How can tourism businesses identify and engage with their target audience effectively through digital channels, including social media, search engines, and travel-related websites?
Hey سمير طجين
In the context of tourism destination management, destination marketing is ascribed an elementary function. Destination marketing can be defined as: "selection and strategic combination of a consistent mix of brand elements to identify and distinguish a destination through positive image building" (Cai 2002).
Destination brand management has a special task in that it emphasizes the individual charm of a destination and gives the destination a unique identity in global competition and distinguishes it from the competition (Aaker 1996; Morgan & Pritchard 2004). Consequently, a brand represents a unique combination of (tourism) products, (destination) characteristics as well as functional and non-functional added values that have taken on a relevant meaning. These are now inextricably linked to this brand, and awareness of it can be either conscious or intuitive (Macrae et al. 1995).
In order to implement and apply destination branding effectively and efficiently, five essential components are required, namely: 1. brand culture, 2. brand leadership, 3. brand communication, 4. coordination of various service providers and 5. stakeholder partnerships (Hankinson 2009). Strong destination brands are characterized in particular by rich emotional meaning, strong conversational value and the creation of high anticipation/expectation (Morgan, Pritchard & Piggott 2002).Typologically, Hankinson (2004) distinguishes four types of brand conception: brands in their function as 1. communication instruments, 2. perceptual units, 3. value enhancers and, last but not least, 4. relationships.
Destination brands can thus represent the relationship between destination image and the self-image of visitors on the one hand and the relationship between brand and consumers on the other - precisely where the needs of the guests, the symbolic values and the functional attributes of the brand coincide (Miligan 1995).Ultimately, this always serves to influence the choice of destination (Morgan & Pritchard 1999).
