Assessing destination images of an Olympic host city using social media

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to assess destination image components of Vancouver post 2010 Olympic Winter Games. To fulfill this aim, the present investigation examined comments posted on Tourism Vancouver’s official Facebook website. An analysis of the Facebook posts using CATPAC II software revealed two clusters of image components related to Vancouver. The findings suggest that the 2010 Vancouver Winter Olympics may not have had a substantial impact on the overall images people held of the city, or in terms of their intention to revisit the destination. We advance the position that staging a sport mega-event, by itself, will not influence destination image unless effective marketing strategies are adopted.