Core-periphery structure of destination image: concept, evidence and implication

Abstract

This study aims to test whether core-periphery structure (C/PS), a widely practiced and important form of structure, exists in tourist destination image (TDI). Past tourism research has identified three-dimensional and causal-networking structures of TDI, but generally fails to recognize C/PS as an alternative. This study develops a conceptual model of C/PS of TDI via a synthesis of existing works on structure, structuralism, and C/PS. Testing the model, quantitatively and qualitatively in the context of Beijing city, demonstrates that TDI can be core-peripherally structured. This alternative TDI structure expands existing perspectives in understanding the structures of TDI, offers useful tools for destination image management, and highlights the complex, pluralistic and constructed nature of mental structures. © 2012 Elsevier Ltd.