The thesis investigates the influence of media consultation habits as the developers of risk perceptions among young travelers. It deals with the information-seeking practices of individuals aged 18 to 29 by scrutinizing the extent to which certain media channels are sought out to inform themselves about travel-related risks. By employing a quantitative research approach and collecting data through a web-based questionnaire, the study investigates the role of various information channels by measuring the degree to which they are sought out by the respondents. The findings reveal that legacy media is the most trusted source for risk information among young travelers, surpassing social media and other channels. This unexpected result highlights the significant role of traditional media in shaping risk perceptions despite the prevalence of digital platforms. The study's conclusions are intended to serve tourism professionals and destination managers seeking to enhance communication strategies and manage tourists' risk perceptions effectively.

Since the 1970s when the first destination image studies were performed, this topic has become one of the most predominant in the tourism marketing literature. Destination image within the tourism industry is essential, as most tourism products are services rather than physical goods, and can often only compete by means of the image they portray. The image of a specific destination is a major element in the final decision when selecting the destination. Both positive and negative images occur, together having a great impact on the travel and tourism industry. Destinations therefore have to create images of their location and what they have to offer to help differentiate them from their competition. Therefore, potential tourists rely on their mental images when deciding to visit one destination over another. Different influences emerge within tourist decisions, which affect their ultimate experience. It is therefore clear that, to understand tourists‟ needs and wants, relationship building is important and this could assist with the marketing of products or services. Marketing plays a central part in tourism, since consumers need to travel to a certain destination to see, feel or test the product that is to be purchased and evaluated. Image is formed based on three main components. These are: cognitive (what one knows about a destination), affective (how one feels about what one knows) and conative components (how one acts on this information). To date, various image models have been developed. However, none of these have been applied to, tested in, or developed for South Africa. It is therefore important to know how tourists formulate a destinations‟ image as well as what influences their image regarding a destination. Therefore, to achieve this and the goal of this study, which is to develop a framework for the optimisation of the image of South Africa as a tourism destination, a comprehensive review of marketing and destination image literature was performed, subsequent to which the research was conducted. After having conducted the literature review and gathered expert advice and opinions, various literature-based attributes were identified. A total of sixty-three attributes were acknowledged whereafter these were sifted and grouped into Cognitive, Affective and Conative attributes. After taking expert advice into consideration, these attributes were once again sifted and it was determined whether they were applicable for this research. A total of fifty-seven attributes remained important and formed part of the questionnaire. Forty-two attributes were Cognitive, twelve Affective and three Conative. The research was conducted at the international departure area of a major international airport in South Africa. The respondents consisted of international tourists that were returning to their home countries after visiting South Africa. A total of 500 questionnaires were distributed of which 474 questionnaires were obtained. Of these, 451 questionnaires were usable for this study, as 23 questionnaires were incomplete and not usable. The number of questionnaires was therefore representative of the target population and further analysis. After the questionnaires for this study were gathered, the primary data was captured and analysed. Different types of data analyses were used in this study: Firstly, descriptive analysis to determine findings concerning the demographic profile of respondents and the respondent‟s travel behaviour whilst visiting South Africa. Secondly, factor analyses to factorise the image attributes into image factors; and to factorise external aspects into factors and determine how these affect image formation. Thirdly, ANOVAs (One-way analysis of variance) were conducted where more than two categories formed part of the question, t-tests were conducted to compare the image factors with questions consisting of only two categories and Spearman rank correlations were conducted to describe the strength and direction of the linear relationship between selected variables. Finally, Structural Equation Modelling was used to empirically test the framework and evaluate how well the data supports the hypothesised model. The first factor analysis resulted in 13 reliable and valid factors, which consisted of the cognitive, affective and conative image attributes. These factors, together with the factors of the second factor analysis (Media, Political and Iconic aspects) were used as constructs in the Structural Equation Modelling analysis. After having combined the results of all the different analyses, a framework was developed that identifies the aspects influencing South Africa‟s image. Some of the main findings were that media, political happenings and iconic aspects directly influenced cognitive, affective and conative images. Novel to this study was the significant influence of icons. Interestingly, demographic information only affects cognitive image and neither affective nor conative image. Travel behaviour contributes to the formation of cognitive, affective and conative image.However, surprisingly, the lack of influence from travel agents and travel guides was also depicted in the results. This framework emphasises the importance of pre-, onsite and post-experiences as well as communication in image formation. This study contributes academically, methodologically and practically. Academic contributions include empirically testing the framework, which significantly contributes to literature; and the innovative inclusion and assessment of icons adds a new dimension to image formation in literature. From a methodological point of view, it is clear that the analyses of all influencing aspects are challenging and not standardised. The types of analyses applied in