| Summary: | The unprecedented growth in the tourism industry during the last fifty years has created major
challenges in tourism marketing. This growth has created greater competition amongst destinations in
attracting more visitors. One of the most significant marketing challenges arising from this situation is
the need for an effective destination positioning strategy. If we want to position the particular
destination, we firstly need to understand what target market (consumers/visitors) have in their minds
about the destination. The target market for a Regional Tourist Destination (RTD) includes firstly, its
own people who want to visit close-to-home destinations. Secondly, people from outside the region
and within the state or country also have ideas on visiting a destination. The final and most important
target market is foreign tourists. The successful destination development, positioning and marketing
depends upon the understanding of the regions stakeholders and the host communities. Many studies
have shown the role of a host community in creating the image of a destination. There is however a
lack of research on how its own people image of their destination influences destination marketing.
This article firstly seeks to understand how its own residents perceive Hyderabad Karnataka Region
(HKR) as a Tourist Destination compared to the rest of Karnataka. How is the present image driving
them towards tourism development in the region and their participation in tourism development?
Finally this article tries to establish whether there is any difference in their perceived image and the
reality of the destination.
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