The impact of secondary information sources on the formation of the tourist image : the case of rural tourism in Galicia

In a context of intense competition among tourist destinations, the perceived image is key and plays, in turn, a key role in the choice of destination, as the values associated to it represent a decisive factor in the purchase decision process by potential tourists. In this context, many researchers agree that the image is usually formed by two main forces: stimulus or external factors and internal personal factors. The former refer to the number and nature of sources of information to which individuals are exposed. The latter include motivations, demographic characteristics and the geographical and cultural background of tourists. The aim of this paper is, therefore, to identify the set of cognitive‑affective components forming the a priori perceived image of the destination and, moreover, the study of the main factors influencing stimulus formation. In particular, we analyze the effects of secondary sources of information (autonomous, organic and induced) on the perceived destination image.