this study enhanced the in-depth analyses of the data that was then included into one framework. The data was empirically tested and found to be reliable. The empirical testing of all aspects in a South African context was different and innovative, which finally created a detailed picture of South Africa‟s image as a tourism destination. Finally, the practical contribution of this study is that the framework developed for this study can be used by tourism organisations of various types in planning and implementing marketing strategies. The framework can direct their advertising and staff training; and improve the general tourism product of South Africa. The framework can also be applied to other tourism destinations. Clear recommendations were made regarding the focus of marketing strategies and building the image of South Africa. It was recommended that the framework developed in this study be implemented by national tourism organisations such as SA Tourism, as well as provincial organisations such as Tourism Boards. Product owners can benefit from the framework by considering some of the influential aspects in their product development and marketing strategies. Lastly, all marketing strategies and plans for South Africa should be focused on improving the cognitive, affective and conative image of South Africa. / PhD (Tourism Management), North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2015

Since the 1970s when the first destination image studies were performed, this topic has become one of the most predominant in the tourism marketing literature. Destination image within the tourism industry is essential, as most tourism products are services rather than physical goods, and can often only compete by means of the image they portray. The image of a specific destination is a major element in the final decision when selecting the destination. Both positive and negative images occur, together having a great impact on the travel and tourism industry. Destinations therefore have to create images of their location and what they have to offer to help differentiate them from their competition. Therefore, potential tourists rely on their mental images when deciding to visit one destination over another. Different influences emerge within tourist decisions, which affect their ultimate experience. It is therefore clear that, to understand tourists‟ needs and wants, relationship building is important and this could assist with the marketing of products or services. Marketing plays a central part in tourism, since consumers need to travel to a certain destination to see, feel or test the product that is to be purchased and evaluated. Image is formed based on three main components. These are: cognitive (what one knows about a destination), affective (how one feels about what one knows) and conative components (how one acts on this information). To date, various image models have been developed. However, none of these have been applied to, tested in, or developed for South Africa. It is therefore important to know how tourists formulate a destinations‟ image as well as what influences their image regarding a destination. Therefore, to achieve this and the goal of this study, which is to develop a framework for the optimisation of the image of South Africa as a tourism destination, a comprehensive review of marketing and destination image literature was performed, subsequent to which the research was conducted. After having conducted the literature review and gathered expert advice and opinions, various literature-based attributes were identified. A total of sixty-three attributes were acknowledged whereafter these were sifted and grouped into Cognitive, Affective and Conative attributes. After taking expert advice into consideration, these attributes were once again sifted and it was determined whether they were applicable for this research. A total of fifty-seven attributes remained important and formed part of the questionnaire. Forty-two attributes were Cognitive, twelve Affective and three Conative. The research was conducted at the international departure area of a major international airport in South Africa. The respondents consisted of international tourists that were returning to their home countries after visiting South Africa. A total of 500 questionnaires were distributed of which 474 questionnaires were obtained. Of these, 451 questionnaires were usable for this study, as 23 questionnaires were incomplete and not usable. The number of questionnaires was therefore representative of the target population and further analysis. After the questionnaires for this study were gathered, the primary data was captured and analysed. Different types of data analyses were used in this study: Firstly, descriptive analysis to determine findings concerning the demographic profile of respondents and the respondent‟s travel behaviour whilst visiting South Africa. Secondly, factor analyses to factorise the image attributes into image factors; and to factorise external aspects into factors and determine how these affect image formation. Thirdly, ANOVAs (One-way analysis of variance) were conducted where more than two categories formed part of the question, t-tests were conducted to compare the image factors with questions consisting of only two categories and Spearman rank correlations were conducted to describe the strength and direction of the linear relationship between selected variables. Finally, Structural Equation Modelling was used to empirically test the framework and evaluate how well the data supports the hypothesised model. The first factor analysis resulted in 13 reliable and valid factors, which consisted of the cognitive, affective and conative image attributes. These factors, together with the factors of the second factor analysis (Media, Political and Iconic aspects) were used as constructs in the Structural Equation Modelling analysis. After having combined the results of all the different analyses, a framework was developed that identifies the aspects influencing South Africa‟s image. Some of the main findings were that media, political happenings and iconic aspects directly influenced cognitive, affective and conative images. Novel to this study was the significant influence of icons. Interestingly, demographic information only affects cognitive image and neither affective nor conative image. Travel behaviour contributes to the formation of cognitive, affective and conative image.However, surprisingly, the lack of influence from travel agents and travel guides was also depicted in the results. This framework emphasises the importance of pre-, onsite and post-experiences as well as communication in image formation. This study contributes academically, methodologically and practically. Academic contributions