Purpose This study aims to shed some light on destination image formation by exploring whether image is altered as a result of tourists’ experience intensity with a destination. Design/methodology/approach A visitor experience intensity index was developed based on the amount of events and attractions visitors have already attended/visited or were planning to attend/visit during their stay. The data were collected using self-administered questionnaires and the total sample consisted of 400 tourists in Linz, Austria. Principal component analysis, multivariate analysis of variance and discriminant analysis were applied to analyse the data. Findings The findings indicate that the higher the experience intensity score, the more favourable the cognitive and affective evaluations of destination image, indicating that tourists’ experiences are central in the formation of the in situ image. Research limitations/implications The “level of psychological involvement” with the destination should be considered by future studies, as this paper focussed on level of experience intensity. Practical implications This paper supports the effective and innovative solutions for place marketing and branding of tourist destinations such as promoting experiences that further enhance destination image. The study also assists places with bad reputation or negative image, like the selected case study (Linz, Austria), in repositioning themselves as attractive experience providers. Originality/value The paper’s originality lies in applying “mere exposure theory” in tourism and using an innovative way of measuring tourists’ experience through an intensity index. The study addresses a significant, but still neglected image determinant, that of experience intensity, contributing to a better understanding of the in situ destination image formation process.

Full bibliographic details must be given when referring to, or quoting from full items including the author's name, the title of the work, publication details where relevant (place, publisher, date), pagination, and for theses or dissertations the awarding institution, the degree type awarded, and the date of the award.

A comparative analysis of information on Cambodia as a tourist destination published on official tourism websites and amateur travel blogs suggests that there are substantial differences in the way Cambodia’s destination marketers and commercial enterprises promote the destination and the way travel bloggers perceive it and write about it. Cambodia’s projected online image elicited through the analysis of official tourism websites consists of mainly cognitive image elements (knowledge and beliefs about Cambodia), whereas its perceived image obtained from amateur travel blogs contains both cognitive and affective (feelings and attitudes towards Cambodia) image elements. Furthermore, the ‘friend’-style relationship that the reader develops with the travel blogger can be attributed to personal projections and thus induces an element of trust not established between the reader and the websites. Findings suggest that a lack of perceived trust among destination marketers and an increased level of trust among authors of user-generated content (UGC) and their readers has led to destination marketers being at a distinct disadvantage compared with their blogging colleagues. The use of affective evaluations of destinations by bloggers alongside their perceived credibility is likely to weigh more heavily in consumer’s decision-making process than promotional material presented by the likes of tourist boards and commercial enterprises. The theoretical and practical implications of these findings are also discussed.

In an industry that sells experiences rather than tangible products, tourism destination image (TDI) is an important strategic marketing tool through which destinations compete with each other, strengthen their positioning on the market and attract potential visitors. TDI was an active area of researchers’ investigation; however, in recent times it seems to have received less attention leaving a significant amount of unaddressed issues. The strength of this work comes essentially from the conceptual clarity it endeavours to provide by proposing a conceptual framework, which explicitly displays the multi-staged process of TDI formation and a set of image determinants based on previous empirical TDI research or included in other models of TDI formation, and also highlights under-researched areas that still require researchers’ attention.