Wijethunga Mudiyanselage Heshani Wijethunga
Room: B22 (South Building)
Tel: +44 (0) 115 8467750
Email: wijethunga.wijethunga@nottingham.ac.uk
Current Status: Registered
Year of Registration: 2018
Expected Completion Date: /09/2021
Primary Funding Source:Project by the Government of Sri Lanka
Research Topic:The Role of User Generated Content in the Destination Image Formation of Developing Countries
Research Details:This study intends to explore the potential role of user generated content (UGC) in the formation of a destination image (DI) in relation to developing countries. Tourists have become co-creators of DI through participation of UGC in social media platforms. DI is a core determinant of destination choice, eWOM, and tourists' behaviour. DI related issues (negative and weak DI) are identified as major issues behind tourism failures of developing countries. However, the potential role that can be played by UGC in the recovery of negative DI is heavily overlooked. Hence, the research problem is stated as, "Can UGC contribute to overcoming negative and weak DI of developing countries." Bangladesh was identified as a suitable destination. By examining the extent to which UGC influence CoR, this study aims to make a theoretical contribution towards the understanding of consumer behaviour in the tourism industry. It is intend to explore the context specific meanings constructed by tourists using visual methodologies. Data collected from photographic UGC in Instagram and visual content of destination marketing organization's (DMO) visual media will be examined through content and semiotic analysis. Additionally, In-depth semi-structured interviews will be conducted with international tourists and DMO officials.
Research Supervisor/s: Jillian Rickly and
Caroline Tynan
Department: Marketing
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