Destination brand love: managerial implications and applications to tourism businesses

Purpose In an increasingly competitive marketplace and with homogenization of destination brands occurring alongside globalization, enticing tourists to travel at all, let alone to a particular destination, can be a significant challenge. This paper aims to address this issue through exploration of the utility of the concept of brand love in the context of tourism destinations. Design/methodology/approach The investigation of the problem involved three large cities in the USA and utilized a variety of qualitative research methods, including tourist interviews, photos and collages. Additionally, the research included key informant interviews. Findings In total, 13 themes through which participants articulated their love were identified through thematic analysis of the tourist data, and these themes were drawn together in a model of destination brand love. Furthermore, three types of destination brand love were identified, and these coincide with three words for “love” in the Greek language. Practical implications The most significant managerial value of the article’s findings likely would come from tourism destination marketing organizations determining what type(s) of love is/are (or could be) prevalent among that destination’s most loyal tourists. Steps to do this are provided. Originality/value The complexity in tourists’ relationships with, and feelings of love for, destinations and their brands that this research has revealed demonstrates that there is opportunity for deeper understanding of how and why tourists come to love a destination and its brand. With this more complete knowledge, marketers would be better prepared to foster and grow brand love among their destinations’ tourists, resulting in increased visitation and revenue.