[PDF] Tourism Destination Management

Running head: PLACE, CULTURE AND DESTINATION MANAGEMENT
Place, Culture and Destination Management
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Executive summary
The report had identified the impact of destination image on the consumer behaviour in the
modern scenario. The image of the travel destination consist of its different attributes which
creates a perception within the minds of the consumers. The current research on the market
shows that tourists are more enthusiastic and have a high value on the sense of place and the
authenticity of the destination. Australia is a destination having a good image, sense of place
and authenticity and if the tourism companies in Australia can customize their products to
provide all the experiences needed by the modern consumers.

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Table of Contents
Introduction................................................................................................................................3
Destination image.......................................................................................................................3
Authenticity................................................................................................................................3
Sense of place.............................................................................................................................4
Consumer behaviour and destination image, authenticity and sense of place...........................5
Maslow’s theory to travel motivation........................................................................................5
Push and pull factors in destination image.................................................................................6
Push factors............................................................................................................................6
Pull factors.............................................................................................................................7
Conclusion..................................................................................................................................8
References..................................................................................................................................9

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Introduction
This is a report which will identify the impact of destination image on the consumer
behaviour in the modern scenario. The image of the travel destination consist of its different
attributes which creates a perception within the minds of the consumers. The current research
on the market shows that tourists are more enthusiastic and have a high value on the sense of
place and the authenticity of the destination. Therefore, the report will evaluate destination
image, authenticity, sense of place and its effect on the consumer behaviour. Moreover, the
report will take Australia as a tourist destination and apply different concepts of destination
management to illustrate how these concepts can be used effectively to provide better
management of destination spots.
Destination image
As stated by Jiang et al., (2017), the balance between the delivered products and
service, and the expected service is responsible for developing the image of a destination
place. The supply and demand agents have developed the concept of destination image. The
past experience of the consumers and effective marketing communication is responsible for
developing effective destination image. The images of different destination is based on their
historical events but the present image of the destination is equally important when compared
to the past reputation and experience of the consumers. The portrayal of a place in movies
and advertisements affects the minds of the consumer and word of mouth is another factor
which develops the image of the tourist spot. The impact of destination image on the
consumers can define the whether the tourism aspect will have a negative impact or not.
Authenticity
According to Ramkissoon, (2015), the authenticity of a tourist destination is the in
depth analysis of the essential features of the country or the place. They want to experience a

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homely environment along with authentic experience of the local customs, culture and
lifestyle. On the other hand, Melewar & Skinner (2018) defines authenticity as experiencing
the normal acts and behaviours of the tourist destination which provides a clear
understanding of the culture and environment of the destination. However, it is difficult to
understand the authenticity of the tourist destination as defining authenticity of a tourist
destination is difficult and varies from consumer to consumer. However, in general terms it
can be said that authenticity is something that is real and genuine. Therefore, the consumers
want to experience the essence of the tourist destination that will provide them with highest
possible tourism experience. Krystallis, (2017) has put authenticity as the rural, natural and
simple experience of the consumers. However, this has made it difficult for the companies in
the tourism industry to provide the consumers within the best possible experience due to
variety in consumer needs and types.
Sense of place
As stated by Campelo et al., (2014), sense of place will have a different meaning for
different people within the organization. In terms of the anthropological view, it can be said
that a meaning given to a place by the cultural emotions of the local which develop the
symbolic relationship between the nature and the local people living there. On the other hand,
it can be said that the experience of the consumers in a given area can be considered as the
sense of place which could include feelings like expansiveness, joyous, stimulated and
excited. The effective bond between the place and the population staying in that a region will
provide a different sense of place among the people such as aesthetics and tactile. The bonds
of the people to the surrounding community and environment provides a different sense of
place. Therefore, this vary from person to person and very difficult to evaluate the sense of
place due to the complexity in the human nature.

