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.     

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.     

An Investigation of the Relationship Between Destination Branding and Destination Competitiveness

Empirical research focusing on the relationship between destination branding and destination competitiveness has so far been lacking. Even though destination brand is partially incorporated into the two most prominent theoretical models of destination competitiveness, there is still a need for understanding the role that destination branding plays in achieving destination competitiveness. For this reason, this study proposes a theory-based research instrument that joins the branding process implementation index and competitiveness measured by customer satisfaction. The proposed instrument is tested in the context of Croatian coastal destinations. The results confirm that a well-implemented destination branding process increases destination competitiveness.     

The impact of destination source credibility on destination satisfaction: The mediating effects of destination attachment and destination image

Building emotional destination attachment is a key tourism destination branding issue in today's tourism market. The current study aims to develop and test a comprehensive theoretical model for destination branding that borrows the concepts of brand credibility, brand image, brand attachment, and satisfaction. Based on the above concepts, this article hypothesizes the relationships among four constructs, namely, destination source credibility, destination image, and destination attachment as antecedents of destination satisfaction. These relationships are examined for a sample of 398 international tourists visiting a famous world heritage tourism destination (Angkor Wat) and a famous skyscraper (Taipei 101). The SEM indicates that destination source credibility and destination image could indeed affect tourist perceptions of destination satisfaction with regard to destination attachment. In addition, the mediating role of destination attachment and destination image is also confirmed in this study. The findings offer important implications for tourism management and practice.     

A model of destination branding: Integrating the concepts of the branding and destination image

Despite the significance of destination branding in both academia and industry, literature on its conceptual development is limited. The current study aims to develop and test a theoretical model of destination branding, which integrates the concepts of the branding and destination image. The study suggests unique image as a new component of destination brand associations. It is proposed that the overall image of the destination (i.e., brand image) is a mediator between its brand associations (i.e., cognitive, affective, and unique image components) and tourists’ future behaviors (i.e., intentions to revisit and recommend). The results confirmed that overall image is influenced by three types of brand associations and is a critical mediator between brand associations and tourists’ future behaviors. In addition, unique image had the second largest impact on the overall image formation, following the cognitive evaluations.     

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.     

Branding the destination versus the place: The effects of brand complexity and identification for residents and visitors

This article contributes to a broader understanding of how the branding of places affects both residents and tourists. While branding often relies on simplified messages, the effectiveness of such strategies for complex brands remains questionable. Residents in particular possess a confounded knowledge of the place and could disagree with simplified destination brands. To test the role of brand complexity for residents and tourists, we conducted two empirical studies (N = 765; N = 385), showing that, for residents, positive place attitude (i.e., place satisfaction, identification, and attachment) and place behaviour (i.e., positive word-of-mouth) increase with a higher brand complexity. The second study shows that the positive relationship of brand complexity is stronger for residents than for tourists, supporting the conclusion that brand complexity is relevant for place brands, but that the place brand for residents requires more complexity than a destination brand, while it imperative that both are integrative parts of an overall brand.     

An Examination of the Relationship Between Employee Perception and Hotel Brand Equity

Brand management stresses the importance of satisfying the needs of external customers. Employee branding management shows an evolving trend as employees begin living the brand. It is, therefore, necessary that employees are convinced by the hotel brand prior to having confidence to “sell” the brand to customers. The present study aims to investigate employee perception toward hotel brand equity, particularly in the Hong Kong hotel industry. Factor analysis is used to identify four underlying factors—namely, employee commitment, employee engagement, employee identification, and service quality. The four constitute the perception of the employee on the evaluation of the brand. Correlation analysis is employed to examine relationship among the underlying factors and three dimensions of hotel brand equity—including brand image, brand awareness, and perceived quality. Moderate association is generally noted, and perceived quality has the most significant relationship with employee perception on brand equity. Managerial implications on employee branding management are introduced to hotel management. Topics for future research are also recommended.     

