Host language, guest language or hybrid? Language strategy in destination advertising

Language constitutes an integral part of destination culture and tourists’ experiences. Although the importance of using host language in destination marketing has been highlighted, the effectiveness of the language strategy in forming potential tourists’ visit intention remains unrevealed. Built on optimal arousal theory, this research examines whether and how the hybrid of host and guest languages (called hybrid language display hereafter) in destination advertising is more useful in attracting tourists. Two experiments were conducted using Xizang and Macau as contexts. Results reveal that the ad featuring hybrid language display works better than monolingual ads (either host or guest language only) in attracting potential tourists. Specifically, hybrid language display in a destination ad increases potential tourists’ visit intention because of higher perceived uniqueness of the destination and then curiosity about it. This language strategy in destination advertising is effective regardless of potential tourists’ self-efficacy though especially useful for increasing visit intention of those who are low in self-efficacy. Accordingly, theoretical and practical implications are offered.