Nation Branding and Tourism Development in Nigeria

The Nigerian image crisis is a colossal problem that has caught the attention of successive Nigerian governments since independence. Since the country's return to democratic rule in 1999, various nation-branding campaigns have been initiated by the Nigerian administration to redress the situation. Some of these campaigns include the “Nigerian Image Project,” the “Heart of Africa Project,” the “Rebranding Nigeria” campaign, the “Nigeria: Our Heritage Project,” and the “Fascinating Nigeria” concept, which, despite their enormous budgets and activities, have yielded only patchy fruits, leaving the country's image crisis to persist and warrant more efficacious solutions. This chapter reviews some of these nation branding initiatives examining the extent to which they have included tourism branding and development. The chapter specifically seeks answers to the following research questions: How does nation branding affect tourism? To what extent have nation branding campaigns tackled the Nigerian image crisis? and To what extent have these campaigns given attention to tourism development in Nigeria?

Culture and the City

This chapter focuses on the case of Matera, one of the less developed cities in the South of Italy, known as the “shame of Italy” for many years, which has recently been selected by the Council of European Ministers to be the European Capital of Culture in 2019. Matera 2019 has been chosen to illustrate how arts and culture can be particularly critical drivers of rebranding and repositioning of “tough” cities. The chapter emphasizes how the contribution of the city private and public stakeholders has played a crucial role in the rebranding process. Through in-depth interviews with two of main stakeholders involved in the development of the Matera 2019 concept (i.e., the Director of the Matera 2019 Committee, Paolo Verri, and the Mayor of the city, Raffaello De Ruggieri), this chapter will provide practical insights for arts and culture-based rebranding aimed at repositioning a place that has a reputation of “tough” city.

Destination Competitiveness

Numerous studies suggest that an increase in a destination's brand equity can lead to greater competitiveness of the destination by influencing consumer behavior through the greater possibility of destination selection, increased destination loyalty, and a willingness to pay more to visit the destination. However, some studies seem to lend support to the reverse causal argument: that certain destination competitiveness attributes can be the antecedents of a destination's brand equity. This chapter posits that destination competitiveness can be classified into two components: (1) “functional attributes” being the antecedent of destination brand equity and (2) “abstract attributes” that is actually influenced by destination brand equity. A Delphi-survey was conducted to assist in the classification of competitiveness attributes into the components of either functional or abstract attributes. Subsequent tests confirm the mediating effect of destination brand equity in the relationship between the functional and abstract attributes.

The Evolution of Tourism Destination Competitiveness (TDC) Models

The complexity of the tourism industry creates the need for the continuous evaluation of tourism destination competitiveness (TDC) models. For this reason, a proper review of the previous literature on competitiveness models and determinants was done to understand better the pertinent factors affecting TDC. This chapter reviews the competitiveness models developed by Porter (1990), Ritchie and Crouch (1993), Dwyer and Kim (2003), Heath (2003), and Gooroochurn and Sugiyarto (2005). Key criteria and determinants of competitiveness are synthesized and categorized. Finally, learning from the systematic review and their implications are listed.

Marketing and Branding Initiatives for Local Food and Tourism Identity of Terengganu, Malaysia

This chapter focuses on Terengganu and seeks to explore its local food and tourism development as well as marketing and branding initiatives. Within the context of local food, tourism, and destination marketing and branding studies, scholars continuously contest the truth of food as the core traveling purpose among tourists to visit a particular tourist destination. It was found that, recently, many tourist destinations have utilized local food as part of marketing and branding initiatives to position and stimulate appealing image in every tourists' eyes and mind. Therefore, using the case of Terengganu in Malaysia, this chapter explores and discusses the details of local cuisine and tourism employed by Tourism Terengganu (i.e., the state tourism board – STB) to market and brand the state worldwide. Terengganu is located in between two states (i.e., Kelantan and Pahang) on the east coast region of West Malaysia. Keropok lekor, nasi dagang, satar, akok, nasi kerabu, laksam, ketupat sotong, and lempeng nyior are among local food specialties in Terengganu. These dishes are often being displayed and marketed worldwide in various tourism marketing and used as promotional tools to speak about Terengganu and its tourism identity. Results from archival documents analysis have found that Tourism Terengganu employed various types of marketing and branding initiatives to promote Terengganu's local food and tourism industry domestically and internationally. All of these create and establish local food and tourism identity of Terengganu as part of destination branding efforts.

