Using Brand Personality to Differentiate Regional Tourism Destinations

TLDR

Destination branding is rapidly expanding in tourism, yet academic scrutiny of its value and effectiveness remains limited. This study investigates whether the destination brand personality construct can distinguish between two regional tourism destinations. A survey of 480 tourists near the Great Barrier Reef collected destination image attributes for two state‑branded regional sites. Tourists identified distinct brand personalities for each region, suggesting the need to adapt existing brand personality frameworks to tourism.

Abstract

Destination branding is growing rapidly as an approach to tourism destination promotion. While this concept has been borrowed from the world of general consumer goods and applied in a number of national tourism destinations, academic analysis of the value and effectiveness of destination branding has emerged more slowly. The present article addresses this paucity of academic scrutiny by examining the value of the destination brand personality construct in distinguishing between two regional tourism destinations. A survey of 480 tourists was conducted adjacent to the Great Barrier Reef in Northern Australia to gather data about the destination image attributes of two regional destinations that were branded by a state destination marketing organization. The results indicated that tourists were able to articulate different destination brand personalities for each region. The results also indicated that more work might need to be done to adapt existing frameworks of brand personality to the tourism context.