Tourism destination branding in Malawi: A supply-side perspective
Destination branding is a multi-faceted and is an often poorly understood concept that requires the involvement of various stakeholders in a destination. Through in-depth interviews of selected stakeholders and review of policy documents, this study investigated how tourism stakeholders in Malawi...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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AfricaJournals
2020-01-01
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| Series: | African Journal of Hospitality, Tourism and Leisure |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://www.ajhtl.com/uploads/7/1/6/3/7163688/article_7_vol_9_1__2020_hong_kong.pdf |
| _version_ | 1818959265268760576 |
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| author | Zandivuta Kankhuni, PhD Candidate |
| author_facet | Zandivuta Kankhuni, PhD Candidate |
| author_sort | Zandivuta Kankhuni, PhD Candidate |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Destination branding is a multi-faceted and is an often poorly understood concept that requires the
involvement of various stakeholders in a destination. Through in-depth interviews of selected stakeholders
and review of policy documents, this study investigated how tourism stakeholders in Malawi understand
destination branding, how they collaborate in a quest to brand the destination and their evaluation of the
status of Malawi’s tourism brand. The study made use of Hankinson’s Relational Network Brand Model as
a guiding framework. Study participants were drawn from both the public and private sectors and general
citizenry. The study found that destination branding is generally equated to marketing communications or
put simply, tourism promotion. It was also found that there is often very poor coordination between the
government and the private sector in the process of destination branding. It was the view of most
stakeholders that the destination’s brand personality needs to be adjusted so that it should reflect changing
tourist needs. Furthermore, findings revealed that inadequate infrastructure, poor service quality, low
adoption of ICTs and unsustainable resource use practices have put the country at a disadvantage as a
tourist destination against other countries in the region. Practical implications are discussed, and
recommendations are suggested accordingly |
| first_indexed | 2024-12-20T11:38:53Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-0dacc1aec9c240ddada913de72d509e9 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2223-814X |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-12-20T11:38:53Z |
| publishDate | 2020-01-01 |
| publisher | AfricaJournals |
| record_format | Article |
| series | African Journal of Hospitality, Tourism and Leisure |
| spelling | doaj.art-0dacc1aec9c240ddada913de72d509e92022-12-21T19:42:02ZengAfricaJournalsAfrican Journal of Hospitality, Tourism and Leisure2223-814X2020-01-0191Tourism destination branding in Malawi: A supply-side perspectiveZandivuta Kankhuni, PhD Candidate0School of Hotel and Tourism Management The Hong Kong Polytechnic UniversityDestination branding is a multi-faceted and is an often poorly understood concept that requires the involvement of various stakeholders in a destination. Through in-depth interviews of selected stakeholders and review of policy documents, this study investigated how tourism stakeholders in Malawi understand destination branding, how they collaborate in a quest to brand the destination and their evaluation of the status of Malawi’s tourism brand. The study made use of Hankinson’s Relational Network Brand Model as a guiding framework. Study participants were drawn from both the public and private sectors and general citizenry. The study found that destination branding is generally equated to marketing communications or put simply, tourism promotion. It was also found that there is often very poor coordination between the government and the private sector in the process of destination branding. It was the view of most stakeholders that the destination’s brand personality needs to be adjusted so that it should reflect changing tourist needs. Furthermore, findings revealed that inadequate infrastructure, poor service quality, low adoption of ICTs and unsustainable resource use practices have put the country at a disadvantage as a tourist destination against other countries in the region. Practical implications are discussed, and recommendations are suggested accordinglyhttps://www.ajhtl.com/uploads/7/1/6/3/7163688/article_7_vol_9_1__2020_hong_kong.pdftourismdestination brandingstakeholder collaborationbrand modelmalaw |
| spellingShingle | Zandivuta Kankhuni, PhD Candidate Tourism destination branding in Malawi: A supply-side perspective African Journal of Hospitality, Tourism and Leisure tourism destination branding stakeholder collaboration brand model malaw |
| title | Tourism destination branding in Malawi: A supply-side perspective |
| title_full | Tourism destination branding in Malawi: A supply-side perspective |
| title_fullStr | Tourism destination branding in Malawi: A supply-side perspective |
| title_full_unstemmed | Tourism destination branding in Malawi: A supply-side perspective |
| title_short | Tourism destination branding in Malawi: A supply-side perspective |
| title_sort | tourism destination branding in malawi a supply side perspective |
| topic | tourism destination branding stakeholder collaboration brand model malaw |
| url | https://www.ajhtl.com/uploads/7/1/6/3/7163688/article_7_vol_9_1__2020_hong_kong.pdf |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT zandivutakankhuniphdcandidate tourismdestinationbrandinginmalawiasupplysideperspective |