Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
recommend that physical similarities between products (destinations) may result in the
misattribution of the identity of the product. This means that confused tourists assumed that
destination attributes from the competing destination have similar characteristics that made
them think of the original one.
Moreover, the study also discovered that similarity confusion is likely to occur when tourists
had an emotional attachment to the unvisited destination; since misattribution of the identity of
the product leading to similarity confusion usually occurred. The antecedent of confusion in
tourist destinations was found to be infl uenced by affective and cognitive evaluations which
related to the destination image components suggested by Baloglu (1999). An affective evaluation
toward a particular destination was also found to infl uence similarity confusion in the travel and
tourism context. Drawing on the study by Baloglu (1999), an affective component of a destination
image deals with emotional responses to a place. This emotional response was infl uenced from
the affective experience they had with the destination through destination information including
its image and branding. The work in consumer confusion by Loken, Ross and Hinkle (1986) also
discussed that consumers may form their impressions about the functions of a product or service
knowing nothing else about it but the way it looks. Impressions about the destination refer to
the affective experience with destinations as it is relates to an emotional response toward the
destination. One interpretation is that tourists may form their impressions of the destination
from its attributes knowing nothing else about it but the way it is supposed to look, in other
words the destination image from their perceptions. Therefore an emotional response toward a
particular destination could lead a traveller into a state of confusion between the original and
other destinations. This affective reaction generated emotional attachment to the destination,
which appears to present a great diffi culty for the potential tourist to differentiate between the
destinations, leading to a confused state. The study found that when positive emotions were
evoked by the destination, confusion tended to occur when tourists faced similar-looking
destinations.
With the complex nature of the tourism product, it has been proposed that the outcomes of
brand confusion in a tourism context would be different from those of a tangible product. The
fi ndings were opposite to the result of confusion in tangible products, as the behavioural outcome
of brand confusion would lead to delay, altered choice or even abandonment of the product
purchase (Foxman
et al.
1992; Dhar 1997; Walsh
et al
. 2007). This study found that potential
tourists who were in a state of confusion evoked by destination image and branding still had an
intention to visit Thailand. However, the study found that emotion-related confusion played an
important role in brand confusion in tourist destinations, revealed through some of the negative
experiences elicited during the interview. Confused tourists referred to embarrassment when
they were informed about their confusion; feeling 'silly' and 'disappointed' were also mentioned.
At the same time, ambiguity-confused tourists referred to doubt, which led to them losing
confi dence. As a result, most of the confused participants would prefer to search for more
information.
It could be understood that purchasing a holiday is not an immediate decision, hence
tourists have time to search for more information and evaluate their destination choices. As can
be seen, the results of the study also emphasized the signifi cance of information search activity
amongst confused travellers. In selecting a holiday destination tourists are often involved in a
more complicated process than in ordinary buying contexts. Therefore confusion between
destinations found in this particular study does not affect traveller intention but rather triggers
an additional search for information about the destination in order to lessen their confusion.
In the last section, the marketing implications of this current concept of brand confusion will
be discussed.
