Residents' place image: place to live versus tourist destination

Despite growing attention given to the notion of place, research focusing on the resident perspective is still fragmented, with some studies exploring the image of a place as a place to live in (city image) and others as a tourist destination. Aiming to bridge existing streams of research, this study explores the capacity of established image dimensions to predict residents’ image of their place as a) a place to live in; b) a tourist destination. Data were collected from a sample of 368 Eilat residents, Israel. Findings suggest that the social, natural environment and accessibility were the most important antecedents of residents’ city image; while social environment, amenities and attractions were the most important determinants of residents’ destination image. The findings advance knowledge on place image conceptualization, offering practical insights for developing a place both as a place to live in and as a tourist destination.

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This published article: Stylidis, Dimitrios (2018) Residents' place image: place to live vs. tourist destination. Tourism Analysis, Vol. 23, pp. 553–560. DOI: https://doi.org/10.3727/108354218X15391984820512. is included in the Middlesex University Research Repository with permission.