BRAND IMAGE AND TOURIST DESTINATION: SYNERGIES AND IMPLICATIONS

Abstract

In a highly competitive tourism industry today, many places are adopting the creation of a brand image, in an effort to respond to new market demands and differentiate themselves from competitors. The aim of this work is to identify the importance of branding in the image of the destination through the literature review and integrative analysis of four models. The methodology was based on a review of the conceptual framework of place branding, in order to identify the key authors and theoretical models. A study of the most relevant variables and their relationship with the image of the destination was conducted. The results show the importance and the growth of place branding in the promotion of tourist destinations as well as the need to deepen the understanding of the perceptions of tourists, particularly through the identification of relations and associations between destination perceived image and place branding.