What does China look like? Anthropomorphic Image of a Destination
Abstract (150 Words)
This study introduces an approach of examining destination image through destination personification. Specifically, a nation-wide online panel survey was conducted with American leisure travelers who were asked to first imagine China as a person before describing his/her appearance. Responses from 2,517 participants were coded into six categories. Most frequently used image descriptions were identified, and the image associations of China as a female character and a male character were compared. Results show that a young, feminine image and an old, masculine image co-exist in the perceptions of China as a destination. Findings of this research shed light on the application of personification strategies in destination marketing.
What does China look like? Anthropomorphic Image of a Destination
This study introduces an approach of examining destination image through destination personification. Specifically, a nation-wide online panel survey was conducted with American leisure travelers who were asked to first imagine China as a person before describing his/her appearance. Responses from 2,517 participants were coded into six categories. Most frequently used image descriptions were identified, and the image associations of China as a female character and a male character were compared. Results show that a young, feminine image and an old, masculine image co-exist in the perceptions of China as a destination. Findings of this research shed light on the application of personification strategies in destination marketing.