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Destination Image of Tahiti as Perceived by International Tourists: A Study

Destination Image of Tahiti as Perceived by International Tourists: A Study

Volume 2 Number 2, Autumn 2011 pp. 85-105(21)
Research Article
2011/9/1
Agrusa, Jerome; Lema, Joseph; Tanner, John; Afo, Axel; Prideaux, Bruce; George, Babu
Critical to the image of a destination is the perception that tourists have of the area. Perceptions are generated as a result of the complex interplay between the prior assumptions held by tourists about a destination and the various favourable and unfavourable messages about that destination they pay attention to. Mental images thus developed can have a significant positive or negative influence on tourist visitation to a destination (Agrusa and Kim 2008). A tourism destination should be analyzed in terms of the difference in the way its image is perceived by tourists before they visit it (expectations) and the way it is actually experienced during their visit (performance). Tahiti is the largest, most famous, and one of the most historically interesting of the French Polynesian Island groups located in the South Pacific. Tahiti's economy relies heavily on tourism, as well as its cultured pearls, agricultural, and ocean resources industries (Encyclopedia of the Nations 2011). This study examines the perceptions of international tourists about Tahiti as a desirable destination. Results demonstrate that the majority of international visitors surveyed have a similar perception of Tahiti as a tourist destination. Some of the common images of Tahiti that travelers have are that of an exotic destination, of beaches, and of bungalows on the beachside. The study also investigates the extent to which demographic variables such as age and gender influence these perceptions.
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