The Image of a Destination - Essay Example

Technological advancement, the global media, and increased international competition affect the way in which destinations are imagined, perceived, and consumed (Grovers, Go & Kumar, 2007). Image formation of a destination is no more a one-way ‘push’ process through traditional mass communication. The internet has brought about radical changes and today destination image formation is a dynamic process through selecting, reflecting, sharing, and experiencing. Significant differences have been found in the online images projected by public and private players (Dwivedi, 2009). The image of a destination should have two main components – it should be attribute-based and holistic (Grovers, Go & Kumar, 2007). Each of these components should again contain functional and psychological characteristics. The destination should have some unique features, events, aura and feelings. These are the factors that create a holistic image in the mind of the tourists and consequently influence the destination positioning. Destination branding has to be developed around three kinds of attributes – the attractions that exerts the ‘pull’ towards the destination, the tourism services that facilitate the tourist experience such as infrastructure, accommodation, sightseeing and transportation, and finally the non-tourism and other export industries that support the destination experience (Klooster, Go & Baleen, 2004). This paper evaluates Dubai as a tourist destination, its marketing and branding, and its relationship with TALC. Finally it would suggest a trajectory for the development and marketing of Dubai. Dubai, an emirate of UAE, lies at the confluence of the Middle East (ME), Asia, Western Africa and Central/Eastern Europe (Balakrishnan, 2008). The total area of Dubai is around 4114 sq km and the population is 1,241,000 (McEachern, 2006). Through visionary leadership, Dubai, a sleepy fishing and pearl diving village, used its strategic location for its growth and development. “Dubai: The hippest city in the world” thrives on newness and bigness (Katodrytis, 2006). Its natural beachfront is 45km long and artificial islands add another 1500km of beachfront where the coastline and the city merge into an island holiday resort. Everything is new about the place and everything points towards consumerism and tourism. Dubai has developed at a remarkable pace, is spectacular and has an impressive display of staged buildings and iconic complexes. The city depends on tourism, shopping and the end of public space. Dubai has been successful in marketing itself as a city state like Singapore by combining trade with tourism. Dubai has a series of bold and visionary projects such as the world’s only seven-star hotel, the world’s largest man-made harbor, Dubai International Airport and several sporting events (Hvidt, 2007). Dubai holds the functional and psychological characteristics that a destination must have to attract tourists and be eligible to a destination for marketing. Dubai’s culture is rooted in Islam which provides a source of strength and inspiration to the people (Serkal, 2007). The cultural development in Dubai is firmly guarded by the government and freedom of expression is guaranteed by the constitution. Promoting the right brand image can help boost economy, promote tourism and attract investment and visitors. Dubai metamorphosed from a tiny fishing village to a modern city, then a shoppers paradise, a playground for the rich, a tourists haven and a lot more in just over half a century (BBC, 2006). From a small, clean, quiet and prosperous place, Dubai has transformed into a hideous, noisy, crowded and expensive place as forests of glass-tinted tower buildings have mushroomed out of the desert in Dubai (Kashif, 2006). Dubai’s population has grown 15-fold since 1969 which reflects the trajectory of the development of Dubai. By 2010 about 15 million tourists will be serviced per annum by 400 hotels. The open spaces are all getting filled up. Dubai is turning into a huge business-meet-leisure park. Dubailand is being built which is a theme park twice the size of Disneyland. Dubai as a city for 10m people is being visualized compared to the current population of 1.5m. The Airport created in 1969 has 25 million passengers transiting per annum and a new airport being built will 120 million passengers and 12 million tones of cargo (Balakrishnan, 2008). The city metro started in 1997 will carry 1.86 million passengers daily. As of 2005 the GDP of Dubai was US$37bn and the 2015 vision is to increase this to US$108bn (Balakrishnan, 2008). Dubai has been able to attract FDI because of no tax, free zones and the revised property laws. Dubai holds several tourist attractions such as trade shows and exhibitions, festivals and conferences (McEachern, 2006). Several events, monuments and annual shows have positioned Dubai as a premier tourist destination. The Dubai Shopping Festival, an annual event, is a month-long festival, which has activities for all age groups including international travelers and even for bargain hunters. Biannual events like Dubai Air Show and the Motor Show add to Dubai’s image as a destination while its numerous shopping malls with unbeatable offers add to the ‘pull’ effect that Dubai projects. Dubai’s Mall of the Emirates is the largest shopping mall outside of North America with over 200 shops, cinemas and the Ski Centre carry all global brands. The Best