Elucidating International Travelers’ Tourism Image of Taiwan: A Qualitative Approach

Although Western alien visitors to Taiwan have a unique, well-informed perspective of what appeals to tourists from their countries, little research has been conducted to assess their insights, representing a significant research gap. To fill this gap, this study aims to elucidate how international tourists perceive Taiwan as a tourist destination by collecting detailed qualitative data via in-depth interviews of twenty-four international expatriates. This study illustrated the image differences before and after the visit of international tourists by analyzing the dimensions of tourists’ consensus maps and the changes in their perception of the natural, social, cultural, gourmet food, and Aboriginal image of Taiwan. This study provides a better understanding of how international tourists in Taiwan view its current and potential appeal as a tourist destination, so as to identify ways of attracting new tourists from their cultures. Patterns emerged that suggest new approaches for promoting Taiwan tourism and tourism sustainability which might not occur to Taiwanese tourism professionals due to the interviewees’ unique points of view. This research concludes that the application of cultural promotion strategies, planned tour packages, and improvement of the image of nature, culture, society, food, and Aboriginal people in Taiwan will thereby improve the overall satisfaction of international tourists, building online image, and forming e-word-of-mouth.