Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

An analysis of destination brand personality and emotions: a comparison study

  • Original Research
  • Published:
Information Technology & Tourism Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

In order to capture a strong position in the highly competitive tourism market, tourism destinations need to better understand the technological dynamics and develop proactive strategies. Social media spaces provide new opportunities for destination marketing organizations to reach out to consumers and learn about tourists’ opinion regarding the destination. Moreover, positioning a destination around the feelings it generates, and its ability to offer visitors unique experiences, relationships, meanings and self-expressions is a strong competitive advantage nowadays. Hence, this study analyzes the concept of destination brand personality and emotions reflected in TripAdvisor reviews among the different service settings (restaurants, hotels, and sights). Comparing the results with a survey-based method reveals interesting differences. In particular, the dimensions of excitement, sophistication and competence are significantly more represented in social media than in the conventional survey. Furthermore, feelings of anger, disgust and sadness are significantly more present in social media. Hence, this paper illustrates how tourists connect themselves in an emotional manner to a city and how this varies among the different touristic settings. Marketers can hereby modify and/or steer the experience developing new experience based upon UGC knowledge.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Fig. 1
Fig. 2
Fig. 3
Fig. 4

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Aaker A (1991) Managing brand equity. Fere Press, New York

    Google Scholar 

  • Aaker A (1996) Measuring brand equity across products and markets. Calif Manag Rev 38(3):103

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Aaker A (1997) Dimensions of brand personality. J Mark Res 34(3):347–356

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Aaker A (2009) Managing brand equity. Simon and Schuster, New York

    Google Scholar 

  • Ashworth G, Kavaratzis M (2010) Towards effective brand place management; branding European cities and regions. Edward Elgar Publishing Limited, Cheltenham

    Book  Google Scholar 

  • Baloglu S, Brinberg D (1997) Affective images of tourism destinations. J Travel Res 35(4):11–15

    Google Scholar 

  • Berthon PR, Pitt LF, Plangger K, Shapiro D (2012) Marketing meets Web 2.0, social media, and creative consumers: implications for international marketing strategy. Bus Horiz 55(3):261–271

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Blain C, Levy SE, Ritchie N (2005) Destination branding; insights and practices from destination management organizations. J Travel Res 43(4):328–338

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Boulin JL (2008) Institutional tourism does not elude Web 2.0. Tourisme Loisirs 265:30–34

    Google Scholar 

  • Çakmak E, Isaac RK (2012) What destination marketers can learn from their visitors’ blogs: an image analysis of Bethlehem, Palestine. J Destin Mark Manag 1(1):124–133

    Google Scholar 

  • Caldwell N, Freire JR (2004) The difference between branding a country, a region and a city; applying the brand box model. Brand Manag 12(1):50–61

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Camprubí R, Guia J, Comas J (2013) The new role of tourists in destination image formation. Curr Issues Tour 16(2):203–209

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Chen C, Phou S (2013) A closer look at destination; image personality, relationship and loyalty. Tour Manag 36(3):269–278

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • D’Astous A, Boujbel L (2007) Positioning countries on personality dimensions: scale development and implications for country marketing. J Bus Res 60(3):231–239

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • De Moya M, Jain R (2013) When tourists are your “friends”: exploring the brand personality of Mexico and Brazil on Facebook. Public Relat Rev 39(1):23–29

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Dickinger A, Költringer C (2011) Extracting destination representation and competitiveness from online content. Inf Technol Tour 13(4):327–339

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Dickinger A, Lalicic L (2015) “This city is absolutely fun and trendy” a destination brand personality analysis in a web 2.0 setting. In: Tussyadiah I, Inversini A (eds) Information and communication technologies in tourism 2015. Springer International Publishing, Switzerland, pp 321–333

    Google Scholar 

  • Dickinger A, Költringer C, Körbitz W (2011) Comparing online destination image with conventional image measurement—the case of Tallinn. In: Law R, Fuchs M, Ricci F (eds) Information and communication technologies in tourism 2011. Springer International Publishing, Austria, pp 165–177

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  • Ekinci Y (2003) From destination image to destination branding: an emerging area of research. E-rev Tour Res 1(2):21–24

    Google Scholar 

  • Ekinci Y, Hosany S (2006) Destination personality: an application of brand personality to tourism destinations. J Travel Res 45(2):127–139

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ekinci Y, Sirakaya-turk E, Baloglu S (2007) Host image and destination personality. Tour Anal 1(2):433–446

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ferns BH, Walls A (2012) Enduring travel involvement, destination brand equity, and travelers’ visit intentions: a structural model analysis. J Destin Mark Manag 1(1):27–35

    Google Scholar 

  • Garcia JA, Gomez M, Molina A (2012) A destination-branding model; an empirical analysis based on stakeholders. Tour Manag 33(3):646–661

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Geuens M, Weijters B, De Wulf K (2009) A new measure of brand personality. Int J Res Mark 26(2):97–107

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Gnoth J (2002) Leveraging export brands through a tourism destination brand. J Brand Manag 94(4):262–280

