An evaluation of visitor information sources on Baguio City, Philippines: an exploratory study

Abstract

This exploratory study uses Leiper's (1990a, 1990b) tourist attraction model as a framework in an attempt to evaluate the sources of visitor information on Baguio City (Philippines) used by visitors at home, en-route and at the destination, and to examine how information affects the visitors' decision to visit Baguio. The evaluation is aided by the visitors' perceptions of the sources' accuracy, importance and usefulness. The major findings show that not all sources of information could be perceived as very accurate, very important and very useful at the same time, because of the heterogeneous nature of tourism products/services and the varying information needs of visitors to Baguio. In relation to this, visitors' perceptions of accuracy, importance and usefulness were not consistent at home, en-route and at the destination because the availability or accessibility of other information sources in one place may render another source less accurate, less important and less useful. Visitor information is very influential in the visitors' decision to visit Baguio. A comparison of the visitors' and Baguio tourism organisations' perceptions of the sources of information available in Baguio identifies gaps in the dissemination of information in the city.