Tourism, Place Branding, and Consumer Behaviour

Abstract

Given the symbolic significance of places such as nations, regions, cities, and gated communities, the ideas of brands and branding are being applied to them in recent times. For example, nation branding is becoming common especially as countries compete among themselves for resources and opportunities like investment inflows and skilled professionals. Similarly, consumers make inferences about goods and services offered in the marketplace based on the extent of the attractiveness of the countries where they originated from. This is commonly tagged country-of-origin (COO) effect. As there are several stakeholders associated with places such as tourists, residents, and governments, it becomes imperative for place marketers to consider inclusivity in the formulation of brand strategies. This chapter explores these issues and how they are being influenced by the digital transformation which permeates virtually all elements of the marketing systems. Apart from unpacking these salient issues with references to some pertinent cases, the chapter also features a discussion of the future of place branding consumer behaviour as well as the wide-ranging implications of the ideas.