|
The Tourism Brand is how the tourist associates him or herself with the destination. It is the amalgamation of thoughts, emotions, opinions, experiences and memories that reside within their minds. A logo is often the most impressionable and memorable aspect of a brand, but this is only on the surface. It is a visual association that is made with something much bigger. The Tourism Brand must be created and maintained, cultivated throughout the years, and understood. The country can try to define itself in any way that it pleases, but its brand will only be as strong as the strongest perceptions that tourists have about it. Consider the hypothetical example of a country known for its beautiful beaches trying to sell itself as a wonderful hiking destination. It may well be that there is wonderful hiking to participate in, but integrating this into the identity and brand of the destination requires good marketing, and a lot of time. The idea would be not to divert from the main association, which is the beach, but rather to incorporate beaches and hiking. The Tourism Brand could come to be known as “that place with the amazing beaches and also very underrated hiking”. The slogan could be “Relax. Hike. Relax Again.” Either way, as tourists come and go if hiking is promoted and eventually gains traction as a secondary reason to visit, the identity will come alive. Bob from Minnesota will go hiking and come back either with a good or bad impression of his experience. But surely theB obs will be principally beachgoers. The Tourism Brand is not something easily understood, it must be studied, and more importantly observed. One cannot know the associations people make with a destination without first hearing from those people. Realizing a few surveys, and deep dives into data culled over the years can help to glean insights that contribute to the longevity and stability of the Tourism Brand and destination as a site for tourism. The tourism board of the respective destination should have access to as much data as possible, from private and public entities alike, to gather insights. This highlights the interesting concept of stakeholder involvement. Private businesses, such as hotel owners, restaurant owners, golf courses etc. all have a stake in the promoting the Tourism Brand effectively. Although they may compete directly with each other for each individual tourist who arrives, having more tourists to compete over is worth the investment and involvement. It is also worth it for many residents, and the economy in general as dollars, pesos, euros, baht are spent healthily. The Tourism Brand, when effectively managed and sculpted, can yield sweet fruit for all.
Related Articles -
Tourism Ranking, World Tourism Ranking, Tourism Brand, Top Countries in Tourism, Tourism Development Strategy,
|