include empirically testing the framework, which significantly contributes to literature; and the innovative inclusion and assessment of icons adds a new dimension to image formation in literature. From a methodological point of view, it is clear that the analyses of all influencing aspects are challenging and not standardised. The types of analyses applied in this study enhanced the in-depth analyses of the data that was then included into one framework. The data was empirically tested and found to be reliable. The empirical testing of all aspects in a South African context was different and innovative, which finally created a detailed picture of South Africa‟s image as a tourism destination. Finally, the practical contribution of this study is that the framework developed for this study can be used by tourism organisations of various types in planning and implementing marketing strategies. The framework can direct their advertising and staff training; and improve the general tourism product of South Africa. The framework can also be applied to other tourism destinations. Clear recommendations were made regarding the focus of marketing strategies and building the image of South Africa. It was recommended that the framework developed in this study be implemented by national tourism organisations such as SA Tourism, as well as provincial organisations such as Tourism Boards. Product owners can benefit from the framework by considering some of the influential aspects in their product development and marketing strategies. Lastly, all marketing strategies and plans for South Africa should be focused on improving the cognitive, affective and conative image of South Africa. / PhD (Tourism Management), North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2015

The purpose of this thesis is to identify the destination site selection criteria for internationalconferences from the perspectives of the three main players of the conference industry,conference buyers (organizers and delegates) and suppliers. Additionally, the researchidentifies the strengths and weaknesses of the congress cities of Stockholm and Vienna.Through a comparison with Vienna, the top city for hosting international conferences, a roadmap for Stockholm has been designed, to strengthen its congress tourism opportunities, thus,obtaining a higher status as an international congress city. This qualitative research hascombined both primary and secondary data methods, through semi-standardized expertinterviews and secondary studies respectively, to fulfil the study’s aim. The data have beenanalysed by applying the techniques of qualitative content analysis; the secondary dataadopting an inductive approach according to Mayring (2003) while the expert interviewsusing a deductive approach according to Meuser & Nagel (2009). The conclusions of thesecondary data have been further compared and contrasted with the outcomes of the primarydata, to propose fresh discoveries, clarifications, and concepts related to the site selectioncriteria for international conferences, and for the congress tourism industry of Stockholm. Theresearch discusses the discoveries of the site selection criteria, the implications of thestrengths and weaknesses of Stockholm in comparison to Vienna, recommendations forStockholm via a road map, and future research areas in detail. The findings andrecommendation, not only provide specific steps and inceptions that Stockholm as aninternational conference city can apply, but also propose findings, which can aid conferencebuyers and suppliers to cooperate, to strengthen their marketing strategies and developsuccessful international conferences and destinations to help achieve a greater competitiveadvantage.

The aim of this study is to examine how Belgrade as a tourist destination was affected by previous political disorder during the 1990’s on the query of destination image, destination branding and destination development. The research also discussed how different actors in the public and private sectors work on the issue and how international tourists’ perspectives look like in relation to this topic. A qualitative method was applied through semi-structured and structured interviews with three actors within tourism sector, one from the public sector, and further 15 interviews with international tourists. The study's results show that Belgrade, as a tourist destination, was mainly affected by the civil war in the 1990’s. The war created a negative destination image, undefined destination branding and a non-sustainable destination development. The following led to, reduced number of incoming tourists and economic stagnation, which resulted in a lack of resources to invest in destination development. It created a negative destination image in a global aspect, and in addition to that international tourists usually associated Belgrade with insecurity and political instability. However, tourism started to increase following the new political regime approximately 10 years ago, when major efforts were made by both international and national investors. Accordingly, actors within various private and public sectors are involved in expanding tourism products, increasing marketing efforts and placing the destination on an international tourism market. / Syftet med studien är att undersöka hur Belgrad som en turistdestination påverkades av tidigare oroligheter under 1990-talet i frågan om destinationsimage, branding samt utveckling. Undersökningen berörde även hur olika aktörer inom den offentliga och privata sektorn arbetar i frågan samt hur internationella turisters perspektiv ser ut i relation till detta. En kvalitativ metod tillämpades genom semistrukturerade och strukturerade intervjuer med tre aktörer inom turismsektorn och en från den offentliga sektorn samt 15 intervjuer med internationella turister. Studiens resultat visar att Belgrad som en turistdestination påverkades i en stor utsträckning till följd av krigshändelserna under 1990-talet. Detta skapade en negativ destinationsimage, odefinierad destination branding samt att destinationsutvecklingen som var icke hållbar. Därmed minskade antal inkommande turister, ekonomin stagnerade samt att det resulterade i brist på resurser för investeringar i att återuppbygga destinationen. Detta skapade en negativ destinationsimage för omvärlden då potentiella turister associerade staden med osäkerhet och politisk instabilitet. Dock konstaterades det att turismen började öka i och med den nya politiska regimen, då ca 10 år sedan började det ske stora insatser från både internationella och nationella investerare. Därmed arbetar olika aktörer inom den privata och offentliga sektorn med att utöka sina turistprodukter och marknadsföringsinsatser samt placera Belgrad på den internationella turistmarknaden.

