Sample Solution

The discussion surrounding the roles of a destination management organisation contribute to the overall idea that the utilisation of resources leads to a more compedative and appealing destination, thus allowing it to have a better image in the minds of past and potential visitors. This competitiveness is also essential in creating a destination that can compete with other destinations and continue to create repeat visitors and draw in new visitors rather than having potential visitors travel elsewhere (Dwyer et al., 2009). although creating a destination that offers experiences that exceed the visitor’s expectations and reinforce a positive image of the destination increases likelihood of their return, an understanding of what activities are undertaken by the DMO to draw them there is the first-place needs to be identified. As has been previously highlighted, destinations and tourism products remain mostly intangible making their promotion more challenging, yet this should not limit the idea that destinations can distinguish themselves through marketing to attract and influence potential customers. An integral way in which destinations distance themselves from other destinations is the use of branding. Although branding may be viewed as a concept reserved for the promotion of tangible products, it is essential to note that destinations can benefit from promotion through branding albeit, complex and requiring “the need to go beyond the theories of product or corporate branding. (Ooi and stober 2010). The branding of destinations relates to the principles of branding of products being applied to places. As places are vastly different in their requirements for promotion, branding is usually adjusted depending on the place and a generic branding policy for destinations would be inadequate. As identified by (Hannah & Rowley, 2011) place branding has an ultimate aim of triggering positive associations with the destinations and distancing itself from other destinations. (Ritchie & Ritchie, 1998) Put forward a definition of place brand as a “Symbol, logo, word mark or other graphic” that allows a destination to identify itself and differentiate itself simultaneously. They also stated that the elements of a place brand are used to promise a memorable experience to visitors that they would not experience elsewhere therefore enticing and influencing the potential visitor to choose their destination over another. However, destination branding cannot take place without the creation of a destination image. A vast expanse of existing literature agrees that a destinations image is a visual depiction of the destination in the tourist’s mind. (Josiassen et al., 2015) A prominent belief amongst those that have studied destination marketing is that a destinations image, if positive, will develop the likelihood of an individual to visit a certain destination but will also contribute positively to their experience and the extent to which they are satisfied. (Stylises et al., 2017). As (Aaker 1991) states that a brand image is a collection of all the associations that link a consumer’s memory to a brand. Therefore, it is of extreme importance to a destination to have a positive image as it as it adds value to the brand or in this case a destination. A brand image is said to add value in various ways. It enables the consumer to obtain information about the brand. It allows for differentiation of the bra