The destination attribute management model: an empirical application to Bintan, Indonesia

Marketing a destination requires an understanding of vacationer perception. The gap analysis provided by normal pre- and post-visit surveys represents a good starting point in evaluating how the visitor feels about the destination, but yields only part of the story. This paper suggests that two additional gaps should be evaluated: the gap between the general public and the purchaser, and that which exists between one-time and repeat visitors. Using Bintan Resorts, Indonesia, a relatively new self-contained resort development near Singapore, this paper provides a tool for evaluating these gaps, and at the same time provides an interesting view of Bintan, a destination that has set its sights upon becoming the “Hawaii of the Orient” (Yeow, [Singapore] The Straits Times , 17 September 1993, Money Section 47).