A proposal for a Dynamic Destination Image Index: Concept, construction, and validation

Svetlana Stepchenkova, Purdue University

Abstract

In the field of destination image research, the study proposes a concept of a Dynamic Destination Image Index (DDII), an objective, quantifiable, and integral measure that would reflect destination perceptions of potential travelers through time. The author maintains that such a measure can be derived through content analysis of relevant media materials that date back into the past and provide a record of destination image changes, rather than surveys of human subjects. The study conceptualizes the DDII, proposes a methodology for its construction, demonstrates how the methodology can be applied, and validates the obtained indices, using them in models of tourism demand. The proposed methodology is based on content analysis of relevant media materials and destination image theory. The DDII is essentially a time series that reflects the frequency of news published about the destination in a particular country and the favorability of media coverage. The index is dynamic, since it reflects changes in media coverage from one period to another. It is objective because it is based on content analysis methodology, a long-standing and proven approach of drawing inferences from textual content. It is integral because it summarizes the wealth of media materials published about a particular destination to a limited number of time series data. DDII can be obtained for any “destination-country of origin” pair of countries in the form of weeks, monthly, quarterly, or annual time series. To demonstrate how DDII indices can be constructed, two separate DDII studies were conducted for two dissimilar destinations: (1) Aruba on the US market; and (2) Russia on the UK market. Both studies used newspapers as a source of media content. To validate the DDII-Aruba and DDII-Russia, each index was used in a separate econometric model of tourism demand. The results indicate that models that include the DDII series perform significantly better than the restricted models with traditional economic variables. The study has both theoretical implications and practical relevance. From the theoretical perspective, the research addresses the conceptual and operational issues that arise in quantifying media messages. From a practical perspective, DDII is seen as a useful tool that can assist destination DMOs in monitoring destination image as projected by media on various markets. It is suggested that the DDII index can be useful for destination positioning, assessing the effectiveness of promotional campaigns, and, potentially, forecasting tourism demand to the destination.

Degree

Ph.D.

Advisors

Mills, Purdue University.

Subject Area

Marketing|Economics|Mass communications

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