Beyond image: imagined experiences of a destination

The aim of this study is to explore the idea that people can imagine themselves in a destination and can have imagined experiences. This broadens our understanding of how people think about destinations and provides an extension of the established destination image literature, and that which explores actual tourist experiences. The research involved asking 300 Czech residents who had never been to London to imagine what it would be like to visit. Their responses were examined qualitatively using thematic analysis. The findings suggest that people can imagine experiences and that these involve a range of sensations; much like ‘real’ experiences.

This is the peer reviewed version of the following article: Cherifi B, Smith A, Maitland R, Stevenson N. Beyond image: Imagined experiences of a destination. Int J Tourism Res. 2018; 20: 748– 755. , which has been published in final form at https://doi.org/10.1002/jtr.2227. This article may be used for non-commercial purposes in accordance with Wiley Terms and Conditions for Use of Self-Archived Versions.