A Meeting of the Minds: Exploring the Core–Periphery Structure and Retrieval Paths of Destination Image Using Social Network Analysis
基于记忆扩散激活理论，通过社会网络分析研究上海迪士尼度假区在潜在游客心中的形象网络结构，发现形象元素存在核心-边缘结构，游客检索时多从核心向外扩散或在同一层级进行。
This study looks at how destination image elements are connected in people’s minds and how tourists retrieve these elements from memory. Based on the spreading activation theory of memory, the study examines destination image as a network, applies social network analysis to test the core–periphery structure of destination image, and identifies image retrieval patterns among potential tourists. Image descriptions of the Shanghai Disney Resort (SHDR) were collected from 1,000 respondents via a survey. Results indicated that the image of SHDR has single and multiple core–periphery structures, and respondents were most likely to retrieve image associations outward from the core to the periphery or use image associations at the same or closest levels of centrality. This study consolidates the core–periphery structure of destination image and offers new insights into destination image management.