The objective of this study is to understand how the territorial brand has been used in the competitiveness of tourist destinations. The method adopted is a systematic literature review with an exploratory-descriptive approach. Research findings address the relationships between territorial brand and destination image that are independent and, at a certain point over time, become co-dependent. Research is original in that it analyzes, as a background, the dependence, co-dependence, or their absence among the investigated constructs. Tourism is an interdisciplinary and multidisciplinary area, according to the conclusion, and tourism research helps in understanding the processes involved and their implications for the territory on both a global and local scale.
TopIntroduction
Tourist destinations have promoted discussions in various areas of knowledge since the 1990s (Tasci et al., 2007), appropriating technological resources and creating territorial competitiveness (Cicciotti, 1993; Alves, 2009). According to Cracolici and Nijkampb (2009), tourism attractiveness is an important factor in identifying public policies that increase tourism and regional competitiveness. In order to manage a destination, social actors need to maintain relationships in the territory (Rodrigues y Fernández, 2009; Gómez Díaz et al., 2017). The tourism industry is also an engine for socioeconomic development and a tool for solving problems in different areas (Andrade y Caamaño-Franco, 2018) and tourist destination image (TDI) is considered crucial when planning a trip (Marine-Roig y Ferrer-Rosell, 2018). Tourism boosts the local economy and generates income and jobs (Limberger y Anjos, 2012), and can also transform spaces strategically (Almeida, 2011; Pitt et al., 2018), creating a specific brand, the territorial one (Almeida, 2018) to these collectively produced spaces. It is also highlighted that two factors can interfere in the transformation of urban spaces. One of them refers to the estimate that by 2030 world urbanization will reach a level of 60%, increasing the role of cities (Ferreira, 2001). At the same time, this scenario brings multiple roles to the city (Numata Junior y Nascimento, 2014), such as the urban influence on public governance arrangements (Pitt et al., 2018), extending to tourist destinations (Almeida, 2011). Another factor to be considered is that tourist destinations, especially urban ones, will be inserted in a different reality than before the Covid19 pandemic, which started in December 2019. Carneiro and Allis (2021) emphasize that it is important to rethink tourist practices in terms of orientation and management of tourism activity as a result of the consequences of the Covid19 pandemic. It should be noted that the Covid-19 pandemic affected places and communities, effectively stopping the tourism industry (Kavaratzis y Florek, 2021). One of the challenges facing destination managers and marketers is managing different brands within one tourist destination. Diversification strategies are necessary for its effectiveness (Yang et al., 2022). The same way that social media discloses tourist destinations (Su et al., 2022) to tourists the territorial brands can impact tourist destinations. In this way, the strategies of destinations and their territorial competitiveness will also change. It is believed that one of these changes is aimed at the territorial brand focused on regional development (Almeida, 2018) which can become one of the variables of the destination image under a more contemporary approach. In their marketing and advertising messages, destination brands promise added value (Pastor y Ojeda, 2013). The promises are made both to tourists and to online and social media users (Guede y Filipe, 2019).