The Mental Image of the Tourist City via Digital Platforms: An Analytical Study of Tourist Reviews of the Casbah City on the Booking.com Application

Abstract

The mental image of the city is one of the pivotal concepts in urban tourism studies, as it forms the frame of reference upon which tourists build their impressions and make their decisions. This article addresses the theoretical framework of the city's mental image as a tourist destination, reviewing its cognitive, affective, and behavioural dimensions. This topic was examined using a mixed-methods (qualitative and quantitative) approach, employing content analysis of reviews on the Africa Casbah Hotel page on the Booking.com platform. The results demonstrated the significance and symbolic value of the ancient city of the Casbah as the primary factor driving positive reviews. Consequently, investing in the preservation of the Casbah's urban space is a key requirement for the sustainability of urban tourism and for maintaining a positive mental image among tourists seeking the authenticity lost in such historic cities.