O mercado de turismo está em plena expansão no mundo globalizado, diversificado mercadologicamente e competitivo internacionalmente, com um crescimento acelerado previsto para esta nova década. A consideração da marca-país, como sendo a percepção da imagem e as associações da marca de uma nação - vista pelos estrangeiros, é um aspecto frequentemente presente, seja no panorama econômico, político, social, acadêmico, na moda, no esporte, no cinema e, finalmente no turismo. Neste contexto multidimensional, o Brasil necessita de estudos sobre seu próprio conceito de país de origem e, principalmente, o fortalecimento de sua identidade de marca. Com a revisão da literatura obtida, verifica-se que há poucos trabalhos sobre a Marca Brasil, focados no incentivo aos negócios e, principalmente, para o turismo em um país alvo. Sendo assim, o objetivo geral deste estudo foi analisar a identidade da Marca Brasil com base na convergência entre as estratégias de comunicação definidas para a Marca Brasil pela Embratur no setor de turismo com as efetivamente utilizadas pelas agências de turismo nos Estados Unidos da América; país escolhido por estar em segundo lugar nos gastos com turismo no mundo e como segundo maior emissor de turistas ao Brasil nos últimos sete anos, com decréscimo gradual anualmente. A pesquisa foi qualitativa e exploratória a partir da revisão da literatura, de entrevistas em profundidade, primeiramente com a Embratur, seguido de vinte agências/operadoras de turismo norte-americanas, e finalmente, com quatro especialistas. Com base nos dados qualitativos coletados, então, foi elaborada a análise de conteúdo através da triangulação. Como tema original, a pesquisa abordou a transposição do conceito de identidade de marca para uma marca-país, especificamente, a Marca Brasil, tangenciando a área de marketing internacional em busca de posicionar o Brasil como um destino turístico competitivo. A partir de quatro proposições definidas e analisadas, conclui-se que a Marca Brasil apresenta relações incompletas e divergências conceituais com a teoria, cujo conceito firma-se que a identidade da marca é a visão estratégica da marca, entendimento distorcido teoricamente pela Embratur e não experimentado nas respostas dos entrevistados. Portanto, a identidade central da marca Brasil que deveria ser a alma da marca corresponde parcialmente à desejada pela Embratur, trazendo apenas a diversidade como característica. Além disso, nota-se que a identidade expandida, cujos elementos dimensionais da identidade da marca são organizados em quatro perspectivas, não proporcionaram textura e integridade da marca Brasil. No entanto, a Marca Brasil proporciona associações com a representação visual per se, com temas presentes na cultura brasileira, dos destinos turísticos, produtos e serviços, e ainda, por meio da mídia. Sendo assim, uma das principais contribuições desta investigação é dar continuidade às pesquisas sobre a gestão de marca de países, especificamente da Marca Brasil, tanto para ações de estratégias, em diversos setores da economia, para o posicionamento, para a comunicação ou para a ascensão no mercado internacional. Cada experiência com a Marca Brasil em contextos diversos proporciona associações com a reputação e a imagem do país. / The tourism market is booming in the globalized, diversified and internationally competitive business market, with rapid growth expected for this decade. Considering that the country brand is the image and perception of the brand associations of a nation as seen by foreigners, it is often found in the following spheres: economic, political, social, academic, fashion, sport, movies, and finally, in tourism. In this multidimensional context, Brazil requires studies on its own concept of country of origin, and especially, strengthening its brand identity. According to literature, it appears that there are few studies about the Brazil´s Country Brand focused on encouraging businesses and specifically for tourism in a target country. Therefore, this study was developed to analyze the Brazil Brand identity based on the convergence of communication strategies defined by Embratur for the tourism sector with those effectively used by travel agencies in the United States of America. The United States of America were chosen because it is the second-highest spender on tourism worldwide, and it was the second-highest sender of tourists to Brazil in the last seven years, with a gradual decrease since. This research was qualitative and exploratory, based on the literature review and in-depth interviews with three samples: Embratur, twenty agencies/tour operators in North America and a group of three experts. Based on the qualitative data collected, the content analysis was performed by triangulation. Regarding its original theme, the research focuses on the implementation of the concept of brand identity for a country brand, specifically, the Brazil Brand, slightly overlapping the field of international marketing in order to promote Brazil as an attractive tourist destination. After four defined and analyzed propositions, the conclusion is that Brazil has an incomplete brand relationship and conceptual differences with the theory, whose concept states that brand identity should be settled on the strategic vision of the