HOS651 People and Place: Analysis of Phuket Tourism Destination

This report, prepared for the HOS651 People and Place course at William Angliss Institute, examines the media's role in shaping the destination image of Phuket, Thailand. The report begins with an executive summary, introduction, and background information on the importance of destination image in tourism. It then delves into the research methods employed, including interviews with students from the institute to gauge their perceptions of Phuket. The core of the report analyzes the collected interview data, comparing the interviewees' perceptions with the media representations of Phuket found in magazines, brochures, and online platforms. The report also constructs a destination profile, contrasting media portrayals with the interviewees' viewpoints. The findings reveal how various media sources influence the target market's beliefs and perceptions of Phuket, emphasizing the importance of authenticity and 'otherness' in the tourist experience. The conclusion summarizes the impact of media on shaping destination images and their effect on target groups, highlighting the commercial sources and modified information that influence the belief about Phuket.

Running head: PEOPLE AND PLACE 1
People and Place
Name
Institution

PEOPLE AND PLACE 2
Contents
People and Place.........................................................................................................................................3
Introduction............................................................................................................................................3
Background.............................................................................................................................................3
Research Methods...................................................................................................................................4
Analysis of the Three Interviews............................................................................................................5
Destination Profile..................................................................................................................................6
Conclusion...............................................................................................................................................9
References.............................................................................................................................................10
Appendix...............................................................................................................................................11

PEOPLE AND PLACE 3
Executive Summary
This report evaluates tourism and how it related to destination profiling and imaging by
the media to the target groups. The first section gives an overview of the whole report and
introduces the purpose of the report. The second part explores the background information in
which information in assessment two will summarize. The following gives a detailed analysis of
the interviews conducted to assess the population perception on the tourist destination. It will
compare the media-induced images with the interviewee's opinions and beliefs about Phuket.
Next, the destination profile provides a comparison between the destination profiles in the media
representation and destination images held by the interviewees. The report will then derive the
conclusion based on the findings in the research in assessment two and interviews.

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People and Place
Introduction
The perception of tour area in tourism is a function of various variables, including media
presentation, personal experience, reading. Thus, creating a destination image a fundamental
factor in the tourism and hospitality industry. Marketers and site marketing organizations have
mastered the art of creating a destination image that influences target market cognitive and
effective images (Blaer, n.d; Kim, & Perdue, 2011). As such, how destination images are
portrayed in various media affect how they are perceived and the likelihood of visitations.
Regarding destination images and their impact on the target groups, this paper will report on the
media representation of Phuket as a tourist destination. In so doing, it will compare and contrast
the destination profile per assessment 2 with the destination image held by interviewees.
Background
According to Hahm and Severt (2018), in the absence of ideas and influence of
perception or belief about a particular destination, there would be no one from outside who can
know about the place and hence no visits. Therefore, creating a great destination image is critical
in tourism marketing. Destination marketing helps in shaping the perception of a place and
understand the tourists’ preferences through tourists’ choice and recommendation. In this
context, media has been used to represent destinations, and each of them has different impacts on
the audience. Assessment 2 used magazine, brochure, and internet marketing to explain Phuket
beach as a tourist destination.
The three media representations of Phuket created awareness of the place as a famous
tourist destination in Thailand. The media-induced images are produced commercially to shape
the way people see a particularly scenic view (Blaer, n.d). Thaiways Magazine publishes images
of Phuket that portray it as the epitome of beauty, pleasure, and culture in Thailand. The