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Han H, Jeong C (2013) Mult-dimensions of patrons’ emotional experiences in upscale restaurants and their role in loyalty formation; emotion scale improvement. Int J Hosp Manag 32(2):59–70

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hankinson G (2004) The brand images of tourism destinations: a study of the saliency of organic images. J Product Brand Manag 13(1):6–14

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hankinson G (2010) Place branding research: a cross-disciplinary agenda and the views of practitioners. Place Brand Public Dipl 6(4):300–315

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hanna S, Rowley J (2008) An analysis of terminology use in place branding. Place Brand Public Dipl 4(1):61–75

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hosany S, Prayag G (2013) Patterns of tourist’ responses, satisfaction, and intention to recommend. J Bus Res 66(6):730–737

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hosany S, Ekinci Y, Uysal M (2006) Destination image and destination personality; an application of branding theories to tourism places. J Bus Res 59(5):638–642

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hosany S, Prayag G, Deesilatham S, Cauševic S, Odeh K (2014) Measuring tourists’ emotional experiences: further validation of the destination emotion scale. J Travel Res 59(5):483–495

    Google Scholar 

  • Hsu C, Cai LA (2009) Brand knowledge, trust and loyalty-a conceptual model of destination branding. In: International CHRIE conference-refereed track, paper 12

  • Hultman M, Skarmeas D, Oghazi P, Beheshti HM (2015) Achieving tourist loyalty through destination personality, satisfaction, and identification. J Bus Res 68(11):2227–2231

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Jalilvand M, Samiei N, Dini B, Manzari P (2012) Examining the structural relationships of electronic word of mouth, destination image, tourist attitude toward destination and travel intention; an integrated approach. J Destin Mark Manag 1(1):134–143

    Google Scholar 

  • James W (1884) II-What is an emotion? Mind 34:188–205

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kaufer S (2014) TripAdvisor Fact Sheet. http://www.tripadvisor.com (retrieved 10 Oct). http://www.tripadvisor.com/PressCenter-c4-Fact_Sheet.html

  • Keller KL (2003a) Brand synthesis: the multidimensionality of brand knowledge. J Consum Res 29(4):595–600

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Keller KL (2003b) Understanding brands, branding and brand equity. Interact Mark 5(1):7–20

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Keller KL (2009) Building strong brands in a modern marketing communications environment. J Mark Commun 15(2/3):139–155

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Knox S, Bickerton D (2003) The six conventions of corporate branding. Eur J Mark 37(7/8):998–1016

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Költringer C (2012) Evaluating destination online representation measurement leveraging online media for market research, PhD Dissertation. Vienna University of Economics and Business, Vienna

  • Költringer C, Dickinger A (2015) Analyzing destination branding and image from online sources: a web content mining approach. J Bus Res 68(9):1836–1843

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kozak M, Tasci AD (2006) Intentions and consequences of tourist complaints. Tour Anal 11(4):231–239

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Labrecque L, Mathwick C, Novak T, Hofacker C (2013) Consumer power: evolution in the digital age. J Interact Mark 27(4):257–269

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Laros FLM, Steenkamp J-B (2005) Emotions in consumer behaviour: a hierarchical approach. J Bus Res 58(10):1437–1445

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Lazarus RS (1991) Cognition and motivation in emotion. Am Psychol 46(4):352–367

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Lee C, Allen L (1999) Understanding individual’s attachment to selected destinations; an application of destination attachment. Tour Anal 4(3/4):173–185

    Google Scholar 

  • Lui B (2009) Web data mining, exploring hyperlinks, contents and usage data. Springer, Berlin

    Google Scholar 

  • Marchiori E, Pavese G, Cantoni L (2012) eTcoMM–eTourism communication maturity model. A framework to evaluate the maturity of a DMO when it comes to the online communication management. The case of Canton Ticino and Lombardy. In: Fuchs M, Ricci F, Cantoni L (eds) Information and communication technologies in tourism 2012. Springer, Wien, pp 215–226

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  • Martin S, Del Bosque IA (2008) Exploring the cognitive-affective nature of destination image and the role of psychological factors in its formation. Tour Manag 29(2):263–277

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Morgan N, Pritchard A (2004) Meeting the destination branding challenge. Destination branding, pp 59–79

  • Morgan N, Pritchard A, Pride R (2011) Destination brands: managing place reputation. Routlegde, Oxford

    Google Scholar 

  • Munar AM (2010) Tourist-created content; rethinking destination branding. Int J Cult Tour Hosp Res 5(3):291–305

    Google Scholar 

  • Munar AM (2012) Social media strategies and destination management. Scand J Hosp Tour 12(2):101–120

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Murphy L, Moscardo G, Benckendorff P (2006) Destination brand personality; visitors perceptions of a regional tourism destination. Tour Anal 12(5/6):419–432

    Google Scholar 

  • Murphy L, Moscardo G, Benckendorff P (2007) Using brand personality to differentiate regional tourism destination. J Travel Res 46(1):5–14

