A Study Of The Influences Of Teleplays And Films On Tourist Image Of Their Locations

Because of its important influence on tourism marketing, the study of tourism images has been one of the important issues in tourism academic studies in recent decades. Therefore, before we put emphasis on the important effects of tourist images on tourism decision-making, we need to know what has affected the formation of tourist images. However, to some extent, there seems to be a vacancy in the study of this issue at home and abroad. What's more, the effects of popular culture, like films, teleplays, novels, poems, etc. on the formation of tourism images have been generally discussed in many literatures about the issue, but they are short of enough empirical data and theoretical analysis in details. Therefore, this thesis, aiming at providing a guideline to the tourism marketing of teleplay-and-film locations, tries to discuss the functions of teleplays and films in tourism destination image formation through revealing the complex relation of watching teleplays and films, tourism image formation and audiences---the potential tourists, based on the case study of the influence of popular South Korean teleplays and films on parts of Chinese residents' cognition of Korean tourism image.The following questions are to be studied in the thesis: taking Korean teleplays and films as an example, can empirical data prove the direct influence of watching teleplays and films on audiences' cognitive knowledge of teleplays' and films' locations; if influences are direct, how to interpret them theoretically? How should the tourism locations management of teleplays and films take advantage of the great influence of teleplays and films to promote their local tourism image? The research methods include literature review, questionnaire designing, interviews, quantitative analysis, etc. The thesis analyzes the data based on relevant theories and data collection.The thesis, on the one hand, demonstrates the close relation of watching teleplays and films to the image formation and spread of tourism locations, that is, watching teleplays and films can add potential tourists' indirect tourism image cognition of their locations. On the other hand, it discusses the advantages of the information conveyed through teleplays and films in the formation of tourist image, and the positive effects of teleplay-and-film audience psychology on the formation of tourism image locations. Moreover, it analyzes how to create and display the semiotic meanings of tourism locations' image through the symbols used in teleplays and films. Finally, on the basis of the discussions above, it puts forward some suggestions to the marketing of locations' tourism image.