Tourism Branding

For anyone in or interested in the tourism industry to explore issues associated with branding a country, region, destination, attraction, hotel, tour etc

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7 of the Top Destination Brands of 2023

Visit Maldives Over the past decades, destinations in Europe, North America, and the Caribbean have been the stars in both destination branding and popularity among travelers. And while all the above certainly remain among the world´s most powerful performers in tourism, the World Travel Awards (dubbed “the Oscars of travel”) in 2023 have underscored strong showings outside these traditional areas, particularly in Asia and the Middle East. Here´s a quick rundown of this year´s winners:…

Started by David Paul Appell

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How brands can manage a travel-industry crisis like coronavirus

Travel isn’t always a bed of roses. There are natural disasters, tainted products, bad actors, data breaches, regional and global viruses, and events big and small that require industries to step up, speak up, and do whatever it takes to care of their employees and customers. As the coronavirus outbreak tops more than 135,000 in some 140 countries, it’s an appropriate time to offer advice on how to handle an industry crisis. read post

Started by Tripatini

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Cross-border migration and tourism

All across the world - Europe, the United States, Australia, Asia, and elsewhere - immigration and refugees are hot topics. But little attention has been paid to how this issue meshes with the other great mass movement of our era: tourism. An integral part of tourism is the exchange of cultures and the appreciation of the “other”, and the industry is often dependent on "importing” guest workers from abroad, who provide needed services and often also give a sense of the exotic…

Started by David Paul Appell

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What's behind Costa Rica's new country brand?

Costa Rica’s newly launched country brand, “Essential Costa Rica” (Esencial Costa Rica), centers on a complete image of the country – from its “peaceful, down-to-earth” people who proudly preserve their environment and happily enjoy a high quality of life, to a modern world of technology, trade and commerce, all set in the world’s premier ecotourism destination of rich biodiversity...read complete post

Started by Tripatini

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Rossitza Ohridska-Olson January 13, 2010 at 1:25am

Regarding Columbia branding: Who invented the tagline? For me, there are only 4 destination branding companies in the world: Landor, FutureBrand, Wolf Ollins, and THR out of Spain. From these 4, only THR has specialists in tourism. Country brands and destination branding projects fail for that reason: they don't register the dynamic of the tourism (domestic and international), TOGETHER with the local perspective. Simon Anholt is a PR person, and is more concerned about the image and the results sometime are disastrous, if you follow his "brilliant" writings for the last 10 years.
Rossitza Ohridska-Olson January 13, 2010 at 1:20am

Congratulation you decided to work with Binder Group. Regina is very smart lady and really has a lot to offer, specially if you consider cultural tourism as place development.
Rossitza Ohridska-Olson January 13, 2010 at 1:18am

For in depth comparison on Country Branding and Nation Branding of Simon Anholt (he should not be credited with the concept, please read the 100 MB of literature on the subject), see:
6 articles comparison and which is more practical tourism:http://www.culturalrealms.com/2009/11/country-branding-from-a-globa...
Presentation on the subject: http://www.slideshare.net/rokambur/r-olson-country-branding-cbi-nbi...
David Paul Appell January 12, 2010 at 11:04pm

I agree a little bit with everyone -- it was a bold and certainly refreshing move, rather than totally ignoring the elephant in the room. But not having any training in psychology and particularly the psychology of marketing, I don't know whether using the word "risk" risks opening a can of worms. Seems to have worked well enough for them, though. Now we see others like Mexico and Brazil facing similar issues -- though not nearly to the extent that Colombia did.
Regina Binder January 12, 2010 at 10:43pm

I agree with Paul, when I heard about the new slogan (from a Colombian archaeologist) I was taken aback, but to change perception first you have to acknowlege it.
José Balido January 12, 2010 at 10:39pm

Indeed. And ultimately, everybody I met who has heard the Colombia slogan remembers it for precisely this reason... so it's working. They've created a slogan that turns popular perception on its head in a fun, provocative, and very memorable way.
Paul Barnett January 12, 2010 at 10:32pm

Re-Columbia I think addressing the issue head on was absolutely the right approach. However, I am not sure that the ONLY risk in Columbia is wanting to leave.

I am based in Brazil. I wonder if they may just adopt a similar approach here.

In my opinion the worst thing for a a country to do is deceive, such a policy would have dangerous consequences within quite a short time.
José Balido January 12, 2010 at 10:11pm

An interesting angle on destination branding: how to address destinations with serious image problems. Take the case of Colombia: despite recent advances, to this day many if not most Americans imagine a country overrun with druglords, guerillas, kidnappers, and random violence. Today some parts of Colombia are anything but, and recent personal trips to Bogotá and Cartagena de Indias have shown it to be a beautiful and promising destination indeed. How is Colombia, however, to change its image abroad?

They could have tried to sweep the bad rep under the rug and highlight the many wonders of the destination; or they could be upfront and address the problem head on, turn it on its head, and show the appeal of the destination in the process. Colombia has opted for the latter. Their slogan?

"Colombia. The only risk is not wanting to leave."
My first reaction? They're crazy. Nobody wants to see the words "risk" and "Colombia" in the same sentence. And yet... cruise ships are now docking at the port of Cartagena, and tourists are walking the streets of Bogotá. Is the slogan working? Defusing fear of risk by boldly addressing it head on, with a dash of humor?

Or... would Colombia be getting even more tourists, with a slogan that didn't highlight the "risk" factor? Impossible to know, of course, but what do you all think?
chuck lennon January 12, 2010 at 8:17pm

Good concept to establish this thread...need to grow it.
Paul Barnett January 12, 2010 at 7:22pm

I established this group to discuss issues arising, and thoughts provoked, as I research and write a book on the subject. This I am doing in collaboration with The Binder Group.

For the record, my background is marketing, specifically brand strategy development and implementation. I used to run a boutique angency in London with clients predominently in the luxury goods industry. Around 6years ago I moved to northeast Brazil to pursue a more meaningful life. Now I am developing a new type of travel guide publishing business, Pearl Travel Guides, with the aim of helping responsible independent travellers discover real and authentic experiences, initially in Brazil. The Binder Group has focused on developing tourist destinations and attractions around the world for over 15years, and has a bias towards cultural tourism.

Currently we are considering what has worked, and what hasn´t, in relation to the branding of countries, regions, destinations etc, and the reasons for both. This is where I will start the discussion. Please add thoughts and opinions in the Discussion Forum.

http://pearltravelguides.com
http://thebindergroup.com/