Explaining and presenting a tourism branding model in geo-tourism areas (Case study: Sand dunes of Rafsanjan county)

1. Introduction

Branding of tourist destinations is a process used to improve and enhance the identity and personality of a destination and differentiate it from all the destinations that are competing with that destination. Branding in tourism is one of the most important strategies for developing tourism products and spaces, which, while highlighting the products, distinguishes them from competitors. Presenting a branding model is a multidimensional process with numerous elements that can be presented and explained in different areas of tourism. Geotourism areas such as deserts and deserts are one of the important tourism spaces in Iran, the branding of which has not been given much attention, and geotourism in Iranian deserts lacks an effective brand internationally. Branding this area and presenting a proposed brand is important. This work, in addition to distinguishing it from similar and competing places, has promoted its position and status in the national tourism system, and this issue, in addition to increasing tourists and visitors to this area and contributing to the economic prosperity of the province, highlights its superior tourism values. Meanwhile, the sand dunes of Rafsanjan County in Kerman Province, despite having high scientific, ecological and cultural values, have been neglected and not highlighted due to being in the shadow of the main deserts of the country. Therefore, in this study, the branding process of the sand dunes of Rafsanjan County has been analyzed in the form of a model and the final brand has been presented.



2. Research Methodology

This research is considered a qualitative and quantitative research in terms of its purpose, applied type, and in terms of the nature of the data, it is a qualitative and quantitative research. The data was collected through library and field methods. The statistical population of the research includes 266 arrival tourists to county, observation and interviews with 52 tourism experts, including officials and managers, tourism activists, and some researchers. To determine the statistical sample of experts, the snowball method was used and the sample size was determined based on the theoretical saturation method. The sample selection criteria were also based on the level of participation in research related to the region, having responsibility in its management, having a role in attracting and guiding tourists and providing tourism services, and having a history of specialized visits. Accordingly, 52 experts were finally selected as the statistical sample. To analyze the research data, the qualitative method of content analysis was used. The reason for choosing this method is its efficiency, proceduralist, flexibility, and dependence on the researcher's creativity. Content analysis is an important qualitative method that first identifies and analyzes the concepts and then the main themes related to the research through data obtained from interviews, observations, and other documents.













3. Results and discussion

This final branding model has three main parts: 1- The superior values constitute all the essential and core assets of the brand, and the entire nature of the brand is based on these values and refers to the assets of the sand dunes. The most important values of the sand dunes brand include the diversity of the landscape and view, geotourism values and proximity to it, connection with agriculture and biological species, intersection and connection with rural artifacts, etc. 2- The brand personality, which reflects the psychological characteristics of the region from a human perspective and generally reflects a sense of stability, strength, courage, peace and happiness. 3- Brand tourism demand: This part of the brand is related to its applicants, whose main audience is the people living in the city and surrounding villages and ultimately domestic tourists from the surrounding provinces. Also, the limited visitors to this region are loyal to it and are relatively satisfied with its services and have a positive mindset towards it. 4- Brand Future: The future of Sand Dunes has been mapped out with development plans in various dimensions, and missions have been formulated to achieve the goals of the vision. In this model, superior values are considered the heart and core of the brand, and tourism demand is considered as the users of this core, and personality leads to understanding and promoting superior values. Finally, in order to continue the nature of the brand and its future development, the mission and vision are considered. The aim of this research was to design and develop a geotourism brand for the Rafsanjan sand dunes, and the final model reflects the superior and distinctive values of this region and its attractive character compared to similar phenomena and places. Although this region is not well known and may not seem suitable for branding on the surface, it should not be forgotten that the presence of distinctive features is the main asset for becoming a brand, and branding itself is the most important strategy and tool for tourism marketing.



4. Conclusion

Comparing the results of the research with other studies, it should be said that this is almost one of the first studies that, instead of examining the factors affecting brand development or its results, has addressed the process of building the brand itself and its content and structure, and in this regard, it has attempted to take an important step towards developing its theoretical and applied knowledge. Finally, it should be noted that in order to develop a brand, it is necessary to identify the brand's touch points and identify and invest in the set of channels that exist for communicating and introducing the brand to the tourism community. The proposed brand should be introduced to the community through the principles of fifth-generation marketing and involve people and tourists in this process. By inviting prominent tourism figures and individuals, inviting tourists and foreigners, involving people in the process of building and implementing the brand, etc., the process of operationalizing the geotourism brand can be realized