Exploring the touristic image of Jordan

Abstract

Abstract:Destination image has received significant attention in recent Western travel literature. However, developing and lesser-developed countries have less research attention devoted to them despite the fact image is a key factor in determining travel decisions. This study explored current visitor images of a Middle Eastern country, Jordan. On-site interviews with tourists indicated a fairly positive image of Jordan, with improvements possible in service related areas. Marketing and research implications are suggested. Keywords: Image; Destination decisions; Middle EastArticle: IntroductionThe concept of destination image has commanded tourism researcher attention for over 20 years, resulting in a rich body of literature. Crompton (1979, p. 18) offers an integrative definition of image as `the sum of beliefs, impressions, ideas, and perceptions that people hold of objects, behaviors, and events.' When travelers discover a country, both their general and tourist images may be impacted. This notion is particularly pertinent to the study of international destination image because tourism may offer the best and only opportunity for countries to correct misperceptions.Destination image is a `...critical factor' in destination choices (Bramwell & Rawding, 1996;Chon, 1991;Dann, 1996;Echtner & Ritchie, 1993;Gartner, 1993;Goodrich, 1978;Mayo, 1973). Thus, the identification, tracking, marketing, and management of image should be among the top priorities of tourist destinations as `images don't always reflect reality ' (Hunt, 1975, p. 2) and may deter potential tourists. In their study of foreign tour operators' image of the US, McClellan and Foushcee (1983) note that images of the US formed by tourists during their visit, which are then carried back home, have far more weight than any type of publicity effort by the US. Destination image research focuses on a few countries around the world (Calantone et al

Destination Marketing Organizations and destination marketing: A narrative analysis of the literature

“…Yet competitiveness may be difficult to achieve and maintain, as has been evident in some developing countries such as in Eastern Europe (Davidson 1992, Hall 1999, sub-Saharan Africa (Brown, 1998), Jordan (Schneider & Sonmez 1999, Hazbun 2000, Ethiopia (Shanka & Frost, 1999) Described as tourism's holy grail , the destination competitiveness research stream surprisingly only commenced during the 1990s. Recent literature reviews (see Mazanec, Wober & Zins 2007, Pike 2008 concluded there was no widely accepted causal model of destination competitiveness.…”

Cruise visitors' experience in a Mediterranean port of call

“…Because various authors (e.g. Crompton, 1979;Schneider and Sonmez, 1999) suggest that satisfaction is 'destination-determined' and formed by experiences, it is critically important to investigate cruise passengers' satisfaction levels in various destination attributes. Table 4 presents the results in relation to the responses to the 26 satisfaction statements.…”

Tracking Jordan Destination Image Using the Same Sample

“…The findings revealed that the visitors had a positive image about Jordan with a high rating to the dimensions of safety, hospitality, and the diversity in tourism sites. However, the sample was more neutral in their views toward tourism services asserting the lack of tourism services (Schneider, 1999). The researcher highlighted the need for enhancing and developing the tourism services.…”

“…To date, only three studies have been found that investigated the image of Jordan as perceived by international tourists (Schneider & Sönmez, 1999;Alshourah, 2001;Harahsheh, 2009). Schneider and Sönmez (1999) have studied the image of Jordan as perceived by Jerash's festival visitors. The findings revealed that the visitors had a positive image about Jordan with a high rating to the dimensions of safety, hospitality, and the diversity in tourism sites.…”