The focus is to make destinations more competitive, enjoyable and economically successful. This boost tourism and economic development capabilities and competitiveness by designing place branding strategies or tourism plans that make the destination preferred choice for tourists, businesses, relocation, students, a new resident.
The need is to strengthen the city’s image, increase marketing focus win market share, generate wider support, and move from marginal results to a more prosperous visitor economy.
Following main issues are dealt with in this course:
- Introducing destinations and destinations marketing
- The importance and the critical roles played by the DMO (Destination Management Organization) in the tourism policy development and implementation.
- Scenario Thinking and The strategic purpose of destinations and their management and marketing
- Destination Branding, social, emotional and product properties
- Brand Evaluation, Brand Stakeholders, Brand Values
- Marketing research: identifying market segments for destination products; Anholt and Saffron Rankings
- Marketing destinations: strategies and practices, distributing brand message through stakeholders
- Cases from different national brands where interest is in investments, international business, immigration, and tourism.

The objectives of the course are as follows. The student
- understands the meaning of destination branding process especially in the tourism industry
- understands and can apply the destination branding process tools and processes to develop tourism and hospitality services.

Destination branding processes
Distribution of destination branding
Destination marketing processes

The mode of delivery is a combination of online lectures and online activities in breakout rooms at Zoom. The online activities with other students deepen the learning in individual and group work, reflection and guidance.
Online presence mandatory, lectures are not recorded.

Reading material shared by the lecturer at the beginning of the course

Teacher email is kari.halonen@toolboxtravel.fi

1st year business studies or similar competence

0-5

Failed (0) Knowledge and Understanding: The student fails in the attempt of demonstrating theoretical and conceptual knowledge in a clear manner. Central concepts have been defined only partially. The student is not able to display any basic understanding of the subject area.
Intellectual Skills: The student has major difficulties in defining the problem and fails in interpretation. The student is not using reliable sources of industry or reliable
academic literature.
Sufficient (1) Knowledge and Understanding: The student is able to demonstrate the basic theoretical and conceptual knowledge of global destination branding process. Central concepts are defined fairly clearly. The student is able demonstrate command of the key concepts of subject area.
Intellectual Skills: The student is able to describe the problem and somehow interpret and analyse complex of global destination branding issues in question. The student is able to support his argumentation with some basic academic literature and other relevant information.

Satisfactory (2) Knowledge and Understanding: The student is able to give some evidence on his/her theoretical and conceptual knowledge of global destination branding process. Central concepts have been defined but vaguely. The student displays only superficial knowledge of the subject area.
Intellectual Skills: The student is able to define the problem but has difficulties in interpretation and analysing of the complex business issues and challenges arising and is not able to evaluate them from multiple perspectives. The student is able to review academic literature and other relevant information from industry and academic sources in a satisfactory way.

Good (3) Knowledge and Understanding: The student demonstrates his/her theoretical and conceptual knowledge clearly. Central concepts of global destination branding process have been defined well. The student displays fairly good command of the subject area.
Intellectual Skills: The student is able to interpret and analyse complex of global destination branding process issues and legal problems arising from multiple perspectives fairly well and find academic literature and other relevant information from industry and academic sources to support his argumentation.

Very good (4) Knowledge and Understanding: The student demonstrates solid and right theoretical and conceptual knowledge. Central concepts of global destination branding have been defined accurately. The student displays a good command of the subject area.
Intellectual Skills: The student is able to interpret and analyse complex global destination branding issues and challenges arising from multiple perspectives well and critically review academic literature and other relevant information from industry and academic sources in a good manner.

Excellent (5) Knowledge and Understanding: The student demonstrates his/her theoretical and conceptual knowledge in detail. Central concepts of global destination branding processes and have been defined with precision. The student displays a clear command of the subject area.

Intellectual Skills: The student is able to interpret and analyse complex destination branding and challenges arising from multiple perspectives and critically review academic literature and other relevant information from industry and academic sources in an excellent manner.