Does a destination image differ based on the gender of “ITB” visitors? The case of Serbia as a developing travel destination

Abstract

This paper's frame of reference is tourism marketing, evaluating the image of targeted travel destination from the gender standpoint. For emerging destinations in south-eastern Europe like Serbia, latent connections between destination image and gender are therefore of particular interest for exploration. The International Travel Trade in Berlin (ITB) was the venue for the research. The connections between ITB visitors' gender and the image they perceived about Serbia were assessed, crossed with their socio-demographic attributes, annual travel spending, information sources, association and awareness of Serbia. In this way, the authors wanted to observe and explain the perception of this target group of Serbia’s image. The findings suggest that men and women do not differ in attitudes related to the country's image. On the other hand, there is a difference in image scores for positive, negative and no associations of Serbia. The research results could help in modifying tourism strategies for Serbia.