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Brand Equity of a Tourist Destination

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  • Hwa-Kyung Kim

    (Department of Hotel Management, Jeju International University, Jeju City 63309, Korea)

  • Timothy J. Lee

    (Division of Tourism & Hospitality, Ritsumeikan Asia Pacific University (APU), Beppu 874-8577, Japan)

Abstract

In the current climate of severe competition among tourist destinations, the importance of brand equity in tourism marketing is increasing. This study looks at the impact of branding in relation to the largest group of inbound overseas tourists to South Korea, the Chinese. Data for the current study were obtained from a survey of tourists visiting Seoul from the Greater China region, including Mainland China, Hong Kong, Macao, Taiwan, and the Chinese living in Southeast Asia. The survey was conducted in popular sightseeing spots, four and five-star hotels in the Seoul Metropolitan Area, and the Incheon International Airport. The respondents were selected randomly, with effort expended to avoid any potential bias in the composition of the sample. Out of a total of 385 distributed questionnaires, 350 (China 191, Hong Kong 71, Taiwan 68, others 20) were selected as valid and finally used in the analysis. The results of this study suggest that price and word of mouth have beneficial effects on perceived quality, publicity, and brand awareness, and advertisement has beneficial effects on brand image. We also found that brand awareness and perceived quality have impacts on brand image, and brand image is related to brand loyalty. This is a pioneering study on the relationships between influencing factors, destination brand equity and its elements, and brand loyalty, with respect to Seoul, South Korea, as a tourism destination for tourists from China.

Suggested Citation

  • Hwa-Kyung Kim & Timothy J. Lee, 2018. "Brand Equity of a Tourist Destination," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 10(2), pages 1-21, February.
  • Handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:10:y:2018:i:2:p:431-:d:130686
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    Cited by:

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    3. Daniel G. J. Kuchinka & Szilvia Balazs & Marius Dan Gavriletea & Borivoje-Boris Djokic, 2018. "Consumer Attitudes toward Sustainable Development and Risk to Brand Loyalty," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 10(4), pages 1-25, March.
    4. Lenka Cervova & Jitka Vavrova, 2021. "Customer-Based Brand Equity for a Tourism Destination: The Case of Croatia," Economies, MDPI, vol. 9(4), pages 1-12, November.
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    6. Shahzad, Arfan & Yaqub, Rana Muhammad Shahid & Di Vaio, Assunta & Hassan, Rohail, 2021. "Antecedents of customer loyalty and performance improvement: Evidence from Pakistan's telecommunications sector," Utilities Policy, Elsevier, vol. 70(C).
    7. Tae-Hyoung Tommy Gim, 2018. "Tourist Satisfaction, Image, and Loyalty from an Interregional Perspective: An Analysis of Neighboring Areas with Distinct Characteristics," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 10(4), pages 1-18, April.
    8. Tianchen Dai & Taozhi Zhuang & Juan Yan & Tong Zhang, 2018. "From Landscape to Mindscape: Spatial Narration of Touristic Amsterdam," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 10(8), pages 1-20, July.
    9. Hanna Górska-Warsewicz & Maciej Dębski & Michal Fabuš & Marián Kováč, 2021. "Green Brand Equity—Empirical Experience from a Systematic Literature Review," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(20), pages 1-34, October.
    10. Giovanni Peira & Riccardo Beltramo & Maria Beatrice Pairotti & Alessandro Bonadonna, 2018. "Foodservice in a UNESCO Site: The Restaurateurs’ Perception on Communication and Promotion Tools," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 10(8), pages 1-17, August.
    11. Jia-Wei Tang & Ming-Lun Chen & Tsai-Hsin Chiu, 2018. "An Exploratory Study on Local Brand Value Development for Outlying Island Agriculture: Local Food System and Actor–Network Theory Perspectives," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 10(11), pages 1-21, November.
    12. Hanna Górska-Warsewicz, 2022. "Consumer or Patient Determinants of Hospital Brand Equity—A Systematic Literature Review," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(15), pages 1-36, July.
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    14. Yan Feng & Wen Cao & Geon-Cheol Shin & Yeujun Yoon, 2021. "The external effect of international tourism on brand equity development process of multinational firms (MNFs)," Journal of Brand Management, Palgrave Macmillan, vol. 28(6), pages 578-595, November.

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