Destination image: A comparison of French and Australian consumers stopover destination preferences for long-haul travel

In the first forty years of destination marketing literature there has been little research published in relation to stopover destination image. While destination image represents an important and popular research stream, most studies to date have not been context-specific. That is to say the image of a destination has commonly been measured without reference to the travel situation. The aim of this research was to identify attributes of destinations deemed salient to consumers when considering a stopover during long haul travel. Underpinned by Personal Construct Theory, the study used the Repertory Test in personal interviews with French consumers. The findings are then compared to attributes elicited from Australian consumers to identify any differences in attribute salience between these northern hemisphere and southern hemisphere travellers. The commonality of stopover destination attribute salience between the two samples will enable the development of a questionnaire to measure stopover destination image. A number of stopover destination attributes were identified that have not been commonly used in generic destination image studies. The study highlights the value of engaging with the consumer in the questionnaire design stage, and goes some way to support the proposition that due to the short stay nature of stopovers during long haul travel destination attribute salience might differ to that for other travel situations