brand. Embratur understands a theoretically-distorted version, which was not experienced in the respondents\' answers. Therefore, the central identity of the Brazil Brand, which should be the soul of the brand, corresponds only partially to the image desired by Embratur, featuring only the diversity attribute. Furthermore, the expanded identity, whose dimensional elements of the brand identity are organized into four perspectives, provided no texture or integrity to Brazil´s Country Brand. However, Brazil´s brand provides associations with the visual representation itself, with characteristics from the Brazilian culture, tourist destinations, products, services, and the media. In this way, one of the contribution of this investigation is to move forward to research lines about country branding, specifically about Brazil Brand; regarding not only strategies actions in special economy sectors, for its positioning, for its communication and for its growth in the international market. Each experience with Brazil Brand, throughout diversified contacts offers associations with Brazil´s both reputation and image.

Um megaevento esportivo pode modificar o cenário de um país e influenciar na sua imagem como destino turístico, bem como na imagem da cidade que o sedia. Megaeventos, como os Jogos Olímpicos, envolvem mudanças: sociais, investimentos financeiros e de infraestrutura, e maior visibilidade internacional. A avaliação da imagem da cidade-sede pode impactar na imagem do destino ao qual ela faz parte (efeito recíproco). Partindo desse pressuposto, da importância do turismo na economia mundial/brasileira e da relação entre megaeventos esportivos e o aquecimento dessa atividade, o objetivo desta tese foi verificar os efeitos recíprocos de imagem entre a cidade-sede de um megaevento esportivo e o destino turístico ao qual ela faz parte (destino-mãe). O foco foram os Jogos Olímpicos de 2016 no Rio de Janeiro-Brasil. Foi realizada pesquisa descritiva/ quantitativa por meio de questionários fechados, com estrangeiros de 48 países (n=340), utilizando escala Likert de sete pontos. A escala foi baseada nas dimensões de imagem de destino: cognitiva e afetiva, tendo como variáveis moderadoras: a familiaridade e a animosidade com o destino-mãe e o envolvimento com os jogos. Para a análise dos dados foi utilizada a modelagem de equações estruturais VB-SEM por meio do software SmartPLS 3. Os resultados apontaram para avaliações positivas da imagem de destino, do Rio e do Brasil, identificando a dimensão cognitiva como a mais relevante. Foi confirmado efeito recíproco positivo e forte entre as imagens do Rio como sede da Olímpiadas de 2016 e Brasil como seu destino-mãe e também o contrário, contudo não foram encontrados efeitos de moderação. No caso especfício da animosidade não houve presença dessa variável em relação ao Brasil, o que é um resultado positivo. Este trabalho traz contribuições teóricas por estudar os efeitos recíprocos de imagem em destinos, especialmente considerando um contexto de megaevento esportivo e contribuições práticas para o desenvolvimento de políticas de turismo mais integrativas entre destino-mãe e cidade/ regiões do seu território e até mesmo para a captação e realização de novos grandes eventos. / A sport mega event can modify a country\'s scenery and influence its image as a tourist destination, as well as the host city image. Sports mega events such as the Olympic Games involve a series of changes: social, financial and infrastructure investments and a greater international visibility. The host city image evaluation can have an impact on the destination image to which it belongs (reciprocal effect). Based on this assumption and the importance of tourism activity in the world and Brazilian economies and the relationship between sport mega events and the warming of this activity, the objective of this thesis was to verify the image reciprocal effects between a sport mega event host city and the national tourist destination (mother-destination). The focus was the 2016 Olympic Games held in Rio de Janeiro- Brazil. Descriptive/quantitative research was performed with foreigners from 48 countries (n = 340) using structured questionnaires and a Likert seven-point scale. The scale was adapted based on the cognitive and affective destination image dimensions, having as moderating variables: familiarity and the animosity with the mother-destination and games involvement. For data analysis, PLS structural equations modeling was performed using the software SmartPLS 3. The results pointed to positive evaluations of Rio and Brazil destination images, identifying the cognitive dimension as the most relevant. A positive and strong reciprocal effect was confirmed between the images of Rio as the 2016 Olympics host city and Brazil as the mother-destination. However, no moderation effects were found and in the specific case of animosity, there was no presence of this variable related to Brazil, which was a good result. This work brings theoretical contributions because it studies the reciprocal effects in destination images, considering the context of a sport mega event, as well as practical contributions for the development of more integrative tourism policies between mother-destination, cities / regions and for the hosting of new major events.

