Media Framing of Copenhagen Tourism: A New Approach to Public Opinion about Tourists

This study provides the first analysis of how relationships between tourist-related frames appear in the media. Media framing plays an important role in the public perception of tourism issues. Focusing on the Lonely Planet appointment of Copenhagen as the top city to visit in 2019, this study examines how Danish newspapers framed Copenhagen tourism from 2017 to 2019. Through a new quantitative approach to content analysis that includes optimal scaling and path analysis, we investigate 225 newspaper stories and find several relationships between frame contents and frame implications. The findings suggest that particular frames trigger demands for specific actions (e.g., restricting tourism) and therefore are highly relevant for tourism managers and policymakers aiming to develop, position, and communicate tourism-related issues.