This award-winning paper is one of the outputs of Dr Lai's research project funded by MPI (RP/ESCE -03/2009). It investigated the role of web-based social media in the formation of a tourism destination image. Textual information from sampled travel websites was statistically content analysed. The process of destination image formation was studied from a cognitive, affective, and holistic perspective. Research findings suggested that the monitoring of user-generated content on the web is a cost-effective method for destination marketers to assess their service quality and improve travellers’ overall experiences.