A tourism brand is a fond memory, a feeling. It is the sum of all rational and emotional attributes that a person associates with a place through the mind’s eye. Those seeking to brand or re-brand a destination should consider the true value of a brand to the beholder.
At its essence, a brand should:
- Be authentic to your culture and values: it must reflect who you truly are
- Resonate and inspire all stakeholders, including residents, tourists and businesses
- Offer optimism, aspiration and meaning: it must create affinity among stakeholders
- Create long-term value over short-term gains
In other words, it has to be authentic enough to be credible; it has to be flexible enough to appeal to different audiences with different needs and motivations; it has to have meaning; and finally, it has to work for a long time to justify the time and costs involved in developing it in the first place!
Throughout the process, be sure to recognize the combined potential of your attractions and assets. Successful branding integrates key consumer insights gleaned through the discovery process, and uses those insights to leverage key assets and/or repair broken ones. Even the most dynamic of destinations require strategic insight to help position themselves against an oversupplied industry.
Investing extra time and effort into the process ensures you will create a brand that offers a value proposition that visitors will not only believe, but choose. Eventually, a visit turns into a memory, which turns into a referral, online comment or repeat visit. The sum of those parts turn into tax revenue. Be sure to live up to your brand expectations.