Um megaevento esportivo pode modificar o cenário de um país e influenciar na sua imagem como destino turístico, bem como na imagem da cidade que o sedia. Megaeventos, como os Jogos Olímpicos, envolvem mudanças: sociais, investimentos financeiros e de infraestrutura, e maior visibilidade internacional. A avaliação da imagem da cidade-sede pode impactar na imagem do destino ao qual ela faz parte (efeito recíproco). Partindo desse pressuposto, da importância do turismo na economia mundial/brasileira e da relação entre megaeventos esportivos e o aquecimento dessa atividade, o objetivo desta tese foi verificar os efeitos recíprocos de imagem entre a cidade-sede de um megaevento esportivo e o destino turístico ao qual ela faz parte (destino-mãe). O foco foram os Jogos Olímpicos de 2016 no Rio de Janeiro-Brasil. Foi realizada pesquisa descritiva/ quantitativa por meio de questionários fechados, com estrangeiros de 48 países (n=340), utilizando escala Likert de sete pontos. A escala foi baseada nas dimensões de imagem de destino: cognitiva e afetiva, tendo como variáveis moderadoras: a familiaridade e a animosidade com o destino-mãe e o envolvimento com os jogos. Para a análise dos dados foi utilizada a modelagem de equações estruturais VB-SEM por meio do software SmartPLS 3. Os resultados apontaram para avaliações positivas da imagem de destino, do Rio e do Brasil, identificando a dimensão cognitiva como a mais relevante. Foi confirmado efeito recíproco positivo e forte entre as imagens do Rio como sede da Olímpiadas de 2016 e Brasil como seu destino-mãe e também o contrário, contudo não foram encontrados efeitos de moderação. No caso especfício da animosidade não houve presença dessa variável em relação ao Brasil, o que é um resultado positivo. Este trabalho traz contribuições teóricas por estudar os efeitos recíprocos de imagem em destinos, especialmente considerando um contexto de megaevento esportivo e contribuições práticas para o desenvolvimento de políticas de turismo mais integrativas entre destino-mãe e cidade/ regiões do seu território e até mesmo para a captação e realização de novos grandes eventos. / A sport mega event can modify a country\'s scenery and influence its image as a tourist destination, as well as the host city image. Sports mega events such as the Olympic Games involve a series of changes: social, financial and infrastructure investments and a greater international visibility. The host city image evaluation can have an impact on the destination image to which it belongs (reciprocal effect). Based on this assumption and the importance of tourism activity in the world and Brazilian economies and the relationship between sport mega events and the warming of this activity, the objective of this thesis was to verify the image reciprocal effects between a sport mega event host city and the national tourist destination (mother-destination). The focus was the 2016 Olympic Games held in Rio de Janeiro- Brazil. Descriptive/quantitative research was performed with foreigners from 48 countries (n = 340) using structured questionnaires and a Likert seven-point scale. The scale was adapted based on the cognitive and affective destination image dimensions, having as moderating variables: familiarity and the animosity with the mother-destination and games involvement. For data analysis, PLS structural equations modeling was performed using the software SmartPLS 3. The results pointed to positive evaluations of Rio and Brazil destination images, identifying the cognitive dimension as the most relevant. A positive and strong reciprocal effect was confirmed between the images of Rio as the 2016 Olympics host city and Brazil as the mother-destination. However, no moderation effects were found and in the specific case of animosity, there was no presence of this variable related to Brazil, which was a good result. This work brings theoretical contributions because it studies the reciprocal effects in destination images, considering the context of a sport mega event, as well as practical contributions for the development of more integrative tourism policies between mother-destination, cities / regions and for the hosting of new major events.