Exhibition and Conference Center in the Gulf Region is located in Dubai and The Palm, the world’s most iconic projects, consisting of The Palm Jumeriah, Jabel Ali, and Deira are located off the coast of Dubai. International pop stars and bands have also made appearances in Dubai adding credibility to Dubai’s aims to make itself a world-class leisure destination. Dubai aims to attract 15 million tourists per year by 2010 (PCCW, 2007). Dubai’s expansion has followed the Las Vegas model as the new developments that come up in the desert are linked by freeways and ring roads (Katodrytis, 2006). The city is peculiar and hyperactive. Dubai has reclaimed island over 5 km. stretch and palms are being planted to give an impression of transplanting desert into the sea. Dubai Waterfront has added 375 km of new beach front and boasts of the largest man made canal carved out of the desert. The city can be compared to a collage prepared in photoshop where anything can be combined and layered with anything – it appears to be forever new because at any point of time something new is being constructed. However, as a destination Dubai faces certain challenges. With the economy at its peak, inflation is an issue as the Dirham is pegged to the dollar. The US dollar has devalued compared to the Euro. Imports are higher than exports and there is an outward remittance of money (Balakrishnan, 2008). The climate in Dubai and hot and humid especially in the summer months and no outdoor activities can take place (Katodrytis, 2006). Tourism has generated revenues and improved the standards of living but it has its negative impact as well. Traffic, pollution and other physical impacts are being felt as the number of tourists is increasing. Uncontrolled growth has led to environmental degradation, loss of local identity and traditional cultures. The ecosystem is stressed and the physical and natural resources e fast depleting. Shortage of land is a major constraint and there are more cars than the road space. Traffic congestion is common as the number of cars on the road has increased by 10% per year soaring up to 750,000 by 2006 (Rahman, 2007). The changes and disruption occur naturally in the life cycle of a product and in the tourism sector a destination is a product and this product is sold before the consumer sees it (Katodrytis, 2006). This suggests that the representation of the place, the image projected, the vivid videos and the advertising texts have to be selective and creative. Tourists no longer desire a panoramic view of a place. They want to feel at home in a distant land. This has stimulated the growth of infrastructure like shopping malls, cinema, apartments, hotels and convention halls all of which are clustered close together. However it is difficult to project the future of tourism because non-economic factors have great influence on tourism. Consumers have to travel to the destination since tourism is now linked to fashion and taste, consumer choice is influenced by popular media. Political events impact international tourism as potential tourists calculate the real and imagined risks before selecting a destination. As destinations are viewed as a product the tourism area life cycle (TALC) model has become one of the most cited models in tourism literature (Butler, 2009). Tourism destinations also have a period of slow initial growth, followed by rapid development, then gives way to slower growth and finally the decline stage. Development and growth are expressed in terms of visitor numbers but this model cannot predict the future of a specific destination engaged in global competition. The TALC of Dubai has attained the maturity stage as the destination is now looking for different tourism products and identifying new tourist segments to remain competitive. Tourism in the emirates was booming after 9-11 and according to the World Travel and Tourism Council (WTTC) it is poised to grow at 5% against the world average of 4 percent (Balakrishnan, 2008). As of 2006, 6.5 million people visited the emirates excluding visitors that stayed with friends and family. Tourism contributes 18% to the GDOP directly and 29% indirectly. It has also been found that the hotel industry has grown with the real estate industry and in 2006 there were 285 hotels and 135 service apartments. However, even though the hotel occupancy has increased from 66.8 percent (in 1999) to 82 percent (in 2007) but the average guest nights have not increased significantly (2.5 nights in 1999 to 2.7 nights in 2007). Hence Dubai is not considered a long-stop location perhaps it is not an economical transit point. The number of hotels is expected to go up by 2010 which is a matter of concern and hence other products are being looked into. . The UAE is exploring the possibilities of medical tourism and education tourism. Within the UAE medical tourism is expected to generate AED 7bn by 2010 (Balakrishnan, 2008). The focus is to attract 6 million of the 600 million tourists with special needs. Education is another potential area for tourism which is being developed. The demographic profiles of the tourists may not change but the psychographic profiles will differ. These have to be considered before the industry reaches the decline stage and hence brand management is essential. Brand Dubai is moving westwards and hence the personality of the brand has to match the target customer. Dubai does not have a true destination identity because this has to be