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Consumer behaviour and destination image, authenticity and sense of place
Andersson, Mossberg and Therkelsen, (2017), opined that destination image,
authenticity and sense of place will have a deep impact on the consumer behaviour in
tourism. Dennett and Song, (2016) states that the Chinese travellers are growing in number
and are one of the major contributors of tourism income in most countries. They are more
concerned about the authenticity of the tourist destination, their image and sense of place.
This is the very reason that are creating their own destination which means that they are
preferring to travel independently rather than relying on the tourism companies. Therefore,
they are craving for understanding and unravelling the tourist destination. This will enable
them to reach a level of authenticity and experience the sense of belonging by freely
interacting with the locals. This shows that the tourists consumer behaviour have changed the
global scenario as companies like Airbnb, Homestay, Sky scanner and Last minute are doing
so well in the market due to the customize experience they are able to provide to the
consumers in the market. Therefore, it can be seen that tourists’ consumer behaviour affects
the sense of place, authenticity and image of the destination and vice versa.
Maslow’s theory to travel motivation
The need theory of Maslow is famous for its effectiveness in human resource
management. However, in the case of the tourism management, it is also be used as one of
the major effective tools to determine the motivating factors or need for the tourists behind
choosing a particular destination. According to this theory, there are five major steps or needs
of the tourists that influences their behavior in terms of selecting a particular destination. The
first and basic need of the tourists in choosing their destination is hunger and thirst. In this
case, Australia as a potential destination is a developed economy and thus the need of hunger
and thirst can be met efficiently (Moyle, Weiler & Croy, 2013).

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The next step is the safety need. According to this need, it is important for the tourists
to feel safe and secure in their destination. According to the report of tourism Australia,
tourists will face low rate of crime due to the stable political system and lifestyle. Moreover,
it is also being stated by the tourism board of Australia that there are number of services
including the medical services are being provided to the tourists (www.australia.com, 2018).
Thus, this need can also be fulfilled in Australia. The next step is social needs that include
social wellbeing in travelling in Australia. Tourists will find diverse set of social cultures in
travelling across Australia. Moreover, the social structure of the country is also stable and
average people of the Australia are friendly in nature.
According to the report of tourism Australia, tourist will find different and diverse
destinations in visiting Australia. This will include mountains, beaches, coral reef, city life
and sense of place. It is also being reported that tourists will experience the authentic taste
and atmosphere of Australia in their visits. Thus, it will help the tourists to have satisfaction
by fulfilling all their needs and expectations.
Push and pull factors in destination image
Push factors
There are number of push and pull factors that influence the motivation of the tourists
in selecting their destinations. Some of the major push factors for the tourists are desire for
rest and relaxation, staying away from the hustle and bustle of the home town, mental health
and adventure (Jeong, 2014). On the other hand, the major pull factors are the destination
attractiveness and the diversity of the experiences that can be gained from the particular
destination. In case of Australia, the major push factor for tourist is the desire for the rest and
relaxation. Australia is having number of locations including the scenic counties where
tourists will be able to relax and rests. These places will also enable the tourists to stay away

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from the hustle and bustle of the city. In the official website of the tourism Australia, there
are number of locations stated along with videos and images that portray the relaxing image
of the destinations (www.australia.com, 2018).
For instance, Mornington Peninsula is one of the famous tourist destinations that offer
the relaxations and comfy environment for the tourists. It is stated that the seaside towns in
the Mornington Peninsula along with having number of spas and natural beauties will help
the tourists to stay away from the chaos of the cities and it will also help the tourists to
enhance their mental health and fitness (www.australia.com, 2018). In terms of the
adventurous tourists, Australia offers a huge array of experiences that will serve the thirst of
the adventure seeking tourists. This includes the rainforests and red deserts along with white
sand beaches. There are number of wildlife sanctuaries in Australia that will also provide
adventurous experience to the tourists. One of the major natural experiences that will enhance
the satisfaction of the adventure seeking tourists is the coral barrier reef. Tourists will be able
to experience the underwater life along with experiencing swimming with exotic aquatic
species. Thus, in terms of the push factors for the tourists, Australia is having number of
attributes that will push the tourists in selecting Australia as tourist destination.
Pull factors
The diverse attributes of Australia in providing differentiated and varied experiences
to the tourists are one of the major pull factors for them. This is due to the reason that having
the natural beauties ranging from mountains to forests to beaches and marline life, Australia
is having number of competing factors over other tourist destinations in the world. According
to the report of Tourism Australia, the positive and favorable political and social environment
of the Australia along with the natural tourist destinations is helping in pulling more tourists
from all around the world (www.australia.com, 2018).

