The Blakeley Model applied to improving a tourist destination: An exploratory study. The case of Haiti

The development of the tourism industry is one of the main priorities of the Haitian government. However, the destination still has the image of an insecure destination, where the worst is likely to happen. This exploratory study (based on the Blakeley Model), highlights the gap between the negative image of the destination perceived by tourists and the optimistic image promoted by the Haitian government: this is referred to as a ‘blind spot’. The overall conclusion is that Haiti should engage in a pre-visitation marketing strategy to change the negative image of the destination.