The relationship between brand strength and tourism intensity: empirical evidence from the EU capital cities

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to analyze the relationship between brand strength and tourism intensity indices and to determine to what extent the implementation of the branding process can have an impact on building a destination’s brand strength and tourism economic performance in the European Union capital cities. Design/methodology/approach – For the purpose of this study, secondary data on brand strength and tourism intensity for a sample of 20 European capital cities were used. Correlation analysis between brand strength and tourism intensity was then performed by using a cross-section analysis design. Findings – The findings of this research show that destination brand strength is indeed significantly and positively related to tourism intensity. Originality/value – This paper concludes that destination branding process is an important factor for creating and maintaining competitive advantages among capital cities on the mature and saturated European tourism market.