Destination Attracting from Online Imagination

The research goal of this study was to investigate how motivation, consumption, and recommendation online affect the destination choice. Samples from the online travel communities were collected by mailing a questionnaire survey to participate. In total, 2,100 invitation messages were mailed to the members of the three travel communities. Of these, 456 were returned completed (a return rate of 21.71%). From the flow perspective, the information about destination will have an impact on the travelers’ cognitive image of destination when a traveler visits an online travel community. Tourism marketers need to understand that the mental images that come to mind make travelers feel as though they were actually experiencing the destination featured in the advertisement. Moreover, Destinations should redouble their efforts in using advertising to grow destination advocacy through the integration of online travelers’ contact points.