From Chambord’s Brand Equity to the Construction of a Touristic Destination’s Image: A Reductive Marketing Approach

With the evolution of territorial marketing and strong international competition, the perimeter of territories interested in tourism development has been extended beyond the cities by the introduction of the concept of a touristic destination, i.e. a territory marketed to a public of visitors and/or tourists. Although Chambord’s brand equity is well known in terms of representations to different audiences, the three inter-municipalities surrounding the castle that are seeking to become a touristic destination remain poorly identified. The strategy of constructing an image of the destination has focused on the reputation of the castle by defining a Blois Chambord brand. However, the destination is full of other assets that can enrich the cognitive and emotional dimensions linked to the territory. In order to understand the logic behind this strategy of constructing a destination image, a study was conducted among four groups of stakeholders: local managers (elected officials, managers of the tourist office, managers of Chambord) and local residents or visitors. The results reveal the need to better promote the territory without abandoning the contributions of the castle’s brand equity to the attractiveness of the destination. This enhancement involves better management of the destination’s image in order to highlight the territory’s assets and meet a local, or even non-local, demand for authenticity.