Destination brand experience and visitor behavior: the mediating role of destination brand identification

ABSTRACT

Destination branding has emerged as a critical tool for achieving competitive advantage through various conceptualizations, focusing on various aspects of branding. This research examines the role of destination brand experience (DBE), a new conceptualization, in assessing the holistic and unified view of tourism destinations. The conceptual model proposed in this research has been validated using structural equation modeling, based on the primary responses collected from 312 and 262 foreign visitors for study 1 and study 2 respectively, conducted at two different tourism destinations in India. Findings of both the studies suggest that various dimensions of DBE have a varied influence on destination brand identification (DBI), which subsequently affects both tourists’ trust and loyalty toward tourism destinations. In addition, DBI emerges as an important mediator for the relationship between DBE and destination trust (DT) as well as DBE and destination loyalty (DL). The study provides several implications for destination marketers about building trust and loyalty among tourists using DBE and DBI.     

Brand knowledge and non-financial brand performance in the green restaurants: Mediating effect of brand attitude

The restaurant business has been increasingly recognized for its ability to help mitigate many negative environmental impacts. To develop a competitive advantage, green restaurants may adopt an innovative branding strategy. Marketing management recognizes that understanding brand attitude is critical for marketing strategies. Studies have examined the relationship between brand knowledge and non-financial brand performance. However, it remains unclear how the green restaurant brand attitude affects this relationship.This study aims to fill this research gap by identifying the composition and structure of the brand attitude in Taiwan’s green restaurants and examining the mediating effects of brand attitude on the relationship between brand knowledge and brand performance. The findings of this study broaden and deepen the current knowledge of the role of brand attitude in Taiwan’s green restaurant industry. In practice, it is suggested that green restaurant management should develop well-known brand knowledge to form brand attitudes and foster brand performance.     

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.     

酒店服务品牌内部建设主体的功能与关系研究

服务品牌与产品品牌在原理上一致,但在执行上存在明显差别。服务品牌的建设应该包括内部和外部两个视角,但是现有理论及实践往往仅关注服务品牌外部建设,忽略了服务品牌内部建设。因此,文章基于丽思卡尔顿酒店的案例,探索服务品牌内部建设涉及哪些参与者、各参与者承担哪些角色,以及服务品牌内部与外部建设之间的关系等问题。研究发现,酒店企业服务品牌内部建设的关键流程包括酒店创建者和高层管理者创建并维持服务品牌核心价值、核心价值转变为员工的内在价值、员工"活出品牌"3个方面。服务品牌内部建设与外部建设是"手段"与"目的"的关系,成功的服务品牌内部建设能够更好地确保外部建设的效果。最后,文章提出了酒店企业内部服务品牌建设的管理建议。     

Conceptualizing Destination Brand Equity Dimensions from a Consumer-Based Brand Equity Perspective

This study develops a conceptual framework for destination brand equity that goes beyond image by adapting and expanding a multidimensional consumer-based brand equity scale for application within a tourism context. The empirical results, based on a consumer survey in Malaysia (n?=?326) measuring the brand dimensions of Korea, identify the relational linkages between four principle brand equity dimensions (brand awareness, brand image, brand associations, and brand loyalty), and overall customer-based brand equity. The importance of brand image, associations, and awareness is confirmed, and the mediating role of brand loyalty in building destination brand equity is highlighted.     

A Study of the Key Strategic Drivers of the Use of the World Heritage Site Designation as a Destination Brand

This article examines the emergence of the World Heritage Site (WHS) designation as a de facto brand. The study applies Balakrishnan’s (2009) strategic framework for destination branding to the demand for World Heritage Sites. A total of 72 countries currently applying for WHS status for national sites are examined. Previous studies in this area have been based mainly on case-study methodologies and/or are limited either to a single country or to a comparison among a small number of countries. The study finds, inter alia, that countries that have a large number of foreign arrivals but are not yet fully integrated into the global economy are particularly disposed to expanding the number of WHS on their national territories.     