Submitted by Irene Nascimento (irene.kessia@ufpe.br) on 2017-03-16T16:04:40Z No. of bitstreams: 2 license_rdf: 1232 bytes, checksum: 66e71c371cc565284e70f40736c94386 (MD5) Tese_CRISTIANE_COSTA.pdf: 2658257 bytes, checksum: d0a15cebd533ef0c1cea43152827dab7 (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2017-03-16T16:04:40Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 2 license_rdf: 1232 bytes, checksum: 66e71c371cc565284e70f40736c94386 (MD5) Tese_CRISTIANE_COSTA.pdf: 2658257 bytes, checksum: d0a15cebd533ef0c1cea43152827dab7 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2015-06-29 / A presente investigação tem como objetivo compreender a relação entre a co-criação e a imagem de sustentabilidade do destino a partir da interpretação (utilitária/hedônica) das experiências vividas pelo consumidor. A tese enfatiza que quando os consumidores participam da construção da experiência pelo comportamento de co-criação, se envolvem em práticas de sustentabilidade, que influenciam na avaliação da experiência e, por consequência, na imagem da sustentabilidade do local. Parte-se do referencial de que as experiências podem ser definidas como utilitárias, no qual ocorre as deliberações racionais, e hedônicas, que geram respostas emocionais, e a sustentabilidade no turismo representada pelo cluster turístico criativo, em virtudes da preservação dos elementos culturais e patrimoniais existentes. Adicionalmente, considera-se como atividades co-criadas aquelas que contemplam a participação do turista na construção da experiência e como imagem do destino a formada ao fim dessa experiência. A pesquisa teve como base epistemológica o interpretativismo e se utilizou como método central a análise do discurso, no nível semântico-pragmático. A coleta de dados contemplou entrevistas individuais em profundidade com os turistas do sítio histórico de Olinda, definido como cluster turístico criativo nesta pesquisa, e a observação direta, considerando as interações ocorridas no Alto da Sé com os artesãos e artistas nos momentos de consumo, a participação nos grupos de dança e música folclóricas e a visitação ao museu. Os resultados do estudo indicam que os consumidores que desempenharam comportamentos de co-criação reconheceram mais aspectos relacionados a sustentabilidade na definição da imagem do ambiente de visita ao comparar com os que não estavam interessados em uma maior interação durante suas atividades de consumo. Adicionalmente, os fatores apresentados nos relatos para definir a imagem da sustentabilidade foram os mesmos utilizados na interpretação da experiência como hedônica. Isso leva ao pensamento de que o engajamento proporcionado pelo comportamento de co-criação levou o indivíduo a observar as práticas de sustentabilidade como um componente importante para a formação de suas experiências hedônicas, mesmo que inconscientemente. / The purpose of this thesis is to understand the relation between co-criation behaviour and destination image of sustainability from the experience consumption interpretation (utilitarian/hedonic). The analytical approach followed places emphasis that when consumers participate in the construction of experience by co-creating behavior, engage in sustainable practices, which influence the assessment of the experience and therefore the destanion image of the sustainability. The theoric framework exposes that the experiences can be defined as utilitarian, which is rational result, and hedonic, that generate emotional responses, and creative touristic clusters represent destinations that develops sustainability in tourism, because there are cultural and heritage elements. In addition, it is considered as co-created the activities that include the participation of tourists at the time of delivery of the service and the image of the destination is definied by tourist at the end of touristic activity. The research is epistemologically based on the interpretive paradigm and uses the discourse analysis as the main method, in a semantic-pragmatic level. Data collection includes interviews with Olinda historical area’ consumers, considered criative touristic cluster in this study, and the direct observation during consumer interaction with Craftsmen and their handcraft, folk dance and music groups and the visits to museum in Alto da Sé. The study results indicate that consumers who played co-creating behaviors recognized more aspects related to sustainability in defining the destination image of sustainability by comparing with those who were not interested in more interaction during their consumption activities. In addition, the factors set forth in reports to define the image of sustainability were the same used in the interpretation of experience as hedonic. This leads to the thought that the engagement provided by co-creating behavior led the individual to observe the sustainability practices as an important component for the formation of their hedonic experiences, even if unconsciously.

