| MACAO OR MACAU? A CASE OF TOURISM BRAND IMAGE CONFUSION AMONG TAIWAN TRAVELLERS? Glenn Mccartney, Sanjay Nadkarni & William Gartner Issue 32 (Vol. 16, No. 2), December 2006, pp. 107-135. The competition to entice potential visitors to a destination or take a particular type of vacation is intense. It has been found that a key determinant on whether a traveller chooses to visit a destination or not is based on brand image perceptions. The issue of image perceptions becomes an increasingly difficult subject with Macao, with attempts to change its negative and entrenched image of being a sole gaming destination in order to widen its tourism segments, such as business tourism. The Macao Government��s main tourism development strategies have been the liberalisation of the gaming industry, investment in heritage conservation and the use of a seamless array of yearly events in the hope of enhancing its regional and international reputation. Yet there are several tourism stakeholders in Macao each sending out their own particular messages and with the possibility of destination brand image confusion for Macao. This research examined the image perceptions of the Taiwan traveller of Macao and found that image perceptions still rested on Macao as a gambling city with adult entertainment as well as a transit city. They held low perceptions of Macao as a heritage city or place to have a meeting. These findings have serious implication for repositioning Macao��s image in the development strategy of its tourism industry. |