Start Date
8-1-2011 10:30 AM
End Date
8-1-2011 11:45 AM
Track
1. Track 1 – Formal Paper Presentation
Subject Area
Information Technology
Faculty Member
Youcheng Wang raywang@mail.ucf.edu
Abstract
The purpose of this study was to examine the destination image of China as perceived by international tourists as represented in travel blog discourse. Data were obtained from blog entries relating to trip to China posted on www.tripadviser.com, www.travelpod.com, and www.virutaltourist.com. Content analysis facilitated by Atlas.ti 6.0 was performed on a total of eighty-nine China-related travel blogs. The study identified the most frequently discussed aspects of tourists’ experience in China. The results also indicated that the blog authors had mixed images of China, which was consistent with the conclusion of paradoxical images of China drawn by Xiao and Mair (2006). Marketing implications for China’s tourism development based on the results were discussed.
Keywords
destination image; travel blog; China
Depicting Image of China as a Tourism Destination: A Travel Blog Approach
The purpose of this study was to examine the destination image of China as perceived by international tourists as represented in travel blog discourse. Data were obtained from blog entries relating to trip to China posted on www.tripadviser.com, www.travelpod.com, and www.virutaltourist.com. Content analysis facilitated by Atlas.ti 6.0 was performed on a total of eighty-nine China-related travel blogs. The study identified the most frequently discussed aspects of tourists’ experience in China. The results also indicated that the blog authors had mixed images of China, which was consistent with the conclusion of paradoxical images of China drawn by Xiao and Mair (2006). Marketing implications for China’s tourism development based on the results were discussed.