Destination Image: what are foreigners’ perceptions of Nordic countries? a qualitative analysis using Leximancer

Abstract

The concept of ́Destination Image` is essentially related to the thoughts, notions, and perceptions a person has of a place. The phenomenon is an important attribute for destinations in terms of their nation brand and visitor image, and the topic has thus become a prominent field of study. However, there is a lack of literature focusing on the destination image of Nordic countries. To contribute to the apparent gap in research, this study aims to determine foreigners’ image of Nordic countries – being Norway, Sweden, Denmark, Finland and Iceland. The study examines the main themes and concepts of online reviews about Nordic countries shared by travelers. Leximancer 4.5 software was used to identify the co-occurrence of these objectives in online narratives from a total of 1500 reviews on TripAdvisor. Our findings and discussions are also based on literature in terms of how the Nordic countries market themselves as destinations, in addition to former destination images studies. The findings of our study could hopefully provide Nordic countries with valuable insight to achieve success and competitive advantage in the marketplace. On the grounds of the latter information our issue statement reads as follows:

“What is foreigners’ image of the Nordic countries as destinations?”

To examine the 1500 reviews of the Nordic countries shared by travelers on TripAdvisor, the study used a qualitative content analysis. A convenience sampling technique was utilized with the intention of selecting the most describing and rich-in-content reviews. Prior to applying the Leximancer program, the data collected was kept in an Excel database. The following presents the themes revealed by content analyses for each country. Norway: place, guide, interesting, hike, shops, camping and ferry. Sweden: place, tour, history, park, beach, town, and cathedral. Denmark: place, tour, history, view, beach, activities, and animals. Finland: place, ski, food, tour, activities, animals, museum and island. Iceland: tour, glacier, beach, people, hiking, city, museum, tourists and night.

The concept of ́Destination Image` is essentially related to the thoughts, notions, and perceptions a person has of a place. The phenomenon is an important attribute for destinations in terms of their nation brand and visitor image, and the topic has thus become a prominent field of study. However, there is a lack of literature focusing on the destination image of Nordic countries. To contribute to the apparent gap in research, this study aims to determine foreigners’ image of Nordic countries – being Norway, Sweden, Denmark, Finland and Iceland. The study examines the main themes and concepts of online reviews about Nordic countries shared by travelers. Leximancer 4.5 software was used to identify the co-occurrence of these objectives in online narratives from a total of 1500 reviews on TripAdvisor. Our findings and discussions are also based on literature in terms of how the Nordic countries market themselves as destinations, in addition to former destination images studies. The findings of our study could hopefully provide Nordic countries with valuable insight to achieve success and competitive advantage in the marketplace. On the grounds of the latter information our issue statement reads as follows:

“What is foreigners’ image of the Nordic countries as destinations?”

To examine the 1500 reviews of the Nordic countries shared by travelers on TripAdvisor, the study used a qualitative content analysis. A convenience sampling technique was utilized with the intention of selecting the most describing and rich-in-content reviews. Prior to applying the Leximancer program, the data collected was kept in an Excel database. The following presents the themes revealed by content analyses for each country. Norway: place, guide, interesting, hike, shops, camping and ferry. Sweden: place, tour, history, park, beach, town, and cathedral. Denmark: place, tour, history, view, beach, activities, and animals. Finland: place, ski, food, tour, activities, animals, museum and island. Iceland: tour, glacier, beach, people, hiking, city, museum, tourists and night.