Journal of Vacation Marketing

This paper provides an argument for going back to the simplification of branding and positioning based on features expressed by visitors as the attraction to a destination. Research indicates that as a result of visiting a destination, images tend to be more realistic, complex and differentiated. Therefore, an understanding of what attracted visitors can furnish the basis for image development and market positioning. Vacationers were cluster analysed and compared for significant differences based on the attraction features. The ‘attraction package’ portrayed five visitor group types. Within each visitor group a destination-specific icon was identified for market positioning.

The dynamism of the structure and scale of international tourism in post-communist Central and Eastern Europe both reflects and is part of economic, political and social restructuring processes in the region. Tourism activity has significantly increased across the post-communist world in terms of tourist movements, yet Central and Eastern Europe has lagged far behind the rest of Europe and global averages in the level of per capita tourism income generated. Further, while in regional terms tourism activity has increased, in the sub-region of Southeastern Europe it has stagnated, because of regional instability and conflict, the nature of the tourism product, and infrastructural and service level shortcomings.

Relatively few tourism marketing studies from Central and Eastern Europe have been undertaken and little work on branding has been published. As something of a pioneering study therefore, this paper examines the relationship between tourism destination branding, niche marketing and national image projection in the region, and concludes that coordination between government action and tourism industry promotion is vital if destinations are to project a clear national and tourism image which contextualises and emphasises the quality of the visitor experience.

Despite the size, economic importance and interest value of the tourism industry with its multifaceted nature, there is a dearth of brandingrelated research on the sector. Taking a qualitative approach (based on interviews and focus groups), this paper explores the role and significance of brands in the UK air tour operating market, with the focus on the process of consumer choice and decision making. Its aim is to extend the scope of existing research and pave the way for further study in this important and underaddressed area. The paper argues that the special characteristics of the tour operating industry add an extra dimension to any marketing strategy involving the building of a strong, identifiable brand. After contextualising branding by briefly reviewing its development, general application, and its emotional and symbolic associations, it looks at some specific characteristics of the inclusive air tour within the framework of the consumer ‘holiday experience’. The paper concludes that — despite their clear recognition of branding as a potent marketing weapon — UK tour operators are currently failing to build a meaningful and lasting brand-based relationship with their customers.

For more than a decade hospitality and travel enterprises have tested and introduced a vast array of new products designed for more narrowly desined consumer markets. A related activity has also gathered momentum particularly as a marketing strategy; the utilisation of an enterprise’s identity in the form of its established brand name to boost the introduction of a new product.

How a consumer evaluates a new product bearing an established brand was the purpose of this pilot study conducted in the service sector. Utilised in the research was a model of consumers’ evaluation of a brand extension that postulated comparisons between existing product, new product and brand image attributes. The attributes were categorised and dichotomised into feature-based and concept-based dimensions.

Consumers are posited to examine the similarity or congruence between salient and accessible attributes in judging the fit between the new product and brand. A good fit is believed to increase the likelihood of consumers’ favourable acceptance of the new product. Results of an exploratory field experiment provide support for the model and have implications for practitioners implementing the strategy.

This paper discusses the impact of electronic commerce on the development of strong tourism destination brands. Electronic media have the potential to create strong direct links between individual tourism suppliers and their customers, thereby possibly undermining collective efforts to create strong destination brands. In addition, electronic media may have the potential to strengthen the process of destination brand creation, by facilitating interaction and cross-selling between complementary producers within a destination. A case study methodology is used to evaluate the recently developed Brand Western Australia (Brand WA) marketing campaign. This strategy attempted to develop a strong centralised tourism destination brand for the state of Western Australia and the paper reviews the branding strategy to date, the promotional and distribution channels used, and the challenges and opportunities faced by WA suppliers when using electronic channels on the Internet. It is concluded that despite the enormous growth in the use of electronic commerce, it is not being used to its full potential. Suppliers appear to be using the Internet in a random, disorganised, uncooperative way.

This paper outlines the Western Australian Tourism Commission’s¹ (WATC) approach to destination branding. Based on intensive consumer research, Brand Western Australia (Brand WA) resulted in an entire organisational shift and has repositioned Western Australia as a premier nature-based tourism destination in the global market. The cornerstone of the strategy was a partnership between government and industry and this philosophy forms the platform for the future policy direction of the WATC, paving the way for tourism growth in Western Australia. To ensure delivery of the marketing promise, infrastructure development and partnerships with other key government agencies are a fundamental part of the Brand WA strategy. The WATC has adopted a totally integrated and inclusive approach to destination branding tht encompasses marketing and development strategies and, in the process, is crafting a unique identity for Western Australia.

Companies in the travel and tourism sector are often obliged to market themselves internationally, and consequently to compete for consumer atttention with the largest multinational corporations, even though their advertising budgets are generally far smaller. Given this dilemma, the author questions the wisdom of using the same global advertising agencies adn practices as these ‘superbrands’. Chosen carefully, a smaller international resource can achieve results which are equally creative and equally sensitive to the cultures of the company’s overseas consumers, and free up more budget for increased media spend.