The perceived image of multi-asset tourist destinations: investigating congruence across different content types

Abstract

Destination image has become a crucial topic in tourism studies. However, research has scarcely considered multiple online content sources when studying the image of destinations. This paper examines different types of user-generated content in order to evaluate whether and how this content reflects the evolution of a destination’s image, and its congruence therein. The research focuses on a multi-asset tourist destination, i.e., one which draws different market segments. The results show a relatively high degree in congruence and evolution of the destination’s attractions, but also questions bits of theories on communication congruence as well as attractions’ evolution theories.