Validly Measuring Destination Image in Survey Studies

Destination image is among the most frequently measured constructs in empirical survey research. Academic tourism researchers tend to use multi-category scales, often referring to them as “Likert scales,” while industry typically uses “pick-any” measures. But which leads to results that are more valid? Findings from a large-scale experimental study show that a “forced-choice full binary” format (where respondents have to tick “yes” and “no” for each destination-attribute combination) performs better than both current preferred formats in academic and applied studies.