Tourist destination reputation: an empirical definition

Tourism is a reputation-dependent industry; on the demand side, potential travellers without previous experience of a destination face certain risks when determining their travel options. An accurate perception of the destination’s reputation helps minimise risk of unsatisfactory travel experiences. On the supply side, a favourable tourist destination reputation enhances the destination’s competitive advantage, and helps it to compete for visitors, investments, and skilled human resources. Despite the importance of tourist destination reputation, attempts at developing a definition have been somewhat limited by an over-reliance on theories of corporate reputation. The present study suggests a comprehensive definition of tourist destination reputation based on empirical study, by applying a Delphi research with a group of ten professional and academic tourism experts. Consensus was reached after conducting two-rounds of the Delphi process, resulted in an agreed definition for tourist destination reputation that takes account of professional insights.