Enhancing Tourism and Cultural Experience Through Gamification

We all travel to different historical places but rarely notice the cultural significance of the place: the history behind the various things and locations. The primary aim of this chapter is to devise and develop means to enhance tourism and provide culturally important knowledge to people. Moreover, internet is booming, and the number of smartphones is increasing day by day. The same is happening in many developing countries. Therefore, in this chapter, the authors propose a criterion that uses technology to promote historical significance and enhances tourism industry as well. The proposed app uses the concept of gamification that acts as a platform to fuel the process of branding in a manner that engages the tourists and provide them with an experience that can make them feel more connected to the tourism destinations.

Ecotourism in Asia

Noting the significant impact that tourism has on ecosystems and their local communities, ecotourism has emerged as an alternative that seeks to find a “win-win” strategy for all parties involved. With growing tourism throughout Asia and active development of many ecosystems, ecotourism has the promise to mend the social and economic gap while also ensuring a positive ecological impact over time. This chapter seeks to understand how sustainability and conservation fit into the core values of the ecotourism industry, as well as, how the industry plans for the short-term and long-term effects of their actions. Two important relationships are then explored in-depth because of their significance to the current and future state of ecotourism in Asia. Working with mass media, a strong brand may be created, thus increasing tourism to a destination site and ensuring that it is sustained over time. And through key partnerships, like those of local communities, ecotourism may have the potential to mutually benefit the people and the places tourists come to visit.

Learning From Others

Theme parks are important products for the leisure and tourism industry of any country. They have become a globalized commodity that transcends countries and cultures. With the global rise in anxieties and the stress of modern living, consumers are looking for an antidote for these circumstances, and an escape to the theme park is an ideal solution for many. The developments of theme parks are capital intensive and require much commitment from the investor or developer of the said theme park. Thus, it is critical for potential investors of theme parks to identify the critical factors for the success of theme parks. Marketing literature and research has indicated that authenticity of the product as well as the staging of experiences as the main factor influencing consumer's decision to buy a leisure or tourism product. This case study focuses on the Genting Group Malaysia and their foray into the theme park industry. By observing and learning from other theme parks' success and failures, it is hoped that future theme park developments will be able to maximize their chances of success.

Antecedents of Behavioral Intention Towards Sustainable Tourism Destination

Tourism is one of the most important aspects for the development of the service sector and today is indeed an activity of considerable global economic importance. The purpose of this chapter is to examine the factors of environmental attitude, motivation, word-of-mouth, belief, and familiarity to predict the tourists' intention to select sustainable tourist destination in Isfahan province, which is one of the tourist attractions in Iran. This chapter is one of the first to develop and empirically test a model in the context of sustainable tourist destination in Iran using variables such as belief and familiarity.The respondents include 150 local tourists at different tourism locations in Isfahan state. This study uses a non-probability convenience sampling approach. Data is analyzed using SPSS and smart PLS software. The results indicate that the most influential factors that affect sustainable tourism destination in this case study are familiarity, environmental attitude, and motivation.

Development of Positioning Taxonomy for a Tourist Destination Ladakh, India

Positioning strategies designed by organizations for the destinations might fail when implemented if they are designed from the organization's perspective and not from the consumers' perspective. The chapter develops a positioning taxonomy for a tourist destination by measuring the perception and satisfactions of consumers of the tourism product of Ladakh, India and identifies potential niche markets that could be used in the development of the destination's positioning strategy. Self-completion questionnaires were distributed to tourists visiting the region. Data from 468 completed questionnaires were analyzed quantitatively. Results indicate three positioning strategies for the tourist destination: adventures and sports, natural attractions, and cultural attractions. Also four possible niche markets are identified that can inform the development of the destination's positioning strategy: adventure tourism, cultural tourism, nature-based tourism, and wildlife tourism.