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magazine informs prospective tourists on the unique and great places to visit and activities they
can engage in for an adventurous tour. Brochure, on the other hand, publishes by Amazing
Thailand company print pictures of Phuket’s beautiful beaches, islands, and boats. It also has
photos of a Chinese temple and a beautiful cape that show the sunset. The internet presentation
uses Phuket Facebook fan page to display the picture of the beach and cave in Phuket. The
photos show a sunny day with a beautiful beach that people can go and have fun, enjoy the
holiday with their family and beautiful sceneries of sunset on the beach. The marketing
campaign media have different focus and influences on people’s belief or perception of the
destination (Rajesh, 2013). The images focus on various places where tourists can explore. They
create ideas and awareness of the places they can visit besides going to beaches in Phuket.
The three media representation target people are looking for places for a holiday in
Thailand. The target market also looks to experience various cultures besides pleasure and
adventure. They also target families and groups looking to have a great time for getaways.
Brochure and social media marketing have a similar target market and influence on the customer.
The two mainly focused on beaches and destinations for vacations. Generally, the image
representation of Phuket has a vital role in influencing the target group belief and perception.
Research Methods
The research used a survey method to study the perception of people about Phuket beach.
A semi-structured interview was used to capture the opinions of students from William Angliss
Institute. The interview captured the belief, attitude, and likelihood of them visiting Phuket beach
in Thailand. The results will be used to measure the power of media in shaping the opinion of the
target tourist market (Picard & Giovine, 2014). Notably, the interview will reveal the importance
of authenticity in the tourist’s market and their orientation of “otherness” in a foreign destination.
Besides, the research investigated the destination image and identity as well as their perception

PEOPLE AND PLACE 6
of Phuket stereotypes (Chen, Lai, Petrick, & Lin, 2016). Overall, the research was a fundamental
solution to tourism destination belief, perception, and authenticity in the target groups through
media representation.
Analysis of the Three Interviews
The research conducted three interviews with William Angliss Institute students. The
sample of the population obtained through personal networks and included those who have never
visited Phuket beach. The three interviewees were all females on their early twenties. They have
never traveled to Phuket before, but they all indicated interest to visit the place depending on
their ability to afford the trip. All of them are positive about Phuket beach and expressed
enthusiasm for wanting to experience the adventure. Notably, their interest was shaped by media
representation using various destination images.
Below is the table that shows demographic and destination visitation intention
breakdowns associated with the WAI students who were interviewed. Although none of them
have visited the destination before, they expressed interests of visiting Phuket though with
varying levels of intentions.
Interviewee Age Gender Visited
destination
Want to visit?
Le Joy The early 20s Female No She is interested
in visiting
Phuket but only
during the off-
season when
there are no

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many visitors
Chau Anh The early 20s Female No Never had the
opportunity to
visit Phuket but
would like to
because she has
heard about its
beautiful beach
and scenic
views.
Thuy Ha
Nguyen
The early 20s Female No She would like
to visit the place
during the
holidays with
friends and
family.
Destination Profile
The section will explore the interviewee's opinion regarding Phuket. It will summarize
the common perspectives on the destination and will use direct quotes to support the main points
by the interviewees. Besides profiling Phuket, the section will compare and contrast how they are
portrayed in assessment 2 and held by the interviewees.
The three interviewees thought Phuket is a place to be with families and friends. Le Joy
described the destination as an island of that is mountainous with crystal clear water, beautiful

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beaches, and other scenic places. She feels there are many activities that she can do, like diving
and surfing. Joy perceive Phuket as a beautiful place where she can watch sunrise and sunset,
where she can take her family and friends to enjoy seafood. Anh wants to travel to Phuket to see
its coastal city with its crystal clear water that reflects the sun underneath. She feels the please is
beautiful and would love to see the sunset and rise at the horizon. She wishes to enjoy Thailand
Thai food that is spicy hot and sour. Furthermore, Ha Nguyen loves nature because of its
beautiful beaches, mountains, and Phi Phi island. She also wants to experience fantastic trees,
foods, and mountains. Ha Nguyen like Phuket because it is cheap than her country.
Moreover, the three interviewees learned about Phuket on the internet. Ha Nguyen
encountered it through google and YouTube. Anh was influenced by Instagram and Facebook
pages that advertise about tourism and hospitality in Thailand. The joy, on the other hand,
learned about it on Facebook and YouTube advertisements. Notably, internet marketing was the
primary source of destination imaging Phuket beach. The reason most young people use social
media and the other internet as the primary sources of information.
Noteworthy, how the three interviewees perceive the destination image is shaped by what
they see in the media. All interviewees used online sources to learn about Phuket through the
various images they represent. Each of these online media has different impacts on the target
groups, like using images and video. It is evident how mixed media influenced each of the
interviewees since they inhibit different opinions of the same place. Various media
communicated used different images to portray a specific image of Phuket. For instance, Joy saw
the place as a beautiful mountainous island sounded by clear waters, Anh wants to travel to
Phuket because of its beautiful sunset and clear water while Ha Nguyen is attracted by seafood,

