| Summary: | This is a conceptual paper on the concept of destination brand identity from
the perspective of stakeholders. In planning and strategising for sustainable
tourism destination, destination branding is a critical issue that needs to be
explored. The nature of a destination domain is one where there exists an
“open-system” of interdependent, multidimensional and multiple
stakeholders where the actions of one stakeholder will impact the rest of the
actors in the destination, thus making the process of developing destination
identity very complex. The difficulties in dealing with different interests
amongst the stakeholders make the process of developing destination identity
more complicated, resulting in difficulties in achieving unity and
understanding about the "shared image" for a destination brand. Moreover,
to produce a sustainable tourism destination, the supports offered by
stakeholders to the planning and development process is a key element for
the successful operation, management and sustainibility of the destination.
The destination branding literature shows consistency in the consideration of
the power of stakeholders for branding destination. Therefore, based on the
theory of stakeholders and the theory of social identity that underlies this
paper, the study will identify the relationship between the stakeholders and
brand development for a destination domain. This paper introduces a
framework designed to study the implications of stakeholders towards the
destination brand.
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