The Tourism Image of the Island Destinations of Greece

Resumo

The images that people form regarding the various tourism destinations, when estimated, evaluated and combined with other factors, result in a travel decision. It is argued that the images that people form are a way of organizing the various stimuli they receive daily. The purpose of this article is to investigate all the factors that affect resilience in the 60 main island tourism destinations of Greece and shape their tourism image. Given the factors that shape the image and its separation into Basic and Specific, a process of quantitative assessment of the image of island destinations based on objective measurements was developed. The methodological framework was based on the combination of the characteristics of each island destination with statistical methods and numerical data. The resulting quantitative estimates lead to value crises and further allow the formation of an appropriate tourism policy framework for the island destinations of Greece that enrich their tourism product and diversify their tourism image.