by Tonino Pencarelli, Marco Cioppi and Simone Splendiani

I International Conference Competition and Innovation in Tourism, Naples (Italy), September 13-14, 2012.

ABSTRACT

The aim of this study is to analyze and evaluate the effectiveness of web communication policies of the 27 Member States of the European Community developed by their tourist websites. In particular, the objective is to verify the degree of exploitation of the possibilities offered by the Internet in order to communicate the values ​​and unique characteristics that distinguish the nation, strengthen its image through the enhancement of the destination brand and then persuading tourists to choose the nation as destination for their holidays. The study is based on an analysis of the main issues that influence branding policies implemented by the nations through the tourist website: the information content, the level of personalization, the on-line customer care and support tools to the community of users. These elements allow  bonding with potential tourists and the ability to offer them an interactive experience that is essential to  the image formation process of the destination.