Destination Images Penetrated by Mega-events: A Behaviorist Study of the 2008 Beijing Olympics

Abstract

While the penetration effect of mega-events on the hosts' destination images is important, its research has rather been insufficient. This study aims to fill the gap by initiating an in-depth investigation of this effect. Guided by behaviorism rather than introspectionism and psychometrics adopted by previous researchers, the study interviewed 66 tourists visiting Beijing city – the host of the 2008 Summer Olympics – before, during and after the event. The results showed that: (1) elements of the Olympics had penetrated into the core and semi-core of Beijing's destination image; (2) the penetration did vary according to different event elements and event stages; and (3) the penetration was jointly determined by the stimuli the tourists received during the surveys and their complex mental mechanisms (i.e. cognitive matching and attitudinal preference). This research has strengthened the evidence for the penetration effect, explained it systematically and expanded the methodological choices in studying similar topics.

Key words:

• destination image
• event impact
• methodological behaviorism
• visual methods
• the Olympic Games

Acknowledgement

This study is supported by China Postdoctoral Science Foundation [grant number 20100480053] and National Natural Science Foundation of China [grant number 71202094].