Investigating public relations as a destination promotion strategy: the role of multiple dimensions of publicity

ABSTRACT

This study investigated the relationships between tourism-related public relations, publicity, and tourism demand. Publicity was split into three aspects: attention, prominence, and valence based on multidimensionality of media salience. These relationships were tested in the context of United States tourists to South Korea using a system of equations. Empirical findings indicated that public relations and the three aspects of publicity had a significant effect on tourism demand. Public relations was also found to have a significant effect on the prominence and valence dimensions of publicity. However, public relations did not influence the attention dimension. Theoretical and practical implications along with suggestions for future research are presented.