Start Date

7-1-2011 10:30 AM

End Date

7-1-2011 11:45 AM

Track

1. Track 1 – Formal Paper Presentation

Subject Area

Marketing

Faculty Member

xinran@purdue.edu Xinran Y. Lehto

Abstract

While Tanzania has enjoyed increasing popularity as a tourism destination, there is a lack of research on Tanzania's tourism image. This research aims at examining the government's projected and perceived image of Tanzania and identifying the congruency between these two images. The study utilized the Tanzania Tourist Board and Tanzania Travel and Tourism Online websites as well as 364 blogs on travel to Tanzania between 2003 and 2008 from TravelPod. Results indicate that while there is a relative level of congruency between the projected and perceived images of Tanzania, many visitors are beginning to note the negative effects of tourism on the local communities. Furthermore, while the government is attempting to project Tanzania as a business and leisure destination, Tanzania is currently only being perceived as a leisure destination in online travel blogs. Implications for destination marketing organizations were discussed.

Keywords

Content Analysis, Destination Image, Projected Image, Perceived Image, Tanzania

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Jan 7th, 10:30 AM Jan 7th, 11:45 AM

The Projected and Perceived Image of the United Republic of Tanzania

While Tanzania has enjoyed increasing popularity as a tourism destination, there is a lack of research on Tanzania's tourism image. This research aims at examining the government's projected and perceived image of Tanzania and identifying the congruency between these two images. The study utilized the Tanzania Tourist Board and Tanzania Travel and Tourism Online websites as well as 364 blogs on travel to Tanzania between 2003 and 2008 from TravelPod. Results indicate that while there is a relative level of congruency between the projected and perceived images of Tanzania, many visitors are beginning to note the negative effects of tourism on the local communities. Furthermore, while the government is attempting to project Tanzania as a business and leisure destination, Tanzania is currently only being perceived as a leisure destination in online travel blogs. Implications for destination marketing organizations were discussed.