Destination branding – tracking brand equity for an emerging destination between 2003 and 2007

Place branding has become a major focus of operations for destination marketing organisations (DMO) striving for differentiation in cluttered markets. The topic of destination branding has only received attention in the tourism literature since the late 1990s, and there has been relatively little research reported in relation to analyzing destination brand effectiveness over time. This paper reports an attempt to operationalise the concept of consumer-based brand equity (CBBE) for an emerging destination over two points in time. The purpose of the project was to track the effectiveness of the brand in 2007 against benchmarks that were established in a 2003 study at the commencement of a new destination brand campaign. Due to the common challenges faced by DMOs world wide, it is suggested CBBE provides destination marketers with a practical tool for evaluating brand performance over time.