City Residents’ Perception of MICE City Brand Orientation and Their Brand Citizenship Behavior: A Case Study of Busan,South Korea

City branding is an important strategic asset in publicizing a city's values for building a competitive global city. Brand orientation plays a vital role in understanding the identity of the city as branded by city authorities. However, successful city branding needs to be built upon consensus on the identity and core values of the city between city authorities and internal stakeholders. The engagement of internal stakeholders is an essential determinant for creating a consistent city brand in the long term. The purpose of this study is to examine the relationships among brand orientation, brand commitment, brand citizenship behavior, and brand pride among city residents. The findings of this study extend the brand orientation model suggested by Hankinson [2012. The measurement of brand orientation, its performance impact, and the role of leadership in the context of destination branding: An exploratory study. Journal of Marketing Management, 28(7–8), 974–999.] and provide empirical evidence for the tourism literature on brand orientation in the context of a city brand. A self-administered survey of residents (N?=?240) was conducted at the Busan Exhibition and Convention Center (BEXCO), Busan, South Korea. The results for Hankinson's brand orientation model reveal that, among five dimensions, the brand reality is the most important brand orientation influencing the resident's brand commitment, followed by brand partnership, brand culture, and brand departmental coordination. In addition, the results of this study indicated that brand citizenship behavior was determined by brand commitment and led to brand pride. A utilization of the brand orientation can influence brand citizenship behavior through brand commitment, and brand citizenship behavior enhanced brand pride.     

The Fuchsia Destination Quality Brand

SUMMARY

Quality has been widely recognised as a source of competitive advantage in tourism (Poon, 1993; Fayos-Sola, 1996; Laws, 2000). Given the shift that has taken place from interfirm competition to interdestination competition (Go and Govers, 2000; Crouch and Ritchie, 1999), a need to focus on the quality management at the destination level has been identified (Laws, 1995 and 2000; Woods, 2003). In an attempt to address this need, a case study of the Fuchsia destination quality brand, West Cork, Ireland, was carried out. The findings revealed that whilst the Fuchsia brand did not appear to function as a powerful signal of quality to the customer, it did provide a support system which fostered an environment conducive to knowledge sharing amongst the tourism service providers applying for brand membership. This was mostly as a result of the policy of compulsory training for brand applicants. The paper reveals the way in which policies and programmes undertaken to overcome reluctance to participate in a destination quality assurance system also helped remove obstacles to knowledge sharing amongst tourism suppliers at the destination.     

基于Logistic增长模型的旅游目的地品牌流行度分析

明确旅游目的地品牌流行度生命周期的演化阶段对于目的地政府和营销人员制定相应的开发和营销策略具有重要的参考价值和现实意义.本文着重探究了目的地品牌流行度演化周期的各个阶段的特征表现和与之对应的游客情感联系的演变及目的地的地域表现特征,并以大连市为例,运用Logistic增长模型对其品牌流行度的演化周期进行了定量的模拟预测,针对大连市品牌流行度所处的阶段及将来的演化方向提出了对策和建议.     

The roles of brand equity and branding strategy: A study of restaurant food crises

Food crises, such as food borne illnesses, are a major threat to the restaurant industry. However, consumer responses to a food crisis are expected to differ depending on the brand equity and branding strategy of the restaurant involved. In order to test the roles of brand equity and branding strategy in a food crisis situation, this study used a scenario-based experimental survey with a 2 (brand equity: Low/High) × 2 (branding strategy: Corporate branding/House-of-brands) × 2 (presence of crisis: No/Yes) design. The results of the study supported the “amplifying” perspective by providing evidence of the negative role of brand equity during a crisis. Moreover, the three-way interaction between brand equity, branding strategy, and presence of crisis revealed the effectiveness of the corporate branding strategy, which varies depending on the level of brand equity, under crises. The findings of this study will enable marketers to develop appropriate post-crisis strategies based on predicted consumer responses depending on the level of brand equity and branding strategy. Further discussion and implications are provided in the text.     

Developing and testing a model of exhibition brand preference: The exhibitors' perspective

Successful exhibition branding is essential to ensure that an exhibition organizer attracts a critical number of both exhibitors and visitors to profitably operate in an ever more competitive marketplace. However, the process of developing a strong exhibition brand, and indeed, what constitutes an exhibition brand, is not well understood. This paper first presents an argument for an exhibition brand being unique and more complex than various other types of brands discussed in the literature so far. It then extends existing branding theory in the exhibition context by advancing a model of exhibition brand preference, from the perspective of exhibitors, which examines the impact on brand preference of the various components of an exhibition brand. Drawing on a survey of 600 exhibitors, study findings reveal that it is the quality of the supplier–buyer (organizer–exhibitor) relationship that primarily determines exhibition brand preference rather than the attractiveness of an exhibition destination/venue. Theoretical and managerial implications of study findings are discussed, and directions for future research provided.