

In a rare investigation of this proposition, Mussalam and Tajeddini (2016) found differences in perceptions of destination attribute importance between short and long holidays among visitors to Switzerland. Still, it might not appeal to that same individual for other travel situations such as a honeymoon or family summer vacation.

For example, a nearby mature destination might be appealing to a traveler interested in a weekend getaway. The first is the long-held proposition that a destination's attractiveness might vary across different travel situations (see Gertner, 2010 Hu & Ritchie, 1993 Snepenger & Milner, 1990). This is a significant oversight for two reasons.
#Omnipresence orem series
For example, in a series of three categorizations of a combined sample of 418 destination image publications from 1973 to 2019 (see Alahakoon et al., 2021 Pike, 2002 Pike, 2007), only 99 (24%) showed an explicit interest in any specific travel situation and only 10 (2.4%) stated an interest in the context of short break holiday destinations. Indeed, most destination image studies have not mentioned any specific travel situation to their research participants but measured destination image in a generic sense. However, there has been a paucity of research reported about destination image in the context of short break holidays. ‘Destination attractiveness,’ also referred to as ‘destination image’ and ‘perceptions of destinations,’ has been one of the most popular constructs in the destination marketing literature since the early 1970s. These insights have practical implications for marketers of smaller, less crowded destinations interested in the short break drive market, particularly given uncertainties about international leisure travel during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic and the possibility of future coronavirus outbreaks. Conjoint analysis revealed the two most important destination attributes in terms of crowdedness and accommodation type, and latent class analysis revealed four segments. Building on theorizing from evolutionary psychology, this paper reports a study with the data collected from two samples in New Zealand and Australia during the COVID-19 pandemic. Domestic holidays have taken on increased importance for the tourism industry in many parts of the world during travel restrictions caused by COVID-19. However, only a minority of destination image studies have focused on the context of short break drive holidays. Research into the topic of destination image has been popular in the tourism literature since the 1970s.
