Word-of-art: The relationship between destination image and art

Abstract

Destination image is a prominent topic in tourism research. While art’s importance in marketing has been highlighted by some authors ever since Gartner (1994) included it in his taxonomy of image formation agents, a systematic literature review on the relationship between art and destination image is still lacking. This paper thus explores this relationship through a qualitative systematic literature review of Scopus-indexed research published between 1960 and 2020 concerning this theme, discussing the main findings and methodologies utilized. Results show that different art forms have been the object of diverse types of research throughout the years, with cinema standing out as the most studied art form, while painting, sculpture and the performing arts have barely been approached in the destination image literature. Overall, the impact of semiotic qualities in art on destination image has been proven in several studies, and the concept of “word-of-art” is suggested to accommodate these findings. Gaps and future avenues of research are identified.