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Murphy L, Moscardo G, Benckendorff P (2009) Linking travel motivation, tourist self-image and destination brand personality. J Travel Tour Mark 22(2):45–59

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Palmatier RW, Dant RP, Grewal D, Evans R (2006) Factors influencing the effectiveness of relationship marketing: a meta-analysis. J Mark 70(4):136–153

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Papadimitriou D, Apostolopoulou A, Kaplanidou KK (2013) Destination personality, affective image, and behavioral intentions in domestic urban tourism. J Travel Res

  • Pike S (2008) Destination marketing, an integrated marketing communication approach. Elsevier, Oxford

    Google Scholar 

  • Pike S, Ryan C (2004) Destination positioning analysis through a comparison of cognitive, affective, and conative perceptions. J Travel Res 42(2):333–342

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Pitt LF, Berthon P (2011) Just when you thought it was safe to go back into the Web: marketing meets Web 2.0, social media, and creative consumers. Bus Horiz 54(3):181–183

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Pitt LF, Opoku R, Hultman M, Abratt R (2007) What I say about myself: communication of brand personality by African countries. Tour Manag 28(3):381–384

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Pollach I (2011) Software Review; Wordstat 5.0. Organ Res Methods 14(4):741–744

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Prayag G (2007) Exploring the relationship between destination image & brand personality of a tourist destination-an application of projective techniques. J Travel Tour Res 7(2):111–130

    Google Scholar 

  • Qu H, Kim LH, Im HH (2011) A model of destination branding; integrating the concepts of the branding and destination image. Tour Manag 23:465–467

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Reinhold S, Laesser C, Beritelli P (2015) 2014 St. Gallen consensus on destination management. J Destin Mark Manag 4(2):137–142

    Google Scholar 

  • Ritchie JRB, Ritchie JRR (1998) The branding of tourism destinations. In: Annual Congress of International Association of Scientific Experts in Tourism, Marrakech

  • Sahin S, Baloglu S (2009) Brand personality and destination image of Istanbul: a comparison across nationalities. In: Paper presented at 14th annual graduate student research conference in hospitality and tourism, Las Vegas

  • Schmunk S, Höpken W, Fuchs M, Lexhagen M (2014) Sentiment analysis: extracting decision-relevant knowledge from UGC. In: Xiang Z, Tussyadiah I (eds) Information and communication technologies in tourism 2014. Springer International Publishing, Dublin, pp 253–265

    Google Scholar 

  • Selby M (2004) Consuming the city: conceptualizing and researching urban tourist knowledge. Tour Geogr 6(2):186–207

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Seljeseth P, Korneliussen T (2013). Experience-based brand personality as a source of value co-creation; the case of Lofoten. In: Conference proceeding of the 22nd nordic symposium in tourism and hospitality research. University of Norland, Bodø, pp 66–69

  • Seraj M (2012) We create, we connect, we respect, therefore we are: intellectual, social, and cultural value in online communities. J Interact Mark 26(2):209–222

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Sirgy MJ (1982) Self-concept in consumer behavior: a critical review. J Consum Res 9(3):287–300

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Sirgy MJ, Su C (2000) Destination image, self-congruity, and travel behavior: toward an integrative model. J Travel Res 38(4):340–352

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Stepchenkova S, Kirilenko AP, Morrison AM (2009) Facilitating content analysis in tourism research. J Travel Res 47(4):454–469

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Tapscott D, Williams A (2006) Wikinomics: how mass collaboration changes everything. Portfolio, Penguin Group

    Google Scholar 

  • Tasci AD, Kozak M (2006) Destination brands vs destination images: do we know what we mean? J Vacat Mark 14(2):299–317

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Thomson M, MacInnis DJ, Whan Park C (2005) The ties that bind: measuring the strength of consumers’ emotional attachments to brands. J Consum Psychol 15(1):77–91

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Tussyadiah I, Zach F (2013) Social media strategy and capacity for consumer co-creation among destination marketing organizations. In: Cantoni L, Xiang Z (eds) Information and communication technologies in tourism 2013. Springer, Berlin, pp 242–253

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  • Usakli A, Baloglu S (2010) Brand personality of tourist destination; an application of self-congruity theory. Tour Manag 32(1):114–127

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Veasna S, Wu W-Y, Huang C-H (2012) The impact of destination source credibility on destination satisfaction; the mediating effect of destination attachment and destination image. Tour Manag 36(4):1–16

    Google Scholar 

  • Watson JB (1913) Psychology as the behaviorist. Psychol Rev 20(2):158–177

    Article  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Tourism and Service Management, MODUL University Vienna, Am Kahlenberg 1, 1190, Vienna, Austria

    Astrid Dickinger & Lidija Lalicic

Authors
  1. Astrid Dickinger
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Lidija Lalicic
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Lidija Lalicic.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Dickinger, A., Lalicic, L. An analysis of destination brand personality and emotions: a comparison study. Inf Technol Tourism 15, 317–340 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s40558-015-0044-x

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Revised:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s40558-015-0044-x

Keywords

Search

Navigation