Assessing tourists' perceptions and behaviour through photographic and blog analysis: The case of Chinese bloggers and New Zealand holidays

• The study uses thematic analysis to identify destination image held by Chinese tourists.
• Data are derived from Chinese tourists blogging about their trip.
• Findings reinforce New Zealand's image based on natural landscapes.
• Subsidiary behavioural and cultural aspects are of importance in image formation.
• The study confirms that photographs displayed in blogs are useful data.

This study used thematic analysis to identify the perceived destination image held by Chinese tourists to New Zealand. By analysing 6968 photographs from 384 blog entries posted by Chinese visitors, ten themes of New Zealand as a tourism destination were identified. The findings indicate a reinforcement of New Zealand's branding based on natural landscapes but subsidiary purposes are of interest. These include the role of tourist bloggers as sources of information to their readers. Additionally the results indicate that content analysis of visual materials in blogs, when read with accompanying text, provide rich information about perceived destination image. It is suggested that online photographs and blogs are not only valuable information sources for potential visitors, but also an effective way to understand the Chinese market. Based on the results, implications for destination marketing are discussed.