DESTINATION IMAGE FROM THE TOURIST´S PERSPECTIVE

Abstract

The tourist destination image influences the perceived quality, satisfaction and experience of visitors’ holidays. The objective of the present study was to analyze the formation of the tourist destination image, through the systematic review of research reports which consider the combination of the three continuous bipolar elements. The meta-analysis was carried out based on previous studies in different fields such as leisure, hotel, tourism and marketing. The meta-analytic process of 46 articles was developed through the random analysis of their effects. It is emphasized that the continuum with the most representativeness in the target image is the common-unique element. It is shown that tourists make their decision to visit a place based on common functional and psychological characteristics and those unique and exclusive characteristics that a destination provides. Therefore, the results of the study contribute greatly to the management of destination marketing.