additional analyses showed that demographic and travelling characteristics had a significant influence on perceived image of the various cities. The results of the study therefore suggest that attributes such as nightlife, friendly people and culture could be used more effectively to differentiate Cape Town. Thereof, the marketing implications are highlighted

Visitors to Mauritius - Place, Perceptions and Determinants of Repeat Visitation

Tourism has long been recognised as a vital element of the economic development and growth of island destinations. This has been no different for the island of Mauritius, whose appeal is predominantly based on a sun, sand and sea product anchored in resort-based experiences. At the maturity stage of its destination life cycle, the island has embarked on product development and market diversification strategies for growth. In this respect, this study investigates cultural differences in image perceptions for the key generating markets of Mauritius and the factors determining repeat visitation. The relationship among several constructs such as destination image, service interactions, place attachment, personal involvement, satisfaction and future behaviour is explored. Understanding these relationships, can possibly improve segmentation, targeting, product development strategies and revisit intentions. Also, the role of interactions by visitors with hotel employees and how these influence other constructs such as place attachment and personal involvement have been of lesser interest to researchers. Therefore, a literature review on these relationships informs the construction of a theoretical model. Adopting a post-positivist stance, the qualitative component of the research focuses on exploring visitors‟ perceptions of image and service interactions using social constructionism. Personal construct theory informed the choice of a convenience sample of 103 visitors. Broad questions were designed within a phenomenological approach to allow participants to narrate their lived‟ experiences. Thematic analysis was used to analyse the data and supplemented by content analysis using CATPAC to improve credibility of interpretation. The findings revealed that images are linked to motives for choice and in the case of Mauritius, fulfilment of needs for relaxation and escape as well as socialisation and learning determine visitors‟ perceptions. Service interactions are imbued in values such as integrity and respect, mutual understanding and authenticity of display. Place attachment as a latent dimension was related to the affective image of the place while personal involvement and familiarity influenced perceptions of service interactions. Nationality, ethnicity and language spoken had some influence on perceptions. These findings informed the design of a survey instrument that was administered to a quota sample of 1000 visitors, of which, 705 were useable. The method of data collection iii was self- completion by hotel guests and self-completion in the presence of the researcher on beaches around hotels. Exploratory factor analysis was initially used to assess the dimensionality of the various constructs in the theoretical model, thereafter confirmatory factor analysis and structural equations modelling were undertaken to validate the model. Cluster analysis was used to identify different segments of visitors based on their level of personal involvement and place attachment. Regression models were developed to predict visitors overall image, satisfaction and loyalty as well as their propensity to be repeaters. The results indicated that destination image has both direct and an indirect influence over future behaviour. In particular, personal involvement and perceived service interactions are antecedents of destination image, while place attachment has motives for choice and personal involvement as antecedents. Given these relationships, important implications for destination image, product development as well as direction for destination marketing are offered. Implications for service providers are discussed and theoretical contributions of the study are highlighted

International Visitors’ Personal Involvement Levels A Factor-Cluster Segmentation Analysis

Involvement, a widespread concept in marketing, leisure and recreation, has played a more limited role in tourism studies. The purpose of this research was to evaluate the influence of visitors’ personal and trip characteristics on the involvement dimensions in a tourism context, thereby offering a segmentation perspective of visitors’ involvement levels. The Involvement Profile scale was administered to 1000 international visitors in Mauritius at various beach resorts. The importance and pleasure dimensions merged to form the attraction dimension while risk probability items loaded as per the original scale. The results confirm the existence of different visitor groups based on involvement, but it is not yet conclusive whether the IP scale is applicable to visitors in a tourist destination context. Given the various results generated from the application of involvement scales in tourism contexts, there is a need to revisit the construct for visitors to tourist destinations using qualitative methodologies

Visitor Driven Service Experiences in a City Destination: A Mobile Ethnographic Approach

This paper reports on an innovative qualitative method, a mobile ethnography, where visitors are asked to use mobile technological devices such as smartphones to identify service gaps, evaluate service journeys, and help improve tourist services

Brian Boniface et Chris Cooper, Worldwide destinations casebook. The geography of travel and tourism

La présentation du manuel de Boniface et Cooper est très agréable pour le lecteur. Bien que les auteurs stipulent que le livre a été conçu pour être employé en tandem avec l’ouvrage d’accompagnement, World Wide Destinations. The Geography of Travel and Tourism, il est tout à fait possible de l’utiliser seul. L’introduction explique distinctement l’approche des cas qui a été adoptée, la façon dont les cas ont été sélectionnés et comment les étudiants peuvent en tirer le meilleur parti. Chaque ..

Antecedents of Heritage Tourists’ Satisfaction: The Role of Motivation, Discrete Emotions and Place Attachment

While the literature on heritage tourism recognizes the importance of emotions in predicting satisfaction and other post consumption behaviours, few studies examine the discrete emotions that determine tourists’ attachment to heritage sites. Accordingly, this study evaluates the relationships between three important antecedents of tourist satisfaction namely, motivation, discrete emotions and place attachment. Visitors at the Su Nuraxi UNESCO World Heritage Site in Sardinia, Italy were surveyed at the end of their visit. From the 497 useable surveys, the findings indicated that not all positive and negative discrete emotions predict satisfaction and attachment. The emotions of pride, love, gratitude, positive surprise and sadness predict different dimensions of attachment. Only two discrete emotions (positive surprise and regret) predict overall satisfaction. Implications for theory and managerial practice are suggested

Environmental impacts and certification: evidence from the Milan World Expo 2015

Purpose This study aims to examine residents’ perceptions of environmental impacts and certification for the Milan World Expo 2015 as well as their overall attitude toward the mega-event. Design/methodology/approach A survey of Milan residents based on a convenience sample led to 221 useable questionnaires. Findings Residents perceived that the Expo will have minimal negative and positive environmental impacts. A minority of residents were aware of the environmental certification of the event. The less agreeable residents were with the perceived negative environmental impacts of the event, the more agreeable they were that a certification of event sustainability should limit the damage to the natural environment. Residents’ perceptions of the certification were positively related to their overall attitude toward the event. Research limitations/implications The findings cannot be generalized to other mega-events but have several managerial implications in relation to the need for information provision to residents and better communication of the certification by event organizers and planners. Originality/value Despite rising concerns about environmental issues related to hosting mega-events, there is no research on perceptions of a certification of event sustainability by residents

‘Pull’ motivation : an activity-based typology of international visitors to New Zealand

Using the push and pull framework, this study examines the relationship between tourist activities in New Zealand and behaviours such as tourist spending, travel style (group vs. independent travel) and length of stay. Data from the International Visitor Survey were analysed for a 19-year period (1997–2015). The findings, based on 62,288 respondents, identified 9 typologies of international visitors over this period. For example, type one visitors are primarily pulled by the nature-based activities offered in New Zealand while type two is pulled by adventure activities. Some of the typologies have activities that overlap reflecting the needs of international visitors. Significant relationships were found between the nine typologies, tourist spending, travel style and length of stay. Implications for destination marketing purposes are highlighted. © 2017, © 2017 Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Francis Group