Unofficial images of a tourism destination: New Orleans behind the scenes
by Bridget M. Bordelon; Frédéric Dimanche
International Journal of Leisure and Tourism Marketing (IJLTM), Vol. 2, No. 4, 2011

Abstract: New Orleans is both a tourist destination and a city with high mass media representation. In recent years, New Orleans has increasingly become the focus of numerous media events ranging from the acclaimed HBO series Treme to the unmistakable images of the city in ruins following Hurricane Katrina. This research explores what images of New Orleans visitors expect to see and how visitors use the media to form perceptions about New Orleans. Specific to this study, content analysis provides a technique to determine the dominant themes and images of New Orleans that are projected to tourists through selected unofficial visual media form (motion pictures). Although unofficial media are not created or intended to attract tourists, they can increase tourism and influence expectations of a destination. Investigations into how tourists use the media and how prior media exposure affects satisfaction with the destination could be an important resource for cities attempting to expand their tourism industry, target a new population or change their destination’s image.

Online publication date: Tue, 22-Nov-2011

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