Music can influence whether a country is perceived as dangerous or peaceful

The same tourist destination can be perceived as dangerous, peaceful, or lively depending on the music used in a promotional video, finds new research from Corvinus University of Budapest.

Professor Anna Irimiás and Assistant Professor Monica Coronel Padilla showed participants a promotional video from the Ministry of Tourism of Ecuador, designed to encourage tourists to visit the Latin American country. The video was shown with Epic, Traditional Andean folk, or Pop music.

Viewers’ perceptions and tourism imaginaries of Ecuador were assessed through follow-up interviews. Tourism imaginaries involve how individuals draw on perceptions, narratives, and fantasies to envision a tourist destination, rather than on factual knowledge, to envision a tourist destination, including the tourism practices and the participants' roles.

The researchers found that different music influenced how the same visual content was interpreted:

With the epic music; viewers described Ecuador as an exotic and potentially dangerous destination, associated with remoteness and unfamiliarity, and more suitable for solo travel.

With traditional music; viewers described Ecuador as a peaceful destination with cultural richness and a relaxed atmosphere, and expressed increased familiarity and closeness to the destination.

With pop music; viewers perceived Ecuador as a vibrant and lively destination with a positive and energetic atmosphere, suitable for leisure-based activities and group holidays.

“Music operates not merely as a promotional tool but as an important element capable of conveying complex representations of tourist destinations. For destinations seeking to position themselves as safe, welcoming, and accessible, music can play a role in shaping how such attributes are imaginatively constructed within promotional content,” says Professor Irimiás.

The researchers suggest tourist marketers consider how music in videos can shape tourist perceptions, particularly for promoting lesser-known or distant destinations. Musical choices should be aligned with the types of tourism imaginaries a marketer wants to evoke, such as adventure, relaxation, culture, or leisure.

These findings were first published in the Journal of Tourism, Heritage, & Services Marketing and can be accessed here.

For more information, a copy of the research paper, or to speak with Professor Anna Irimiás, please contact Kyle Grizzell-Smith from BlueSky Education on +44 (0) 1582 790709 or kyle@bluesky-pr.com