Multisensory image as a component of destination image

• Supported the existence and importance of multisensory images in tourists’ mind.
• Successfully applied multisensory image in an ancient town environment in China.
• All the five senses are significant in enriching multisensory image.

Destination image involves the use of all five senses: vision, sound, smell, taste and touch. This research note applies the literature on sensory inputs to the concept of ancient towns, in a case study of Phoenix, Hunan Province, China. The results from 16 depth-interviews with tourists illustrate the five senses' importance in tourism. Tourists noted all five senses, with visual image receiving the most attention and tactile image the least. The results support the existence and significance of a ‘multisensory image’. The results contribute to the nascent ‘sensory’ literature and research into the appeals of an ‘ancient town’, while adding implications for destination management.