Achieving destination advocacy and destination loyalty through destination brand identification

Brand identification enhances customer loyalty and develops long-term relationships between the customer and the brand. However, only a few studies have explored the role of identification in building long-term and favorable relationships between tourists and a tourism destination. In this study, we propose and empirically verify destination personality congruence and destination trust as the drivers of destination brand identification, and destination advocacy and destination loyalty as its outcomes. For assessing these proposed relationships, a sample of 342 respondents was collected from foreign tourists visiting Dharamsala, which is a famous tourist destination among visitors in northern India. The results of structural equation modeling reveal that destination personality congruence significantly influences the destination loyalty through destination brand identification. In addition, destination trust emerges as a significant predictor for both destination advocacy and destination loyalty. The study offers important implications for both acadmecians and practitioners.     

旅游目的地品牌资产驱动因素模型研究——以凤凰古城为例

旅游目的地品牌资产逐渐成为学界关注的焦点,值得深入研究。该文基于已有研究成果,分析旅游目的地品牌资产与品牌知名度、品牌形象、品牌质量、品牌价值、品牌忠诚的结构关系,构建旅游目的地品牌资产驱动因素结构模型。以湖南省凤凰古城为案例,采用问卷调查法获得基础数据,分析发现:旅游目的地品牌知名度、品牌形象、品牌质量通过旅游目的地品牌价值与品牌忠诚对旅游目的地品牌资产产生显著影响,证实了旅游目的地品牌资产的二阶驱动因素模型。具体来看,旅游目的地品牌形象对品牌忠诚的影响最大,而旅游目的地品牌忠诚和品牌资产关联度最大。根据研究结论得到管理启示:第一,全面认识旅游目的地品牌资产的驱动因素,综合递增旅游目的地品牌资产。第二,着力突出旅游目的地品牌资产的核心要素,注重提升旅游目的地品牌形象。第三,认真建设旅游目的地品牌资产的关键内容,致力强化旅游目的地品牌忠诚。     

Linking Travel Motivation,Tourist Self-Image and Destination Brand Personality

Abstract

Despite a growing body of work on destination branding, there has been little investigation of whether or not tourists attribute brand personality characteristics to tourism destinations and whether or not an emotional connection exists based on tourists' perceived self-image and the ‘brand personality’ of destinations. The aim of this study is to explore the links among four key constructs proposed for the destination branding and choice processtourist needs, destination brand personality, self-congruity, and intentions to visit and satisfaction with a visit. The results indicate that where tourists can make an association between a destination and a destination brand personality, and where this association is consistent with their desired holiday experience, a high level of congruity will exist between the tourists' self-image and their perceptions of the destination. In turn this self-congruity was related to satisfaction with a visit to the destination but not to intention to travel to the destination.     

Building the Destination Brand: An Empirical Comparison of Two Approaches

Destination brand strategies have in the main assumed that consumers actively seek and process information about potential destinations with their choice determined on the basis of a favorable attitude toward the destination. This article examines an alternative approach to destination branding, which relates to building the salience of the destination to increase the likelihood that the destination will be considered in purchase situations. The study examines the predictive validity of brand salience measures for a set of travel destinations compared with the predictive validity of traditional attitude-based measures. The results of the research provide empirical support for a salience approach to destination marketing for domestic tourism in Australia.     

Destination brand identity: scale development and validation

Destination branding has become an important trend in modern tourism. However, few studies have explored the construct of destination brand identity. The purpose of this study is to develop a scale for measuring destination brand identity. We developed the initial constructs and survey questionnaire. Next, two surveys with the respective sample size of 251 and 272 were conducted. Through a rigorous instrument development process, the following five constructs were identified: destination image, destination quality, destination personality, destination awareness, and destination culture. The instrument was proven to have a good fit, reliability, and validity. The multidimensional scale provides an effective instrument for tourists to identify and differentiate a destination brand from other tourism destinations. Implications of these findings for practical applications and suggestions for future research are also provided.     

Destination brand positions of a competitive set of near-home destinations

Although the branding literature commenced during the 1940s, the first publications related to destination branding did not emerge until half a century later. A review of 74 destination branding publications by 102 authors from the first 10 years of destination branding literature (1998–2007) found at least nine potential research gaps warranting attention by researchers. In particular, there has been a lack of research examining the extent to which brand positioning campaigns have been successful in enhancing brand equity in the manner intended in the brand identity. The purpose of this paper is to report the results of an investigation of brand equity tracking for a competitive set of destinations in Queensland, Australia between 2003 and 2007. A hierarchy of consumer-based brand equity (CBBE) provided an effective means to monitor destination brand positions over time. A key implication of the results was the finding that there was no change in brand positions for any of the five destinations over the four year period. This leads to the proposition that destination position change within a competitive set will only occur slowly over a long period of time. The tabulation of 74 destination branding case studies, research papers, conceptual papers and web content analyses provides students and researchers with a useful resource on the current state of the field.     

The impact of country and destination images on destination loyalty: a construal-level-theory perspective

This study examined the impact of a stereotypical image of a country and the image of a tourism destination on destination loyalty. In particular, this study compared these impacts between two groups of destinations – long- and short-haul international destinations – from the perspective of construal-level theory. Data were collected from 500 Taiwanese tourists in 2014 and analyzed through multiple steps, including MANOVA, ANOVA, CFA, and SEM with multi-group analysis. The results showed that both a widely held image of a country and a destination image are likely to affect tourists’ loyalty to a destination; however, country stereotyping plays a more important role than the destination image does in predicting the behavioral intention to visit a long-haul destination. Theoretical and practical implications for marketing of international destinations are provided.     

Using Wellness Services to Position and Promote Brand India

As travelers seek different experiences from different destinations, it is essential for destinations to create unique travel experiences on an emotional, physical, intellectual, and even spiritual level. The purpose of this article is to present a rationale for promoting brand India as a provider of wellness services. The article also discusses international literature on destination branding and wellness tourism. The success and shortcomings of India's current tourism campaign, and opportunities and challenges that come with branding India as a wellness destination are presented.     

目的地网络界面对旅游者体验及品牌形象的影响

旅游目的地推广营销所使用的官方网站、微博、电子商务平台等网络渠道构成了旅游者接触目的地的网络界面。旅游目的地网络界面特征主要包含信息价值、友好性和交互性3个要素。为探索旅游目的地网络界面对旅游者体验及品牌形象的影响,构建了旅游目的地网络界面特征、旅游者体验与目的地品牌形象的结构方程模型。研究发现,旅游目的地网络界面特征的3个要素通过功能体验和情感体验两个中介因素影响游客对目的地品牌形象的感知,但信息价值对情感体验的影响不显著。基于以上结论,对旅游目的地优化网络界面提出了策略建议。     

Brand Recovery: A Quick Fix Model for Brand Structure Collapse

Exploring the gap between brand profile and brand identity, this study discusses destination branding strategies from the supply-side perspective using well-being tourism development in Finland as a case study. To apply branding strategies to destination marketing is a challenge, especially when brand structures are created by external experts in a top-down manner with minimum coordination. Few destination branding researchers have focused on strategies for restoring the brand structure. The strategic quick-fix model developed in this article comprises three phases: learn, coordinate, and organize. It is presented as a destination brand management tool for brand recovery, which highlights the importance of knowledge transfer, active actors, and external support.