RECONSTRUING PLACE IMAGE - A CASE-STUDY OF ITS ROLE IN DESTINATION MARKET-RESEARCH

This paper argues that recent developments in the theory of place imag e hold great potential for tourism marketers, but that their full valu e has yet to be realized, The article reviews some of the relevant the ories of place image, and, in particular, it discusses the differences between what has been termed 'naive' and 're-evaluated' images of pla ces, It then demonstrates the value of using place image in market res earch to assist in the formulation of tourism policy. This is accompli shed through a case study drawn from the seaside resort of Barry Islan d in South Wales, where destination managers included an evaluation of the resort's 'organic' images in their market research to assist in s haping a new tourism strategy, The article concludes by arguing that t he adoption of a more integrated approach to place marketing is a valu able exercise for any destination. Copyright (C) 1996 Elsevier Science Ltd