The Meanings of Destination: A Q Method Approach

作者:Huang, Yinghua*; Qu, Hailin; Montgomery, Diane
来源:Journal of Travel Research, 2017, 56(6): 793-807.
DOI:10.1177/0047287516663652

摘要

While researchers increasingly address place meaning and place attachment as the cornerstones for understanding human-place relations, the factors that make a tourism destination meaningful have received less attention. Using Q method, this study investigated the dynamic nature of place meanings from the tourist perspective, and developed a theoretical framework to explain the construction of destination meanings. Data analyses identified four subjective views toward the meanings of destination and four underlying continuums that illustrate how a complex process of co-construction reveals distinct patterns of destination meanings. This study makes theoretical as well as practical contributions to the literature.