Worldwide Hospitality and Tourism Themes

Purpose – India considers tourism a high-potential sector in terms of its contribution to employment generation and economic growth. A positive destination image has a direct bearing on the tourist arrivals and hence economic growth of that region. The purpose of this paper is to explore the online destination image of Goa, an important tourist destination in India and draw lessons for successful image management in the age of the internet.

Design/methodology/approach – Qualitative information was downloaded from multiple travel agent web sites, newspaper articles and “threads” on one travel message board. The information is further categorized into suitable destination image attributes to study their impact on the destination image of Goa.

Findings – Managing the communication to create positive experiences is important. There is similarity in coverage on some aspects among the three sources such as beach destination, tourist infrastructure, and attractive night life. However, important differences emerge around the issues of culture, social factors, political factors and the overall atmosphere of Goa.

Research limitations/implications – Government and industry should assess as to how a particular destination is viewed by people at large. There could be inefficiencies which could be dealt with proactively. The paper also has lessons for travellers seeking information about destinations and sites supplying such information.

Practical implications – Consumers are increasingly going to balance out the overly marketing-oriented information coming from more traditional sources with more realistic travel accounts. Feedback for a destination is easily available online – particularly through consumer generated data. If harnessed properly, it can provide a valuable guide to the better management of a destination and its continued economic success.

Originality/value – Online destination image research is still in its nascent stage. The paper contributes to a better understanding of online sources of information of a destination. Government and the industry are no longer the only providers of information about a destination. Consumer viewpoints can provide low-cost feedback about the challenges a destination faces and possible solutions to it.