Exploring the life-cycle model applied to ‘umbrella constructs’: destination image as an example

Abstract

There is no doubt that destination image (DI) is an important sub-field of tourism destination marketing. Several meta-analysis studies have appeared since the emergence of this construct in the 1970s, resulting in almost 300 articles related with this topic. The mainstream of DI research was clearly identified by Chon (1990) and updated by Gallarza et al. (2002). Despite the existence of such evidence after forty years of research, several authors still recognize the lack of theoretical framework, stressing the difficulty in the operationalization of this construct. The risk of it being theoretical and non-scientific is a reality. But, at the same time, a wider scope of DI studies has emerged, and new methodologies have come to light. Considering these conclusions after four decades of research, a shift from a static to a more dynamic analysis is required. Scientific progress is not linear and cumulative but dynamic and evolutionary. Therefore, this paper attempts to explore Hirsch and Levin's (1999) life-cycle model mainly applied to ‘umbrella constructs’ (UC)—encompassing their birth, growth, maturity and decline—as the perfect framework for an evolutionary analysis. Implications of the model for future direction of the DI construct are explored and elaborated, in order to provide some insights to open avenues along which DI research can scientifically progress.