Destination Perception Study of Ensenada Mexico
Presenter
Marina Kearns;
Document Type
Poster
Publication Date
2026
Abstract
TRVL 3035: Tour Operations Management is a 3-semester credit course at Johnson & Wales University designed for students pursuing careers in tour guiding or operations. It covers tour components, management positions, professional guide characteristics, psychology, and communication, culminating in a researched, negotiated, and developed tour itinerary. Students in this course are studying the principles of sustainable tourism related to community, economy, and environment as well as the balance that must be considered when developing tourism products to reduce impact of visitors on the destination. Core to this course is the development of an itinerary that meets sustainable tourism guidelines and could be marketed to a new tourism demographic for the host destination. This is where the Tiefel Project fits perfectly into the class. Students will be planning an experience centered on Ensenada in Baja California, Mexico. To provide data and insights into the marketability of this experience to Northeast Travelers, the class will be conducting a perception study utilizing a mixed methods approach to understand the destination image of the northeast customer base compared to the lived experience of visiting the destination. This study will provide data and statistical insights to improve destination marketing and tourism management for Ensenada.
Faculty Mentor
Bryan J. Lavin, DBA
Academic Discipline
College of Hospitality & Business Management
Repository Citation
Kearns, Marina; Sander, Hannah; Daigle, Ann; Esposito, Julie; Price, Cali; Akian, Emma; Ortiz Tolentino, Ana M.; Miranda, Leilane; Plumhoff, Holly J.; Hale, Mallory L.; Alexis, Jahzarah K.; Cappiello, Michael R.; and Fialkowski, Isabel G., "Destination Perception Study of Ensenada Mexico" (2026). Student Research Design & Innovation Symposium. 339.
https://scholarsarchive.jwu.edu/innov_symposium/339
