1 ECONOMIC CONTENT OF THE COUNTRY'S IMAGE
1.1 The essence of the country image
The word "image" denotes the intended character of a person or product that is created with the help of a particular literature or individual.
Professor and Doctor of Sciences in the field of sociology of management and image formation V.M. Shepel designation: “Image is a peculiar and specific type or appearance, formed by the materials of public information, society or the general efforts and efforts of the individual in order to call attention to itself” [1].
A.Sh. Sanatulova gives a definition of the term “Image is a certain synthetic appearance in the minds of society about a particular person, organization, country, a certain social object, which includes some emotional and colorful information that describes the image for social perception” [2].
G.G. Pocheptsov proposes to consider “Image as the main denominator that describes the main features of a particular object” [3].
A.A. Bodalev and L.G. Laptev is called "Image - an image related to the field of social cognition" [4].
According to A.V. Dontsov "Image - is defined as an understanding of the mental image created in society" [5].
A.Yu. Panasyuk relies on the English definition of the word “ image – image, icon, likeness”, that is, “Image is an image in the human psyche that reflects the characteristics of a particular object or phenomenon” [6].
M.I. Kiloshenko relies on the term "Image - a definition associated with stylistic meaning, which has an emotional image of something or someone" [7].
When creating a definition of the term “image”, it is recommended to take into account the following categories [8]:
Objective - subjective. The image should be perceived not only as a single or mass value, but also as a set of certain details.
Natural - artificial. It must be understood that the image is created on the basis of two directions. The first direction is natural, that is, the image is created on the basis of how events occur. The second direction is artificial, here the image is created on the basis of a certain structural plan.
Cognitive - emotional. In the image, cognitive elements can be distinguished - verbal concepts, auditory, visual, and other images; and emotional elements - feelings, experiences, affects, etc.
According to the author, the image of a country is a kind of artificial form that is formed in the understanding of society in relation to a particular state and includes certain emotional and cognitive elements.
The country image can be conditionally divided into two elements: the internal image, which is formed as a result of how the image of the country is perceived by its population, the international image is the understanding of the image of the state by other countries.
A positive image of the country is of great importance for all states. And there are some facts about it:
First, a country's strong reputation provides specific market power, resulting in a reduced sensitivity to changes in the international market.
Secondly, a positive image of the country reduces the turnover of services, thus increasing the competitiveness of the state and its strengthening in the international market.
Thirdly, a strong image of the state has access to goods, resources and products related to various types of activity: financial, informational, human, etc.
The main components of the country's image include geographical, cultural, ethnic and historical elements. The geographic components include the location of the state on the world map and its natural and geographical features. Cultural and ethnic components make up the totality of the spiritual and material values of the entire population, formed by society in a given region. The historical component reveals the process of development of the state and its historical values.
Important in the formation of the country's image is the regulation of the life of the entire population by the heads of state, the level of development of economic and political stability, the use of digital technologies, as well as the cultural and historical heritage of the entire state. With the development and creation of a positive country image, it is necessary that each state has its own model of the country's development. Such a model should have a well-defined plan for all spheres of the state to develop at the same level and bring certain positive results. The model of building the image of the country can be implemented in the form of a system where the main attractive components of the state will be highlighted.
The country image has several main tasks:
Increasing the authority and attractiveness of the state in the international market.
Contribution to effective advertising and side events.
Increasing spectacular competitiveness, since if the state has the same economic or political condition, then competition is considered at the level of images.
The main functions of the country image:
1. Create a planned impression.
2. Determine the place in the market.
3. It is necessary to create an installation to form the basis for action.
Let us consider in more detail the structure of the country image, which consists of eight components:
1. Export is a popular and rather stable understanding of certain characteristics of a country, which gives a clear understanding of the variety of goods produced, processed and exported from the country.
2. People, human capital. It matters such moments as lifestyle and social status.
3. Internal reputation of the state. The foundations of the internal image of the state are the political and economic situation, cultural and socio-psychological climate of the country.
