Toward an improved, holistic understanding of ‘meaningful destination’

ABSTRACT

This conceptual paper has two primary aims – to provide a definition and a holistic conceptual framework for a ‘meaningful destination’. This study draws upon foundational literature that explores different ways to interpret meaningfulness, the processes of meaning-making, and how individuals and institutions perceive destinations as meaningful. It incorporates insights from diverse fields, including positive psychology, existential philosophy, consumer experience and place branding, to establish a conceptual framework. Six essential elements or dimensions of meaningful destination are presented, drawn from both an individual perspective (tourists, residents, and tourism employees) and an institutional perspective (DMOs and tourism businesses). These dimensions encompass (a) Ethno-cultural (b) Ecological (c) Eudaimonia and spiritual (d) Economic (e) Equity of destination brand and (f) Ethical governance dimensions. The first three dimensions hold significant importance for individuals as they contribute to the formation of meaningful relationships and engagements with self, others, and the environmental settings. In contrast, the final three dimensions hold importance for tourism institutions as DMOs and tourism businesses, reflecting their roles and objectives and guiding their efforts in resource allocation, destination competitiveness, policy development, and business management. The paper concludes with future research trajectories and suggests pressing research agendas in relation to meaningful destinations.

KEYWORDS:

• Meaningful
• destination
• stakeholders
• planning and policy
• management
• development

Author agreement

All authors have seen and approved the final version of the manuscript being submitted. All authors warrant that the article is the authors’ original work, hasn't received prior publication and isn't under consideration for publication elsewhere.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

AI usage

During the preparation of this work the authors used ChatGPT to predominantly proofread the syntax and grammar of the manuscript. After using this tool/service, the authors reviewed and edited the content as needed and take full responsibility for the content of the publication.

Additional information

Funding

This research project was supported by Office of the Ministry of Higher Education, Science, Research and Innovation under the Reinventing University System / Visiting Professor Program and Chulalongkorn Business School.

Notes on contributors

Walanchalee Wattanacharoensil

Walanchalee Wattanacharoensil is an Associate Professor in the Tourism and Hospitality Management Division, Mahidol University International College, Thailand. Her interests and research work are mainly based on current issues in tourism, destination management, and tourist decision.

Ake Pattaratanakun

Ake Pattaratanakun is Head of Marketing Department at Chulalongkorn Business School, Chulalongkorn University, Thailand. He serves and a board member of Tourism Authority of Thailand and Chairman of Executive Board of Thailand Post. His research interests include brand management and behavioural economics.

Viriya Taecharungroj

Viriya Taecharungroj is an Associate Professor of Marketing at Mahidol University International College (MUIC) in Thailand. He is also a Senior Fellow at the Institute of Place Management at Manchester Metropolitan University. His research focuses on place marketing, place branding, and place analytics.

David Solnet

David Solnet is a Professor of service management and service employment in the UQ Business School in Queensland, Australia. His research focuses on service climate, service culture, employee engagement, Generation Y as service workers, and the relationships between management practices, employee attitudes, and firm performance.