Nazi past and destination image: the case of Linz, Austria.

Abstract Positioning or repositioning a destination on the already overcrowded market is a challenging task in normal circumstances but paired with difficult heritage it could be a major obstacle for any DMO. The current study tentatively suggests that nationality influences the richness and intensity of respondents' associations with Linz where the internationals were more likely to have a higher number of spontaneous associations (keywords) than Austrians, which is in contrast with that of Reilly (1990) reporting that respondents living far away from a destination were found to lack a vivid image of it. Moreover, the Nazi past appears to be still deeply rooted in Linz's brand despite the DMO's continuous attempts to reposition the destination's image by consciously or subconsciously trying to refute its difficult heritage and focusing its marketing efforts on promoting Linz's vivid cultural life.