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China is one of the major source countries for inflow of tourists in Australia (Pariona,
2018). Thus, in terms of the preferences of the tourists from China, relaxation and calmness
will be at the top. This is due to the reason that Chinese people are accustomed with noise,
pollution and crowd (Chen, Bao & Huang, 2014). Thus, in case of the Chinese tourists, rest
and relaxation will be the major push factors and it is important for Australia to pull the new
competitors by providing these experiences. According to the reports of Tourism Australia,
they are having number of destinations that can provide the relaxing experience to the tourists
from China. Thus, Australia is having favorable push and pull factors in enhancing their
destination image.
Conclusion
Thus, it can be concluded that Australia is having number of destinations and
attributes that is helping them in being the top choice for the international tourists. This report
discussed about the components of destination image and their influence on the behavior of
the tourists. In addition, there are number of models are being used n order to determine the
marketing potentiality of Australia in terms of the tourist destination. It is concluded in this
report that Australia is having diverse range of destinations ranging from mountains to
beaches to coral reefs. Thus Australia is having number of attributes to pull the international
tourists in the country. This report discussed about the potential customers in terms of the
Chinese tourists.

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References
Andersson, T. D., Mossberg, L., & Therkelsen, A. (2017). Food and tourism synergies:
perspectives on consumption, production and destination development.
Campelo, A., Aitken, R., Thyne, M., & Gnoth, J. (2014). Sense of place: The importance for
destination branding. Journal of Travel Research, 53(2), 154-166.
Chen, G., Bao, J., & Huang, S. S. (2014). Segmenting Chinese backpackers by travel
motivations. International Journal of Tourism Research, 16(4), 355-367.
Dennett, A. and Song, H. (2016). Why tourists thirst for authenticity – and how they can find
it. [online] The Conversation. Available at: https://theconversation.com/why-tourists-
thirst-for-authenticity-and-how-they-can-find-it-68108 [Accessed 14 May 2018].
Jeong, C. (2014). Marine tourist motivations comparing push and pull factors. Journal of
Quality Assurance in Hospitality & Tourism, 15(3), 294-309.
Jiang, Y., Ramkissoon, H., Mavondo, F. T., & Feng, S. (2017). Authenticity: The link
between destination image and place attachment. Journal of Hospitality Marketing &
Management, 26(2), 105-124.
Krystallis, A. (2017). The Concept of Authenticity and its Relevance to Consumers: Country
and Place Branding in the Context of Food Authenticity. Food Authentication:
Management, Analysis and Regulation, 27.
Melewar, T. C., & Skinner, H. (2018). Territorial brand management: Beer, authenticity, and
sense of place. Journal of Business Research.
Moyle, B. D., Weiler, B., & Croy, G. (2013). Visitors’ perceptions of tourism impacts: Bruny
and Magnetic Islands, Australia. Journal of Travel Research, 52(3), 392-406.

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Pariona, A. (2018). Top Source Countries For International Tourists To Australia. Retrieved
from https://www.worldatlas.com/articles/top-source-countries-for-international-
tourists-to-australia.html
Ramkissoon, H. (2015). Authenticity, satisfaction, and place attachment: A conceptual
framework for cultural tourism in African island economies. Development Southern
Africa, 32(3), 292-302.
www.australia.com. (2018). Australian Nature and Wildlife - Tourism Australia. Retrieved
from https://www.australia.com/en-in/things-to-do/nature-and-wildlife.html