Tourist profile and destination brand perception: the case of Cape Town, South Africa

A questionnaire survey of 220 tourists visiting Cape Town aimed to check for the relationships between tourists profile and how they perceived the destination brand of Cape Town. This study found that repeat visit, age of tourist, length of stay, and tourist origin, have significant influences on how tourists visiting Cape Town perceived the destination. It is therefore recommended that tourism businesses in Cape Town develop relationship marketing tools to attract and retain its tourists segments of loyal, advanced in age, long-staying and domestic tourists. The top three destination attributes of Cape Town (cognitive images), which enhance visitor experience are (1) the overall level of service quality at facilities in Cape Town, (2) the city being one of the best places the tourists have visited, and (3) the destination's good value for money. The top three emotional valuations of destination attributes (affective images) which enhance visitor experience satisfaction in Cape Town include (1) memorable visit, (2) valuable visit, and (3) friendly and hospitable population. Results from this research could be compared with related findings in the international arena and have related implications, especially for developing economies