4. The image of the main leaders of the country. This image denotes the motives, plans, intentions, attitudes and value orientations of the head of the country.
5. Cultural image. This type of image focuses attention on the public and its role in the economic, social and cultural characteristics of society.
6. Business image. The determining factor of business image is goodwill (observance of ethical business standards). Also, quite an important factor is business activity, the elements of which are: innovative technologies, sales volume, patent, variety of goods, variety of pricing policy.
7. Investments, immigration. These terms allow a more in-depth study of the international cooperation of a certain state with other foreign companies, as well as the volume of immigrants entering a particular country.
8. Tourism. The economic sphere of the country, showing the attractiveness of the state among other states.
It takes a long period of time and also more effort to change people's perceptions, as a society always needs to have a positive alignment within itself. Most importantly, every component of a country's positive image should be filled by the country itself. If this is not the case, then the society will fill in the missing components on its own, and this can lead to negative factors: in the future, when a new product or service is introduced, manufacturers will be forced to overcome existing installations.
The qualitative competitiveness of a country can be determined by how well a given territory provides its goods and services according to the preferences of customers. If the state can set prices for its goods and services that are satisfactory for customers, then the work of all employees of the process will be paid, as well as the ability to protect society from negative external effects of production.
The main goal of the entire state is to create an effective competitiveness of the entire country for a long period. The mutual work of all sectors of a certain state and society allows you to build a good competitiveness of the region. Markets can be demanding on producers of goods, so regions that seek to improve competitiveness try to retain such demanding customers, as they stimulate the work of industries. The population that lives in a particular region, having a good and positive attitude towards the tourism sector, is the guarantor of hospitality, which facilitates the performance of the entire region in this area. Mutual work of the entire region with society affects the improvement of the competitiveness of the entire state.
Thus, it can be noted that the attractiveness of a certain country affects the entire competitiveness of the state at the international level in the area in which more efforts are being made. For example, some regions do not even have the minimum components to attract tourists, while other regions have a huge attractiveness of the region, where the tourism sector is also the main sphere of the state. That is, it is not the competitiveness of the goods that plays a role here, but the competitiveness of the region itself, as the main value.
It can be noted that when studying the country image, it is necessary to analyze the following elements [9]:
1. Geographic location.
2. Cultural and ethnic potential.
3. Political and economic image of the country.
4. Investment attractiveness of the state.
5. Tourist image.
The country image is influenced by the great importance of the state and attitude of citizens towards their state. To implement a positive image of the country, the state begins to introduce advertising using television, radio and the Internet (a more popular and widespread source for advertising activities). The effectiveness of advertising is assessed by relying on the position of the advertising market in the country, how competitive it is, what is its popularity and what advertising methods entrepreneurs use.
Advertising has become a significant part of the development of the whole country, but, unfortunately, society cannot choose the advertising that it wants to study, that is, advertising is broadcast regardless of the desires of society, so the population accepts the information that the state offers. For example, if a person watches TV, then he does not choose what kind of advertising and information to study, since advertising for the entire population will be common. There is an advantage here, since on the basis of advertising it is possible to carry out promotional activities, telling and telling about the country and its attractiveness, about new projects, about international cooperation. Thus, a positive image of the country is formed in the eyes of society, and society contributes to the further development and building a positive image of the country at the international level.
The image of the country has two main approaches [10]:
1) Spontaneous approach.
2) Approach, under the strong influence of external forces.
The spontaneous approach is described by a certain purposeful, competitive and advanced effort. The approach, under the strong influence of external forces, is formed in combination with a well-designed plan using external (foreign) forces. Analyzing, it can be noted that the spontaneous approach is how the population and society reacts to the image of the country, and the approach, under the influence of external forces, controls the image of the country and its perception by other countries.
Also, I would like to note that when the state aims to use digital technologies to create a positive image of the country, it is necessary to create national branding. National branding is a brand that aims to study, develop and use digital technologies to develop and improve the country's image. Thus, the image of the country and national branding are interconnected with each other [11].
