Attracted by a Song: Image-building and tourist-attracting effects of destination songs

ABSTRACT

Taking a popular folk song in China, Chengdu, as an example, this paper uses sensory marketing theory to analyze the impact of destination songs on listeners’ perception of destination image and discusses how auditory stimulation promotes destination brand building and attracts potential tourists. Results showed that the experience of the destination song significantly affects the listeners’ perception of destination image, which leads to a greater willingness to visit by enhancing the place attachment between the listeners and the destination. The experience of the destination song can also enhance the listeners’ willingness to visit by directly establishing place attachment to the destination through the non-mental processing path. Compared with the path of image building, the non-mental processing path exerts a stronger influence on the willingness to visit. The results of this study extend the findings in the destination sensory marketing and tourist behavior literature. Additionally, we provide actionable guidelines for destination marketing organizations on how to attract tourists with destination songs.

摘要

本文运用感官营销理论, 以一首中国的流行歌曲——《成都》为例, 分析目的地歌曲对听众感知目的地形象的影响, 并探讨听觉刺激如何促进目的地品牌建设和吸引潜在游客。研究表明, 目的地歌曲体验显著影响听众对目的地的形象感知, 并进一步通过增强听众与目的地之间的地方依恋, 增强其到访意愿。除了上述形象建构路径, 目的地歌曲体验还可以通过非心理加工路径直接引发听众对目的地的地方依恋, 从而增强听众的到访意愿。与形象建构路径相比, 非心理加工路径对听众的到访意愿具有更强的影响作用。研究结论扩展了对目的地感官营销和游客行为的研究发现, 并为目的地营销组织提供了如何用目的地歌曲吸引游客的行动指南。

KEYWORDS:

• Destination song
• destination image
• destination brand
• place attachment
• willingness to visit

关键词:

• 目的地歌曲
• 目的地形象
• 目的地品牌
• 地方依恋
• 到访意愿

Notes on contributors

Xingyang Lv is a Professor in School of Business Administration, Faculty of Business Administration at Southwestern University of Finance and Economics, Chengdu, Sichuan Province, China. Dr. Lv’s research interest focuses on services management, marketing and consumer behavior (E-mail: [email protected]).

Jingjing Luo is a postgraduate student in School of Business Administration, Faculty of Business Administration at Southwestern University of Finance and Economics, Chengdu, Sichuan Province, China. Luo’s research interest focuses on services management, marketing and consumer behavior (E-mail: [email protected]).

Zeyuan Luo is a postgraduate student in School of Tourism at Sichuan Agricultural University, Chengdu, Sichuan Province, China. Luo’s research interest focuses on tourist behavior and tourism marketing (E-mail: [email protected]).

Xingping Cao is a Lecturer in School of Tourism at Sichuan Agricultural University, Chengdu, Sichuan Province, China. Her research is primarily focused on host-guest interaction and tourism marketing (E-mail: [email protected]).

Yue Liu is a postgraduate student in School of Sports Science and Physical Education at Southwestern University of Finance and Economics, Chengdu, Sichuan Province, China. Her research interests are focused on tourism marketing, consumer behavior and sport tourism (E-mail: [email protected]).

Disclosure statement

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