A Closer Look at Destination: Image, Personality, Relationship and Loyalty

As the tourism marketplace is becoming more highly competitive, destination marketers are adopting branding techniques to craft an identity which focuses on the uniqueness of their products —their tourism destinations. Similar to those marketing consumer products, destination marketers have had to turn to branding to distinguish their “products” and to convey a positive message that will motivate the tourists (Roodurmun & Juwaheer 2010). Using a combination of destination image and destination personality as a strategy to differentiate their destination brands from other competing destinations has been necessary for destination marketers (Ekinci & Horsany 2006; Usakli & Baloglu 2011). In addition, the creation of brand saliency—the development of an emotional relationship with the consumer—can hold the key to destination differentiation (Morgan & Pritchard 2010). Successful destination branding involves establishing a mutual relationship between destinations and tourists by satisfying their emotional (i.e. relaxing, pretty) and basic needs (i.e. eating) (Ekinci 2003).