Destination identity and image of Macao: Construal, projection, and perception

ABSTRACT

Drawing from the tourist gaze and grassroots public diplomacy and advancing the concept of destination image, this study compares 1) what residents perceive versus what tourists think residents should perceive (i.e. resident identity versus tourist-construed image); 2) what residents intend to project to tourists versus what tourists think residents desire to project (i.e. intended image versus perceived intended image); and 3) what residents think tourists perceive versus what tourists perceive (i.e. resident-construed image versus tourist-perceived image). This empirical investigation in Macao revealed that resident identity was significantly weaker than tourist-construed images. Except for gambling, the resident-intended image was significantly stronger than the tourist-perceived intended image. Furthermore, other than gambling, the differences in resident-construed and tourist-perceived image levels were insignificant. The results elucidate the differences and similarities between residents’ and tourists’ expected perceptions of each other. This study should benefit destination management entities by illustrating the perceived, intended, and construed image and identity of residents and tourists.

澳门旅游目的地之地区身份认同与映像 : 揣测建构, 投射与认知摘要

本文以游客凝视和基层公共外交为基础，结合旅游目的地形象之概念，对澳门旅游目的地之地区身份认同与映像间的差异从以下三个层面进行了比较分析。1）居民心目中的形象VS游客所想象的居民心目中的形象（即，居民的地区身份认同感VS游客所揣测建构的形象）; 2）居民意图向游客投射的形象VS游客认为居民所希望投射的形象（即，意图传达的形象VS认知到的意图传达的形象）; 3）居民所想象的游客认知的形象VS游客认知的形象（即，居民揣测建构的形象VS游客认知的形象）。本文在澳门进行的实证调查表明，居民对旅游目的地的地区身份认同，明显弱于游客所揣测建构的形象; 除赌博外，居民意图投射的形象明显强于游客所认知到的意图投射的形象。并且除赌博外，居民揣测建构的形象与游客所认知的形象间无显著程度差异。本文结果显示出居民和游客对彼此所期待的认知间的异同。本文对居民与游客所认知的、意图传达的、揣测建构的旅游目的地形象，以及（居民）对旅游目的地的认同进行了阐释，希望籍此能为旅游目的地的管理实体带来帮助。

KEYWORDS:

• Construed image
• destination image
• identity
• intended image
• grassroots public diplomacy
• tourist gaze

关键词:

• 揣测建构的形象
• 旅游目的地形象
• 对旅游目的地的认同
• 意图传达的形象
• 基层公共外交
• 游客凝视

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Supplementary material

Supplemental data for this article can be accessed online at https://doi.org/10.1080/19388160.2023.2189196.

Additional information

Funding

The work was supported by the Macao Institute for Tourism Studies [116/EST/2017].

Notes on contributors

Yeongbae Choe

Yeongbae Choe is Associate Professor in the Department of Tourism Management at the Gachon University, Gyeonggi-do, South Korea. His research interests include information technology in the tourism and hospitality industries, tourist behaviors and decision-making, and destination management (E-mail: [email protected]).

Jaeseok Lee

Jaeseok Lee is Assistant Professor in the Department of Tourism Management at Gangneung-Wonju National University, Gangwon-do, South Korea. His main research interests include destination image, gaming behavior, and cannabis tourism (E-mail: [email protected]).

Suh-hee Choi

Suh-hee Choi is Assistant Professor in the Department of Geography at Kyung Hee University, Seoul, South Korea. Her research interest includes tourism mobilities, public diplomacy, migrants’ leisure and VFR, tourism places, community-based tourism, and tourist experience (E-mail: [email protected]).

Song Ee Hahn

Song Ee Hahn is a researcher at the Griffith Institute for Tourism, Gold Coast, Australia. Her research interest includes e-service quality management, online hospitality marketing and consumer behavior (E-mail: [email protected]).