Development suggestions for promoting Finnish tourism in South Korea through Promoting Destination Image

Abstract

The objective of the thesis is to develop the digital destination marketing of Finland in South Korean outbound tourism market in order to increase outbound travelers from South Korea to Finland. The author has observed that there is a gap between the general perception of Finland as a tour destination for South Koreans, and the messages that Finland’s destination management organizations (DMO) send out to promote its images. This thesis is written to contribute to the existing body of knowledge in Finnish tourism marketing field, especially in promoting Finland in South Korea. The literature review focuses on destination marketing, particularly Finland’s destination marketing and digital marketing. Also the focus is on tourism destination image(TDI), role of travel intermediaries in destination marketing, and the scale and current trends in South Korean outbound tourism. Report/thesis title Development suggestions for promoting Finnish tourism in South Korea through Promoting Destination Image The study was carried out in the form of semi-structured interviews about Finland’s tourism destination image with 6 expert interviewees. For data analysis, qualitative thematic analysis method was used. The results and findings of the interviews revealed challenges and opportunities in promoting Finland as a tour destination in South Korea. In the result chapter, the author created developmental suggestions for attracting South Korean outbound tourism to Finland. In conclusion, the thesis result is reviewed and summarized, and main limitation of the research is discussed.