Investigating factors affecting the special value of the tourism destination brand of Gilan province

Academic Thesis for Master's Degree (M.A) in Domestic Business Management

Abstract:

The special brand value of a tourist destination is the total assets (or liabilities) of the brand in relation to the name and symbol of the tourist destination, which causes changes in the value of the services and experiences provided there. In many cases, the special value of the brand is far greater than the value of physical assets. It is that marketers can gain a competitive advantage with the help of brands with high equity value. Few (consumer-based) tools exist to measure brand equity. In general, brand equity is measured from the consumer's point of view based on two perceptual (perceived quality, awareness, association) and behavioral (loyalty) dimensions. Considering the cultural, social, and characteristics of Iran's tourist destinations, in this research, an attempt has been made to measure the brand equity (brand power) of a tourist destination from the tourists' point of view according to Konkink's (2007) model, taken from Aker's model, and of course, in the model used, both behavioral and Therefore, the current research aims to review Acker's model in Iran and on the tourist destination of Gilan province. The main question in this research is: to investigate the main factors affecting the brand equity of a tourist destination from the point of view of tourists and how important is each factor in the tourists' evaluation of the brand equity with the assumption that each variable is independent? and loyalty to the brand) is on the dependent variable (i.e. brand equity). It is called correlational research. In terms of purpose or orientation, it is applied, and in terms of implementation or strategy, it is a description of a survey type. 1970 presented by Karjesi and Morgan, we use it. And we use a questionnaire to analyze the data, and we use Cronbach's alpha method for the reliability of the test. The results of the research have shown that all four factors of brand image, brand loyalty, perceived quality, and awareness of the tourism destination brand have a direct effect on the special value of the brand of Gilan province, and in terms of importance, perceived quality is the most important influencing factor.

1-1 Introduction

Guilan province has many diverse tourist attractions, including natural attractions, cultural and social attractions, handicrafts and so on. which has created a suitable platform for the development of all kinds of tourism activities with different motivations. Among the tourist attractions of Gilan province are the historical city of Masuleh with its natural attractions and traditional texture, the coastal city of Anzali with its marine attractions and international free zones, the city of Lahijan with its tourist attractions including Satan Mountain and swimming pool, cable car and green tea gardens, the city of Foman, the city of statues, which is of particular importance in attracting domestic and foreign tourists. Therefore, identifying the factors that increase the brand value of Gilan province It can be considered as one of the concerns of marketers and tourism stakeholders.

A brand is a mechanism that helps organizations to achieve a competitive advantage. Brand equity, which has become an important concept in marketing since 1980, is the added value created by the brand name for the organization. There are few tools (based on consumers) to measure brand equity. Considering that the special value of the brand originates from the perceptions of customers, it is very important for managers to be able to measure and evaluate this special value at the customer level (Keller, 2003).Krishnan (1996) suggests that examining the subjective approach of the customer (tourist) should be done before measuring the specific value of the brand, because the mentality of the customer (tourist) about the brand is the starting point for understanding and recognizing the brand. Brand equity enables organizations to demand more money for their brand in addition to maintaining their market share. (Lee & Back, 2009). David Acker stated in 1991 that brand equity increases the effectiveness of marketing programs and customer loyalty to the brand, and reduces promotional costs. Therefore, the special value of the brand makes the brand profitable and creates cash flow for the organization (Bult et al, 2008). A brand can differentiate the price or amount of demand for similar goods and services (Roulac, 2006). The mind of customers is effective, it is the special value of the brand. The special value of the brand has been one of the main priorities in marketing research, and its importance is rooted in the company's desire to create strong brands in order to gain a sustainable competitive advantage and differentiate their products. (Gil et al, 2007, p. 188). The increase in competition in service markets has forced many companies to look at their brand as a competitive advantage, just as sometimes service marketing is separated from product marketing, this is also true for brand and its management. A major part of the credibility of a service company in the minds of customers depends on the company's name and brand. It is a service that the brand has a significant impact on its success.

Despite the fact that Gilan province is one of the important tourist hubs and tourist areas of Iran in terms of attracting tourists and tourists due to its climate and climate diversity, natural, historical, traditional attractions and handicrafts, unfortunately, due to the lack of a comprehensive plan, it has not yet been able to create a real place for the use of the resources and facilities of the province in the minds of tourists, and compared to competitors, it has not been successful in practice. In fact, the profitability is low and This brand could not create a competitive advantage for this province. Tourism has a great impact on the employment rate, the balance of payments and the economic stability of the country. The decrease in income from agricultural products and its price fluctuations in Gilan province, the increase in population, the lack of industrialization of the region have made the officials and planners of the country pay attention to the development of non-agricultural income in the last few years. The development of the tourism industry, in addition to the development of production and the creation of new job opportunities, helps to increase the government's income. Tourism has many social and cultural effects that affect tourists and local people. Due to severe environmental changes, people's needs and tastes change rapidly, and in order to attract tourists, they must respond to the needs and demands of tourists while paying attention to cultural, social, economic, natural environment, etc. factors. Therefore, in this research, it has been tried to measure the brand value of a tourist destination from the point of view of tourists. to be reviewed in the country of Iran and on the tourist destination of Gilan province. The main question of the research is as follows:

Investigation of the main factors affecting the brand equity of a tourist destination from the point of view of tourists assuming the independence of each of the variables and how important is the importance of each factor in tourists' evaluation of the brand equity?

1-3 Necessity and importance of research

The importance of brands as one of the main assets of many large organizations, especially service organizations (due to the production of intangible products) has caused the opinion of many in recent decades To attract thinkers in the field of marketing. And for this reason, a lot of research has been done on this marketing concept, which somehow complements each other. The results obtained from the research will enable marketing managers to know the factors that create higher specific value for their brands from the consumer's point of view, so that they can act towards its faster use.