Strategies for community tourism image building

Abstract

          A tourism image is extremely important to the sustainability of community tourist attractions because, based on the image, tourists are able to recognize and decide their destinations. Subsequently, experience or impression occurs that further leads to the requirement for repeat travel as well as word of mouth. Thus, this article aims to present strategies for community tourism image building through the perception that if a community has positive, thorough and distinctive strategies for image building, such strategies become benefits to community members or entrepreneurs that they can apply them for visitors’ advantages, not to mention the increasing number of tourists in the area along with the increment of community members' incomes. The community becomes a popular destination and sustainable tourist attraction for the next generations. In order to be in the same direction, building tourism image requires the network cooperation of communities and related sectors. Of course, the sustainability of community environment, society and cultures must be considered. Currently, the problems of community tourist attractions include both internal and external factors. The internal factor is community lifestyle while the external factors are environment, society, cultures which accordingly lead to community members’ non-participation and the transformation of their lifestyle into an urban society. The result of such problems is the loss of community identity that further has an effect on its image