Currently, there are several main characteristics inherent in the image of the country [12]:
1. Ingenuity and democracy. That is, the use of reduction, the addition of many diverse elements into one whole.
2. Variety of information. The specificity and saturation of information affects the image of the country, so it is necessary to include the diversity and versatility of certain information in order to create a positive image of the country.
3. Life activity of the image. The ability to quickly and effectively perceive external and internal changes in the country.
4. Technological structure of the image. Here we are talking about how the image is promoted to the market and what media are used for this. The main basis of this structure is directly the advertising activity of the country, which advertising models, sources are used for promotion and development;
5. Cultural and social part of the image. The structure of this characteristic includes the cultural and ethnic basis of the entire state.
An important part of the image of the country are state symbols: coat of arms, flag, anthem and other attributes that describe the entire national-state unity of the country. When creating a positive image of the country, it is necessary to take into account all those values that will influence the perception of the country's cultural and historical traditions, which were formulated in the past and are relevant today.
Positioning is the foundation and maintenance of a certain level of image.
There are several features of country positioning:
1. A country positioning strategy is created for a long-term period rather than a short-term one. The strategy should be multifaceted, containing a variety of information that will be safe and fruitful to influence the further development and positioning of the country.
2. Positioning perspective. That is, using a certain advertising activity, it is necessary that it be attractive, have further development for a long period.
When creating a country positioning, the following steps should be taken into account [13]:
1. Determination of the present state of the country.
2. The choice of the necessary, desired result.
3. Drawing up a plan and strategy to achieve the ultimate goal.
At the initial stage of positioning, it is necessary to deeply and competently study the position of the country in order to correctly assess the advantages and disadvantages in the image. Also, an important basis is to study the methods of promoting the country to the market, that is, marketing activities. This activity is aimed at creating a positive and desirable result in the development of the country's image.
The second stage is the selection and definition of the desired result. Here it is necessary to more deeply analyze the position of the country, its advantages and disadvantages, and understand where it is necessary to direct activities to strengthen the image of the country.
The last step is to act to achieve the desired end result while creating a positive image of the country. To do this, it is necessary to draw up a specific strategic plan, which will be carried out in stages and at each stage will bring results. In this case, you can use the marketing activities of the country, various digital technologies and communications. With their impact, a positive result and strengthening of the country's position in the international market is possible.
In the modern world, such concepts as "reputation" and "image" are often compared, which are directly related to each other. One concept smoothly flows into another meaning, it is rarely mono to understand when it comes to reputation, and when it comes to image. If the term "reputation" is about the meaning and perception of one person or place, then the term "image" includes a huge range of meanings and understandings.
An important element in the development and creation of a positive image of the country is the marketing role of the state. Marketing is focused on increasing awareness, increasing demand for the product, supporting the image of the state. Marketing should be of a professional nature, it is important that it be built systematically developing, influencing the economic and political situation of the country, helping to create strong international relations with other foreign countries. The main channel for the creation and development of the country's marketing is visual, as it attracts more attention from tourists and attracts demand from foreign citizens. Therefore, when considering such a term as “country image”, it is necessary to take into account its interaction with other important terms related to the development of the state.
Important in the formation of the country's image is the regulation of the life of the entire population by the heads of state, the level of development of economic and political stability, the use of digital technologies, as well as the cultural and historical heritage of the entire state. With the development and creation of a positive country image, it is necessary that each state has its own model of the country's development. Such a model should have a well-defined plan for all spheres of the state to develop at the same level and bring certain positive results. Based on these results, the entire state is analyzed at the international level, and then the image of the country is assigned. The model of building the image of the country can be implemented in the form of a system where the main attractive components of the state will be highlighted.
