EVALUATING POPULAR CITY DESTINATIONS' WEBSITES: A FRAMEWORK FOR WEBSITE ASSESSMENT

Abstract

Information gathering has fundamental effects on travel-related decision-making process. When destinations use the Internet effectively they possibly enjoy more successful destination marketing processes more concentrated branding and promotion efforts as well as a diversified destination image. Websites of city destinations can contain various features including attractions accommodation and transportation information downloadable materials maps etc. A website design that is rich in content may attract prospective visitors stimulate repeat visit intentions and extend the duration of stay. This study primarily aims to analyze the features that are relevant to the contents of city destinations' websites and to generate a framework for website evaluation of city destinations. The Internet provides opportunities for virtually endless creative and diverse applications, however most city destinations' websites do not adequately engage in such efforts and they are almost identical with regard to the types of applications used for the content presentation.