Projected destination images in urban cultural tourism: a semiotic-configurational analysis of museum-produced short videos

Although museums increasingly participate in urban cultural tourism communication through short-video platforms, destination image research has not adequately explained how cultural institutions select and organise projected content before audiences encounter it. This study develops a semiotic-configurational framework distinguishing observable representational resources from institutionally foregrounded meanings on the stimulus side of destination image formation. It analyses 2,611 videos published in 2024 by 31 provincial-level museum Douyin accounts in mainland China through video-level coding, interaction-weighted account aggregation and separate signifier- and signified-level fsQCA models. Account-level communication impact was measured using the Douyin Communication Index. Hot Topic and Co-creation Symbols and Documentary Content Symbols met the necessity thresholds at the signifier level, while Social Interaction Symbols did so at the signified level. Three signifier-level and four signified-level pathways show that high communication impact is associated with selective within-layer configurations rather than the cumulative inclusion of all conditions. Signifier-level configurations adapt heritage to platform circulation while retaining institutional grounding, whereas signified-level configurations articulate contemporary public relevance through alternative relational structures. The study elaborates the meso-level organisation of projected destination-image content, highlights museums as specialised cultural actors in urban cultural tourism image projection, and suggests that tourism-city managers adopt differentiated content portfolios while distinguishing platform visibility from audience reception and visitation.