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fantastic trees, and mountains. Hence, Facebook has a different impact on its audience different
from that of YouTube, Instagram, and Google.
However, the three interviewees have various reasons for visiting Phuket. The purpose of
their visits is shaped by the media destination images created by online platforms. For instance,
Anh wants to visit Phuket on holiday to see the coastal city and clear waters in the sea. The
images video adverts shape the belief she saw on Instagram and Facebook. Ha Nguyen
encountered it through google and YouTube created the interest to go and see beaches,
mountains and Phi Phi island as portrayed in the adverts. The joy, on the other hand, experienced
Phuket’s mountains, beaches, and waters through YouTube and Google. Anh, Joy, and Ha
Nguyen see the images and videos as authentic representation Phuket.
However, they do not hold a similar opinion on the “otherness” in Thailand. The state of
“otherness” define how tourists are received in a foreign country (Abascal, n.d). Anh, feel that
being considered a tourist and treated differently is expected and hence normal. For instance, she
is overcharging on prices of goods by a person being an outsider. However, she was optimistic
that one could avoid exploitation and mistreatment just because of being a tourist. Joy holds the
contrary opinion about the Thai people since she sees them as friendly, welcoming people. She
does not hold any reservation about visiting Phuket because she loves the experience created by
the media adverts. But, she prefers to visit the area when it is not on holidays to avoid the traffic
of people. Similarly, Ha Nguyan agreed with Joy about Asian people in general. She termed
them friendly to tourists, and even if they identify them as different, they don’t discriminate or
exploit them. The belief and feeling about otherness may affect how people perceive or consider
visiting a particular tourist destination.

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Conclusion
The media presentation shapes the effects and feelings about a particular destination. The
target group perception of Phuket was dependent on the images and videos found on Facebook,
Instagram, Google, and YouTube. Thus, the destination profile created various media is
transmitted to the target group as the destination image. The media creates a perceived
authenticity in the mind of the target group. The belief about a particular destination is a variable
of commercial sources, organic images, and modified information.

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References
Abascal, T. (n.d). Lecture 9: Power of “otherness.”: People and Place. William Angliss Institute.
Blaer, M. (n.d). Lecture 7: Media-induced images: People and Place. William Angliss Institute.
Blaer, M. (n.d). Lecture 6: Destination image and identity: People and Place. William Angliss
Institute.
Blaer, M. (n.d). Lecture 9: Performing authenticity: People and Place. William Angliss Institute.
Rajesh, R., (2013). Impact of tourist perceptions, destination image, and tourist satisfaction on
destination loyalty: A Conceptual Model. Dept. Of Tourism Studies, 11(3), 67-78.
Retrieved from https://www.redalyc.org/html/881/88128048007/
Chen, C.-C., Lai, Y.-H. R., Petrick, J. F., & Lin, Y.-H. (2016). Tourism between divided nations:
An examination of stereotyping on destination image. Tourism Management, 55, 25-36.
Hahm, J., & Severt, K., (2018). Importance of destination marketing on image and familiarity.
Journal of Hospitality and Tourism Insights, 1(1), 37-53. doi: 10.1108/jhti-10-2017-0002
Kim, D., & Perdue, R. R., (2011). The influence of image on destination attractiveness. Journal
of Travel and Tourism Marketing, 28(3), 225-239.
Picard, D., & Giovine, M. D., (2014). Tourism and the Power of Otherness: Seductions of
Difference. Clevedon: Channel View Publications

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Appendix
Appendix 1: Interviewee 1 (Thuy Ha Nguyen) Age: early 20 Female want to visit Phuket
Speaker 1 0:01
Hi, so today the interviews I want to interview you about the tourist destinations which is Phuket.
So, the first questions I want to ask you is, what does the word authenticity mean to you?
Speaker 2 0:27
For me, the word Authenticity is something.
Something unique, genuine, trust
Speaker 1 0:42
So you mean trustworthy? Okay, and so have you ever heard of Phuket before?
Speaker 2 0:50
Yes, I did.
Speaker 1 0:51
Um, have you ever been there?
Speaker 2
Um, no, I never.
Speaker 1
Okay, so how do you know about this Phuket? By my friend from a friend?
Speaker 2
Yeah, they visited there like, a lot of time.
Oh, and also by YouTube and the Google
Speaker 1 1:15