The image affects the behavior of the bearers of this image through the underlying social attitudes and stereotypes, affects people's attitude to real events, other people, city, region, country as a whole. Being a stable spiritual formation in the mass consciousness, the image models the reactions of the population to any new situations. This determines the importance of constructing the image of any country. It is necessary to pay attention to the formation of a positive image of the country in order to maintain the entire state model in the international market.
1.2 Socio-economic role of a positive country image in the development of tourism
At present, the term tourist image of the country has become very popular among the countries of the world, since thanks to this term it is possible to protect the national interests of the country, receive additional investments, and create strong international ties with large foreign companies.
In international practice, there are a large number of terms for the definition of "tourism". Basically, three concepts are used that characterize the concept of "tourism" [14]:
Movement (traveling and staying in places that are not the usual place of residence of the individual).
Certain period of stay (not exceeding one year in a row).
Movement not related to the labor activity of the individual.
The main issues related to the tourist image are popular today, both in a theoretical sense and in a practical basis, since the image affects the basis of all human relations. The tourist image is an actual product for the production and preparation of large amounts of information.
An image is a certain image, an understanding that is formed by an individual, an audience, a company and an organization.
The tourist image of a country is a set of various meanings and emotions, as a result of ideas about the originality and specificity of a certain country, formed in the subconscious of tourists. The entire life cycle of the tourist image is how this term is understood and defined among human relations, and on the basis of this perception, the development of this term is going on.
Creation of a tourist offer is created in tourist enterprises. The object of the tourism industry includes 3 elements: a tourist place (region), a tourist enterprise and a tourist organization.
A tourist acquires and uses goods and services in the place where the tourist event (event) takes place. This place, which gives a positive attraction factor, will be the center of tourism for this tourist.
When the main purpose of the trip has been determined for tourists, he begins to choose a place to purchase a tour, that is, there is a selection from various competing places, but the tourist chooses the place that has the range of services that suit him. The tourist product that a tourist buys includes a set of goods and services available in a given tourist region.
The tourism industry, with the right management and marketing activities, can build efficient jobs for long-term growth, reduce poverty and provide incentives for the protection of natural resources, thus helping countries move towards developing economies and be closer to a positive country image.
With all this, the presence of natural-territorial, cultural and ethnic attractions cannot guarantee a positive image of the country. An important role for the development of inbound tourism is played by external information about a given country abroad. Moreover, it gives confidence in the quality of services provided to tourists and gives a guarantee that this country will be recommended in the future.
Thus, when creating a plan to establish a positive tourist image of the country, it is important to understand what image of the country has already been formed abroad among a certain population, and, if necessary, take measures to correct this image.
The tourist image of the country does not always depend on the real situation of the country, often the already existing natural and cultural attractions play a huge role. For example, Romania is interesting for tourists due to the fact that the landmark of the “homeland of Count Dracula” is still maintained [15].
I would like to note that one should not expect that the image itself will do everything for the development of the country, it is necessary to interact with all spheres of the country's economy, natural and cultural objects and the ethnic composition of the country, then on the basis of formulating the interconnection of all elements, you can get a high tourist attractiveness of the country on the international level.
The tourist image of the country has the main directions:
1. Creating in potential tourists an interpretation of the country with the quality of services provided.
2. Replenishment of negative opinions about the country abroad, with positive additions to the country's tourist image.
3. Activation and strengthening of the position for re-visiting the country by tourists.
I would like to note that in order to build the socio-economic potential of the tourist image, it is necessary to take into account the public opinion of the entire population of the country. It is necessary to draw up such a plan that will follow public needs and take into account the social and ethical standards of the population. This plan should not only contribute to the country's infrastructure base for tourism, but also contribute to the development of society, take into account the customs and traditions of the peoples living in the country.
It is necessary to take into account the fact that society is the subject of the image, therefore, when creating an image as a whole or separately of a tourist image, public interests cannot be ignored, it is very important to show the head of state that society is the main force for promoting this state at the international level, because if the population countries will support the interests of heads of state in improving the country's image in the international market, it is directly possible to achieve global changes in the domestic and foreign markets. After all, society will take into account all the necessary tasks facing the state, and will give its strength to ensure that the country's improvement takes place only in a positive direction.
