Countries and places are unique and are defined by tangible aspects like architecture, people, natural elements, and resources. Tourism plays a vital role in an economy’s growth and a region’s development. Tourism marketing and destination branding in unison help create an image that sticks to the name of places. Considering architecture as an element of destination branding, it gives sites historical and cultural significance, binding together communities. The application of tourism marketing focuses on developing facilities and services that help tourists experience places. The integration and coordination between travel, transportation services, accommodation, food services, tour operators, tourist attractions, and merchandisers guide tourists through checkpoints on the journey.
Tourism marketing to showcase the strong points of a region
Tourism marketing is multifaceted and directed towards multiple customer targets. Depending on the age groups and interest statistics of people visiting a place, tourists can experience places that adhere to specific goals, like study trips, leisure trips, business trips, work trips, and so on. As an example of Karnataka tourism, the marketing focuses on the various tourist attractions in the hills, historical and heritage architecture, and landscapes. Different places have different activities to focus on. Tourists visit sites for a short time. Tourism marketing helps blend the tourist with the locations and local people. Some of the most famous destinations rely on favorable months of the year for elevated business profits. With working from home becoming a norm for many jobs, tourists plan more tours focusing on leisure and work business.
Transportation services and accommodation define the nucleus of tourism marketing. In India, the government pays special attention to the development of tourist attractions and related benefits and businesses. Empowering the local public and giving incentives and land for the development of facilities like resorts help develop a chain of interdependent businesses. It is crucial to help tourists navigate and fulfill their trip’s objectives and weave an emotional connection with the place and people. Companies create specific travel packages covering a wholesome picture of a location, focusing on particular assets of the area.
Destination branding in the age of social media
Today’s age is the digital age. It has become obligatory for people and businesses to create their own personal brands, the same with tourist attractions. With the constant effort of pushing a particular image and quality of a place on the digital medium, using virtual tours, travel vlogs, and photography, influencers give people an idea about the experiences at locations. Examples of the relaxing, luxurious resorts of Bali, Indonesia, and breathtaking sunsets at the pristine Santorini of Greece, hundreds of travel destinations make it to people’s bucket lists, following pages on social media.
Destination branding is not just defined as logos and brochures anymore. The Internet has made the world a small place. Travel marketing companies actively work on building their websites, curating information, projecting a well-defined picture of the place, and highlighting specific points like architecture, unexplored places, unique natural phenomena like cosmic events, glaciers, water bodies, and so on. Holding hands with NGOs, government bodies, and private franchises in an effort to maintain the location, a disciplined approach is seen as rational, giving out basic guidelines to the tourists while they enjoy their stay. The activities that help develop a brand for the destination can be classified as fun, sport, educative, leisure, exploration, adventure, etc. Branding of the destination highly emphasizes the maintenance of a location. To keep the businesses running, to come up with new ideas to line up, and to create more opportunities and activities supporting and uplifting the existing image, tourism marketing comes into the picture, with promising collaborations.
Sustainable approach to tourism marketing to create unique branding for regions
India is blessed with some of the most beautiful and glorious forest reserves, wildlife, flora, and fauna. Considering the western ghats of the Konkan region as an example, one can create a fresh map lining business opportunities that help the local people. Instead of wealthy people in business taking over industries that generate tourism influx, an attempt can be made to give the local people authority and empower their communities. The model of tourism where sustainable activities are cherished without hurting the environment and natural resources, entertaining small groups of tourists at one time instead of going around with an impractical number of people, exploring unexplored places, collaborating with locals, doing wildlife and bird watching, engaging in fishing activities with the local fishermen could help tourists actually taste the slice of life of the region. This model has already been introduced by certain groups of local youth looking forward to embracing tourists and giving their land richness without taking anything from it unethically.
Tourism marketing and destination branding help make or break a location’s face. It is essential to look for people who engage in ethical practices while making the whole tourism thing happen; this includes tourists, business people, and locals. It is also necessary for the government to promote and help maintain the identity of places through printed media alongside digital. Tourism marketing and destination branding are complementary strategies for attracting tourists; however, destination branding is a more comprehensive and long-term approach. When implemented correctly, destination branding can increase tourism revenue, repeat visitors, and positive brand awareness, ultimately benefitting the local economy and community.
References
- Online sources
Citations for websites:
Jönsson, C. (2005). (PDF) Tourism Marketing Basics. [online] ResearchGate. Available at: https://www.researchgate.net/publication/229428573_Tourism_Marketing_Basics [Accessed 7 Oct. 2023].
Zagere, E. (2021). Destination Branding: Top Tips to Attract Travelers. [online] Solimar International. Available at: https://www.solimarinternational.com/destination-branding-top-tips-to-attract-travelers/ [Accessed 7 Oct. 2023].
tourism and tourism (2020). Destination Branding. [online] Tourism Beast. Available at: https://www.tourismbeast.com/destination-branding/ [Accessed 6 Oct. 2023].
- Images/visual mediums
Citations for images/photographs – Print or Online:
Unsplash (2021). Photo by Carlos Torres on Unsplash. [online] unsplash.com. Available at: https://unsplash.com/photos/lH5RmE-TEHc [Accessed 8 Oct. 2023].
Unsplash (2017). Photo by Gurwinder Singh on Unsplash. [online] unsplash.com. Available at: https://unsplash.com/photos/d2xKRGefeWs [Accessed 8 Oct. 2023].
Unsplash (2022). Photo by Aditya Panchal on Unsplash. [online] unsplash.com. Available at: https://unsplash.com/photos/agyvHLtRYNc [Accessed 8 Oct. 2023].
