Selecting a destination image for a capital city rather than for a nation: A segmentation study

Abstract

This paper investigates whether when authorities use different types of places to build a destination image of a capital city, the general public considers that the places represent the city itself rather than a nation. Taipei City, the capital city of Taiwan, was used as an experimental case study. The survey results suggest that people tend to perceive that places associated with localities or natural landscapes represent a city. Meanwhile, places associated with state power, multi-ethnicity, or economic globalization may give rise to different interpretations of their representations. The results also reveal that in comparison to citizens, non-citizens may have stronger opinions on whether certain places represent a city or a nation. Overall, the present research provides a possible typology of places and a decision-making approach for selecting suitable places for building a destination image of a capital city.