With the participation of society in creating a competitive image of the country, it is necessary to take into account social responsibility, which can be divided into three main stages:
1. Basic stage. At this stage, it is obligated to follow all state laws and the legislative code of the country.
2. Economic benefit. Here it is necessary to bear social responsibility in such a way that economic benefits for the country are obtained.
3. At this stage, social responsibility should take into account not only economic benefits, but also other additional benefits that will be important for the country.
The main basis of the tourist image of the country is the territorial feature, which includes such concepts as [16]:
Demographic, social, historical and cultural resources.
Economic and political features of the country.
Information features and resources.
Thus, I would like to note what attracts tourists to enter a certain country, the features of its territory:
1. Monuments of architecture, historical heritage.
2. Natural and geographical features of the country.
3. Opportunities for various types of tourism (extreme, active, sports).
4. Major events (festivals, concerts), sporting events.
5. Specific features of the territory.
When creating certain events to promote the country's image, they will be absolutely ineffective without material and technical equipment, production and financial equipment. Without these components, the image will not be viable for a long period. For example, once the United Arab Emirates was known only for oil production, but in a short period of time they were able to position themselves as an attractive tourist country, and now they are one of the world's tourist countries on the market. This country began to change its image, gradually moving away from the real one and received positive results. That is, a certain marketing plan was built, which is aimed at building a large number of tourist facilities and attractions that differ in their architecture.
Here we can conclude that in order to build a positive tourist image of the country, it is necessary to take into account a certain marketing plan. Depending on the analysis of the real image of the country, it is necessary and important to create a course of action that will be concrete, diverse and long-term.
The socio-economic role for a positive image of the country is directly based on the relationship between society and the state. The basis for the formation of a positive attitude falls on the leaders of the country, since the foundation that the highest bodies provide to society gives a clear understanding of the future of the country. After the further actions of the country to improve the image are clear, the society draws conclusions to support the state or not. If the higher authorities receive a negative answer, then adjustments must be made in order to achieve approval from society. After all, society is the force that drives the country and its future, without the people the result is not possible.
The tourist image is the main element that creates an impression for potential tourists and attracts them to a given country. Based on this, when using this principle of correspondence, the following conditions must be taken into account:
1. The tourist image of the country must be taken into account with the main plan of the country's strategy as a whole.
2. The tourist image of the country should be adjusted to the initial level of development of the country.
3. The internal tourist image must match the external image of the country.
4. When drawing up a clear plan for the development of the country's tourism image, there must be a correspondence with social activities.
A positive image of the state can be formed only if the entire system of state activity is completely changed and directed towards the development of the image as a whole. It is necessary to carry out a complete state information policy in the country, as well as pay attention to the state branding campaign, strengthen the country's recreational potential and material and technical base, improve infrastructure and create a tourist product that will be in demand and competitive in the market.
To create a positive image of the country, each region of the country can be developed separately, this will help to take into account the characteristics of each region and allow the stage of integrated development to be carried out gradually and more efficiently. You can use the following steps for each region:
1. Study the peculiarity of the region.
2. Comparison of nearby regions with each other.
3. Creation of a workflow for a group (team).
4. Formation of a specific plan or strategy for further development actions.
5. Evaluation of results.
When comparing the nearest regions with each other, it is possible to highlight their features and the connection of these regions, thus it will be possible to carry out a plan of further actions by linking these regions and thus, it will reduce time and give better work.
When creating a workflow, it is necessary to take into account the material and technical equipment of the region and the missing elements for the workflow.
After resolving the issue with the working group, it is important to create a clear action plan that will take into account both the capabilities of the team of workers and the equipment of the region, so that there are no questions during further actions.
Evaluation of the results will help to see the final result for a certain period of time, will allow you to understand about further action plans in this region and will give a concrete impetus to the development of the region more globally and with greater effort.
