Iconic destinations Banff, Iceland, and Petra

TRAVEL MARKETING

The Art of Destination Making

Tourism strategies from Iceland, Banff, and Saudi Arabia

When marketers talk about powerful brands, they typically refer to businesses like Apple, Coca Cola and Nike. Why don’t we talk about the brands of travel destinations like Spain, the Maldives, and Las Vegas?

Places have their own unique brands, and governments spend handsomely on brand and marketing campaigns to attract visitors and capture part of the ~10% of global GDP attributed to travel and tourism. Saudi Arabia has reportedly earmarked $800 billion through 2030 to transform into a global tourism destination (Source: WTTC), while government agencies from Spain, Australia, USA, UK, and France spend tens to hundreds of millions annually.

How do countries turn places into destinations?

Iceland and Banff National Park are two places that managed to transform into in-demand destinations through effective brand building:

• After the 2008 financial crisis, Iceland’s government embarked on a strategic marketing campaign which tripled Iceland’s annual tourism in less than ten years.
• Canada’s Canadian Pacific Rail company discovered and marketed Banff as a luxury destination to drum up demand for…