O mercado de turismo está em plena expansão no mundo globalizado, diversificado mercadologicamente e competitivo internacionalmente, com um crescimento acelerado previsto para esta nova década. A consideração da marca-país, como sendo a percepção da imagem e as associações da marca de uma nação - vista pelos estrangeiros, é um aspecto frequentemente presente, seja no panorama econômico, político, social, acadêmico, na moda, no esporte, no cinema e, finalmente no turismo. Neste contexto multidimensional, o Brasil necessita de estudos sobre seu próprio conceito de país de origem e, principalmente, o fortalecimento de sua identidade de marca. Com a revisão da literatura obtida, verifica-se que há poucos trabalhos sobre a Marca Brasil, focados no incentivo aos negócios e, principalmente, para o turismo em um país alvo. Sendo assim, o objetivo geral deste estudo foi analisar a identidade da Marca Brasil com base na convergência entre as estratégias de comunicação definidas para a Marca Brasil pela Embratur no setor de turismo com as efetivamente utilizadas pelas agências de turismo nos Estados Unidos da América; país escolhido por estar em segundo lugar nos gastos com turismo no mundo e como segundo maior emissor de turistas ao Brasil nos últimos sete anos, com decréscimo gradual anualmente. A pesquisa foi qualitativa e exploratória a partir da revisão da literatura, de entrevistas em profundidade, primeiramente com a Embratur, seguido de vinte agências/operadoras de turismo norte-americanas, e finalmente, com quatro especialistas. Com base nos dados qualitativos coletados, então, foi elaborada a análise de conteúdo através da triangulação. Como tema original, a pesquisa abordou a transposição do conceito de identidade de marca para uma marca-país, especificamente, a Marca Brasil, tangenciando a área de marketing internacional em busca de posicionar o Brasil como um destino turístico competitivo. A partir de quatro proposições definidas e analisadas, conclui-se que a Marca Brasil apresenta relações incompletas e divergências conceituais com a teoria, cujo conceito firma-se que a identidade da marca é a visão estratégica da marca, entendimento distorcido teoricamente pela Embratur e não experimentado nas respostas dos entrevistados. Portanto, a identidade central da marca Brasil que deveria ser a alma da marca corresponde parcialmente à desejada pela Embratur, trazendo apenas a diversidade como característica. Além disso, nota-se que a identidade expandida, cujos elementos dimensionais da identidade da marca são organizados em quatro perspectivas, não proporcionaram textura e integridade da marca Brasil. No entanto, a Marca Brasil proporciona associações com a representação visual per se, com temas presentes na cultura brasileira, dos destinos turísticos, produtos e serviços, e ainda, por meio da mídia. Sendo assim, uma das principais contribuições desta investigação é dar continuidade às pesquisas sobre a gestão de marca de países, especificamente da Marca Brasil, tanto para ações de estratégias, em diversos setores da economia, para o posicionamento, para a comunicação ou para a ascensão no mercado internacional. Cada experiência com a Marca Brasil em contextos diversos proporciona associações com a reputação e a imagem do país. / The tourism market is booming in the globalized, diversified and internationally competitive business market, with rapid growth expected for this decade. Considering that the country brand is the image and perception of the brand associations of a nation as seen by foreigners, it is often found in the following spheres: economic, political, social, academic, fashion, sport, movies, and finally, in tourism. In this multidimensional context, Brazil requires studies on its own concept of country of origin, and especially, strengthening its brand identity. According to literature, it appears that there are few studies about the Brazil´s Country Brand focused on encouraging businesses and specifically for tourism in a target country. Therefore, this study was developed to analyze the Brazil Brand identity based on the convergence of communication strategies defined by Embratur for the tourism sector with those effectively used by travel agencies in the United States of America. The United States of America were chosen because it is the second-highest spender on tourism worldwide, and it was the second-highest sender of tourists to Brazil in the last seven years, with a gradual decrease since. This research was qualitative and exploratory, based on the literature review and in-depth interviews with three samples: Embratur, twenty agencies/tour operators in North America and a group of three experts. Based on the qualitative data collected, the content analysis was performed by triangulation. Regarding its original theme, the research focuses on the implementation of the concept of brand identity for a country brand, specifically, the Brazil Brand, slightly overlapping the field of international marketing in order to promote Brazil as an attractive tourist destination. After four defined and analyzed propositions, the conclusion is that Brazil has an incomplete brand relationship and conceptual differences with the theory, whose concept states that brand identity should be settled on the strategic vision of the brand. Embratur understands a theoretically-distorted version, which was not experienced in the respondents\' answers. Therefore, the central identity of the Brazil Brand, which should be the soul of the brand, corresponds only partially to the image desired by Embratur, featuring only the diversity attribute. Furthermore, the expanded identity, whose dimensional elements of the brand identity are organized into four perspectives, provided no texture or integrity to Brazil´s Country Brand. However, Brazil´s brand provides associations with the visual representation itself, with characteristics from the Brazilian culture, tourist destinations, products, services, and the media. In this way, one of the contribution of this investigation is to move forward to research lines about country branding, specifically about Brazil Brand; regarding not only strategies actions in special economy sectors, for its positioning, for its communication and for its growth in the international market. Each experience with Brazil Brand, throughout diversified contacts offers associations with Brazil´s both reputation and image.