grounded in local heritage as it contributes to authentic stories that local people can be proud of (Klooster, Go & Baleen, 2004). Dubai is an absolutely new place all the time. The second drawback that Dubai faces is that its projected image may not match the image that tourists find after reaching there because many of the things projected through advertisements are yet to be completed. The actual experience after reaching may also be different from what the tourists expect and hence feedback mechanism should be in place. Destinations should be storyteller and not merely offer the functional attributes. Destinations should look at the power of narratives and not merely attractive websites to make the product offerings. At this point it is essential to conduct a SWOT analysis of the destination because the image that it projects to the world in different from the reality. Strengths Excellent leadership Vision Scenic beauty World-class infrastructure and architecture Global brands Location Free Zone Class hotels Weakness TALC in the declining stage Traffic congestion Pollution Uncontrolled growth Ineffective brand management No historical perspective No destination identity Threat Environmental degradation Lopsided planning Always a new look Growth unmatched with infrastructure More cars than road space Opportunities Target new customer segments like China Devise new tourism products before the current products on offer reach maturity Media approach should project the reality Take locational advantage To remain competitive in the tourism sector a destination must have the quality and reach of its images which is directly related to the local culture and the commercial brands produced by export industries (Klooster, Go & Baalen, 2004). Images are projected by the mass media on political, societal or economical events and hence can become uncontrollable. Dubai suffered with a negative impact after 9/11 as it saw a decreased in the number of tourists. The image needs to be linked to an emotion. The product portfolio includes real estate, business investment, financial services, lifestyle, tourism, shopping, healthcare and education (Balakrishnan, 2008). The media and branding strategy must have a synergy across government and private sectors. There is a lack of access to data. The advertisements carry promises of the brand that are yet to be completed and hence can disappoint the tourists. Dubai is associated with too many images and that can be confusing. To build a brand image the focus has to be on few key areas. They need to identify new tourist segments. To tap the potential of the new segments promotions should be taken up based on the customer needs in that region. For instance, China is poised for growth and it is expected that outbound tourism from China would be very high in the years to come. Destination marketing in new markets should appeal to the emotions and the needs of the customers in that region. Hence proper media planning has to be done to attract the Chinese tourists. To be a destination of choice, the place must have a ‘pull’ effect and the infrastructure must match the claims. Hence Dubai first needs to invest in increasing the road space and its overall infrastructure and use the right marketing communication strategy to attract the tourists. References Balakrishnan, MS 2008, Dubai – a star in the east: A case study in strategic destination branding, Journal of Place Management and Development, vol. 1, no. 1, pp. 62-91 BBC News, 2006, A Pakistani laments Dubai, viewed 21 April 2009, http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/low/south_asia/6171909.stm Butler, R 2009, Tourism in the future: Cycles, waves or wheels?, Futures, doi:10.1016/j.futures.2008.11.002 Dwivedi, M 2009, Online destination image of India: a consumer based perspective, International Journal of Contemporary Hospitality Management, vol. 21, no. 2, pp. 226-232 Grovers, R Go, FM & Kumar, K 2007, VIRTUAL DESTINATION IMAGE A New Measurement Approach, Annals of Tourism Research, vol. 34, no. 4, pp. 977–997 Hvidt, M 2007, Public–Private Ties and their Contribution to Development: The Case of Dubai’, Middle Eastern Studies, vol. 43, no. 4, pp. 557 – 577 Kashif, 2006, Low-paid Asian workers behind Dubai construction boom, Muslim World News, viewed 21 April 2009, http://www.indianmuslims.info/news/2006/may/02/muslim_world_news/low_paid_asian_workers_behind_dubai_construction_boom.html Katodrytis, G 2006, Dubai: tourism and the end of public space, viewed 21 April 2009, http://www.kfupm.edu.sa/crp/Kuwaitconference/Papers/595-paper_katodrytis_fulltext.pdf Klooster, E Go, F & Baleen, P 2004, Exploring Destination Brand Communities: A Business Model for Collaboration in the Extremely Fragmented Tourism Industry, viewed 21 April 2009, http://citeseerx.ist.psu.edu/viewdoc/download?doi=10.1.1.110.5222&rep=rep1&type=pdf McEachern, A et al., 2006, Economic and Environmental impacts of tourism on Dubai and Hawaii, viewed 21 April 2009, http://webhost.bridgew.edu/dleuenberger/student/Sustainability-Dubai&Hawaii.pdf PCCW, 2007, UK in UAE, viewed 21 April 2009, http://www.ciltcymru.org.uk/images/lncymru/Country%20Guides/UAE%20(2).pdf Rahman, S 2007, Streamlining growth, Gulfnews.com, viewed 21 April 2009, http://archive.gulfnews.com/indepth/dubaiplan/main_story/10130966.html Serkal, MM 2007, Nurturing culture, viewed 21 April 2009, http://archive.gulfnews.com/indepth/dubaiplan/sub_story/10130971.html Read More