With the missing components, it is possible to use foreign investments, or investments of large companies of the country only from another region. When using foreign investments, it is possible to create close cooperation between countries and strengthen the country's position in the international market.
The purpose of the image as a management tool is to establish iterations between the subject and the object. Therefore, in one case, the image can be considered as a set of certain qualities that are associated with a certain object, and in the other, as a product that can be given properties and characteristics that are not inherent in it, and turn these qualities into its main components.
The image affects the behavior of the bearers of this image through the underlying social attitudes and stereotypes, affects people's attitude to real events, other people, city, region, country as a whole. Being a stable spiritual formation in the mass consciousness, the image models the reactions of the population to any new situations. This determines the importance of constructing the image of any country.
The purpose of the image as a management tool is to establish iterations between the subject and the object. Therefore, in one case, the image can be considered as a set of certain qualities that are associated with a certain object, and in the other, as a product that can be given properties and characteristics that are not inherent in it, and turn these qualities into its main components.
The image affects the behavior of the bearers of this image through the underlying social attitudes and stereotypes, affects people's attitude to real events, other people, city, region, country as a whole. Being a stable spiritual formation in the mass consciousness, the image models the reactions of the population to any new situations. This determines the importance of constructing the image of any country.
Tourism as a type of economic activity is of great importance for any country, since in any territory with a variety of territorial and geographical features, it will be possible to create a certain tourist base with different directions. But in order for this region to be known, it is important what image has already been formed about this country. Since the image has a great influence on any field of activity of the country and helps to develop it in the future. A tourist, traveling, relies on the already existing image of the country, which has developed due to previous experiences of tourists, or constructed on the basis of a variety of information in the world.
Effective development of the tourism sector is possible when the image, the image of the country, it has a positive assessment from tourists, foreign partners and guests coming to the country. It is important to pay attention not only to tourists, but also to business partners, who also influence and demand the creation and maintenance of a positive image of the country. Business cooperation and its support can take place through international congresses, exhibitions, large-scale tourism events and more. It is such activities that help strengthen international partnerships, create new foreign cooperations and help foreign enterprises invest in tourism enterprises that need support.
The conditions for the perception of the country's image arise due to human characteristics - memory, attention, imagination. Image perception can be conditionally divided into stages:
1. Study and perception of the country as a whole.
2. Perception of certain objects in the country.
3. Perception of the emotional meaning of the object.
4. Creation of a certain perception about a given object in memory.
Thus, a person identifies and perceives objects, natural resources and certain elements in the country, thanks to the sense organs, which gradually form a certain image of the territory and influence the further perception of this country as a whole.
It is important to count not only one opinion, but also, when analyzing public opinion, to single out more popular interests from tourists. Then you can get a more extensive conclusion and form a positive image of the country, which will be of interest to many.
A marketing plan is the main aspect in building goals and a task for the further activities of any enterprise. The marketing plan should be built in such a way that the principles and important components of the company are taken into account. It should have such characteristics as: competitiveness, ease of understanding, quickly remembered, suitable for the entire collective composition of the enterprise. The entire plan should cover every stage of the enterprise, all personnel, build goals and objectives that all employees of the company would strive for. This plan should be drawn up by professionals who have previously worked in this area so that they have experience and have an idea about the further development of the enterprise. Collective activity is the foundation of the entire enterprise, if the company has professionals in their field who are ready to receive new knowledge, constantly be at the pace of development, follow new trends and world-class ideas, will always be in demand and will make a positive contribution to the functioning of any enterprises.
The main conductors of the country's image abroad are the subjects of international spheres: diplomacy, foreign economic activity, science, sports, culture, tourism, transport, hotel business. The objects of image formation are international festivals, exhibitions, sports competitions, scientific conferences, book fairs, tours of artists, theme parks, etc.
Each of the listed types of life activity on the territory of the state and abroad has its own information management scheme associated with one or another way of producing events, news, attracting the attention of the audience, interpreting and considering each information project, taking into account its specific features.
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