Finnish Travellers' Image of Jordan as a Tourism Destination
Kortelainen, Roosa (2018)
Kortelainen, Roosa
Haaga-Helia ammattikorkeakoulu
2018
All rights reserved
Julkaisun pysyvä osoite on
https://urn.fi/URN:NBN:fi:amk-2018121722087
https://urn.fi/URN:NBN:fi:amk-2018121722087
Tiivistelmä
For a destination to be successful and competitive, it is important to understand the concept of a destination image and to market the destination in the right way. Jordan is a country in the Middle East with a variety of historical and other sights. It is a destination with a lot of potential but sometimes facing difficulties in tourism due to its location. This report addresses the image of Jordan in Finland and the knowledge, assumptions and images Finnish travellers hold about the country.
The idea for the topic originated from the author’s personal experience while visiting the country in 2018. The experience of the Jordanian culture resulted in an examination of Finnish travellers’ images about the country.
The report highlights the importance of a destination image and how it is developed. To receive an understanding of the topic, theories about destination image, marketing, branding and other information related to them are introduced in the theoretical framework. In addition, the report presents Jordan and its attractions, accessibility, amenities and the challenges that the tourism industry faces in the Middle East.
The methodological approach of the study is quantitative, since the aim is to receive images and opinions about Jordan, and to be able to generalise the results. The data were collected by means of a survey conducted at the Helsinki airport, Finland as well as through websites and social media. 102 answers were collected during a period of nine days in November 2018.
The results show that the respondents perceive Jordan as an interesting country in many ways. The cultural and natural aspects were of interest, among others. However, at the same time the respondents seemed to be cautious and preserved about Jordan, due to the location in the Middle East and the unrest in the area. Many respondents had uncertain feelings about Jordan as a travel destination and they felt like the area is unsafe. In addition, many respondents seemed to have little knowledge about the country, or the knowledge that people had was often about historical and religious aspects in the country. Despite the uncertainty, the majority of the respondents were willing to travel to Jordan.
The idea for the topic originated from the author’s personal experience while visiting the country in 2018. The experience of the Jordanian culture resulted in an examination of Finnish travellers’ images about the country.
The report highlights the importance of a destination image and how it is developed. To receive an understanding of the topic, theories about destination image, marketing, branding and other information related to them are introduced in the theoretical framework. In addition, the report presents Jordan and its attractions, accessibility, amenities and the challenges that the tourism industry faces in the Middle East.
The methodological approach of the study is quantitative, since the aim is to receive images and opinions about Jordan, and to be able to generalise the results. The data were collected by means of a survey conducted at the Helsinki airport, Finland as well as through websites and social media. 102 answers were collected during a period of nine days in November 2018.
The results show that the respondents perceive Jordan as an interesting country in many ways. The cultural and natural aspects were of interest, among others. However, at the same time the respondents seemed to be cautious and preserved about Jordan, due to the location in the Middle East and the unrest in the area. Many respondents had uncertain feelings about Jordan as a travel destination and they felt like the area is unsafe. In addition, many respondents seemed to have little knowledge about the country, or the knowledge that people had was often about historical and religious aspects in the country. Despite the uncertainty, the majority of the respondents were willing to travel to Jordan.