Market-Tržište, Vol. 22 No. 1, 2010.
Preliminary communication
Impact of autochthonous music on the creation of tourist destination image
Željko Blagus
Abstract
This paper tries to determine to what extent autochthonous music may contribute to the creation of the image of a tourist destination. In other words, it aims at demostrating how the Croatian Međimurje County may become recognizable as a tourist destination on the basis of its ethnographic heritage, which exists even today in different ways. The first part of the paper deals with the role of image in the choice of destination and defines the term “destination image”. A particular emphasis is placed on the analysis of the impact of autochthonous music on the image of the Međimurje County. It proves the thesis that autochthonous music plays an important role in the presentation and dissemination of the recognizable image of Međimurje. As shown in this paper, the music of Međimurje is a resource characterized by dynamism, change and adaptability. It is also a source of inspiration of numerous musicians and, thanks to its uniqueness in terms of authenticity, representativeness or rarity, it becomes a quality symbol of the environment in which it came to be. In this sense, the paper offers an insight into the way in which the music of Međimurje might be used to improve the understanding and acceptance of certain communication content by making the message clearer and easier to understand. It is evident that the market evaluated the autochthonous music of Međimurje in the past and will continue to evaluate it to an increasing extent in the future, so claims about its incompatibility with commercialism and utilitarianism may only be accepted conditionally. The second part of the paper includes a description of the methodological frame of the field research that has been conducted as well as a report on its results. In this way, the analysis of the role which the music of Međimurje plays in the creation of image acquires its concrete meaning, since the results of the research can be interpreted with regard to their assumptions and their efficiency in practice.
Keywords
image; (tourist) destination marketing; autochthonous music; Međimurje County; Republic of Croatia
Hrčak ID:
62114
URI
Publication date:
28.6.2010.
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