Events have been recognized as one of three contributors to destinations. Event tourism has become a new tourism alternative in recent years. This research examines the relationships between the marketing and organizing of a recurring hallmark sport event and the marketing of a tourism destination hosting the event in terms of how their marketing strategies can be coordinated for multiple benefits. The specific purposes of this paper are: (1) to look at the destination marketing and the event marketing strategies during and after a recurring hallmark sport event by the destination marketers and the event organizing committee, (2) to examine the stakeholders relationships in destination marketing and sport event marketing for multiple benefits, and (3) to develop an incorporated destination marketing model in sport events that is relevant to China. The results of the research reveal both applicability and incongruence between the two contexts in terms of the organization structure, stakeholders and their relationships, and strategic integrated planning procedures. In addition, the finding of this research supports the view that coordination of event marketing and destination marketing could generate more benefits for both event and destination organizations. However, there currently is no significant integration, especially in the planning procedures in the case of Xiamen. The researcher - by referring to the literature and the situations in Xiamen - thus proposes three strategies for considerations in future integration, and formulates a tentative integrated planning model in the context of China.

Destination image is a concept created by different demand and supply agents. The balance between what is expected and what is being delivered is essential in promoting the destination. The main goal of this study is to describe the different destination images related to Dracula tourism in Transylvania. This is accomplished by looking at the Western tourists’ expectations and demands as expressed in their travel blogs, and by analyzing the supply side through the elicitation of information from locals and Bran Castle tour guides through qualitative interviews. Qualitative content analysis was used to analyze the content, visual and audio information on sampled blogs and interviews. This method identified 11 different themes which captured the overall destination image. The themes focused primarily on historical and fictional images of the destination, on the type of tourists visiting Bran Castle, but also on the locals’ image and response to Dracula tourism. The findings of this study reveal that the majority of Western bloggers visit Bran in search for Count Dracula; however, the Bran Castle tour guides focus on presenting the historical truth. Local residents, although seeing Dracula as a national hero, sometimes adopt the mythical image as a marketing or product development tactic in selling to visitors. Nevertheless, the stakeholders involved in the creation of the image each fit into different destination image frameworks, allowing for the creation of an overall destination image based on historical and fictional elements.

My contribution is focused to a modest framework creation for asylum-immigration theory. By means of arms-export data from 17 Western European countries, tested against inflow of asylum seekers to these countries, covering the past 26 years, it is clear that arms-export from these countries do not contribute to their own asylum-inflow. The main theoretical contribution to existing literature on arms export and migration is therefore that I separate plausible causes of outgoing migration (arms export to countries from where asylum flows are generated) from determinants of asylum immigration. Empirically, I disprove such hypothetical indirect connections put forward both within academic literature and by NGOs like Amnesty International. Instead, I find the counter-intuitive, namely that increased arms export leads to less asylum immigration. Also, in contrast to previous literature on asylum immigration, I build on Granovetter (1973) and propose that diffusion of information through asylum networks depend on weak social connections as opposed to close relationships like ethnic bonds, family ties and friendships. In addition, I problematize the tendency of existing literature to treat asylum seekers as labor migrants and argue for a framework founded on principles which account for the unique circumstances and life situations faced by asylum seekers. In doing so I also extend on previous quantitative works and find that crucial determinants for inflow are signified by the generosity of the welfare state, absence of far right sentiments, and religious diversity. The wealth of a country, its general quality of life, its linguistic and ethnic fractionalization, do not appear to matter.

The intent of this research was to identify the effectiveness of a destination brand as determined by international tourists visiting the destination. The Caribbean can be viewed as a homogeneous region to many individuals seeking sun, sand, and sea; therefore, product differentiation is essential. Destination branding represents and distinguishes a country among competing nations. This concurrent mixed methods study set forth to investigate the effectiveness of the Saint Lucia destination brand. The following objectives underlie this research: i) to explore how the current destination brand was chosen, ii) to evaluate tourists’ perceptions and images of the destination, iii) to explore the relationship between tourists’ perceptions and destination choice, and iv) to evaluate the extent to which the destination brand influenced destination choice. The research findings indicate a lack of awareness concerning the new destination brand. A lack of brand communication and insufficient exposure has been detrimental to the overall success of the destination brand. A conceptual model for the development process of a destination brand was suggested to enhance destination brand effectiveness. The six essential stages include market research, destination image, targeting and positioning, brand identity, communication of the brand, and continuous monitoring and evaluation throughout. It is recommended to engage in monitoring and improvement initiatives of the brand to better gauge its effectiveness; to enhance exposure of the brand through effective niche marketing initiatives that showcase the diversity and unique attributes of Saint Lucia; and finally, to work towards transforming the destination brand into a national brand.

The images of tourist destinations significantly influence travel choices. Accordingly, destination marketers make great efforts to inform their potential consumers about their destinations using deliberately designed projected images. This research focuses on a Chinese tourism destination, Qingdao, exploring the relationships between the images projected by Qingdao government agencies and those perceived by current visitors and by residents. It also examines the factors that influence the image formation of visitors and residents. Three sources of information are used in this research: promotional materials issued by the Qingdao municipal government and the Qingdao Tourism Administration, key informant interview transcripts and a questionnaires survey. The promotional materials were collected from the aforementioned agencies in May 2009. Key informant interviews were conducted in April and May 2009. Self-administered surveys of 578 visitors and 337 residents of Qingdao were administered throughout May and June 2009. The image construct was conceptualized as having three dimensions: cognitive, affective and overall images. The cognitive image attributes included seafood, scenery, beaches, local people, green space, special events, ethnic attractions, weather, squares, architecture, relaxing atmosphere, resorts, hygiene and cleanliness, cultural attractions, golf course, highway system, accommodation, public transport, shopping, fashion shows, value for money, transportation cost, nightlife, football games, airline schedules, and traffic congestion. The affective image attributes included arousing-sleepy, exciting-gloomy, pleasant-unpleasant, and relaxing-distressful. Qualitative evaluation suggested greater congruence between the images projected by Qingdao government agencies and those perceived by visitors than quantitative correlation analysis. The projected images of Qingdao and images perceived by visitors were consistent in their emphases on certain image themes. However, the correlations between these two types of images suggested that the extent to which these image themes were emphasized differed. Similar results were found in the comparison between the images projected by Qingdao and those perceived by residents. Furthermore, most visitors and residents held positive images of Qingdao. Both similarities and differences were discovered in the cognitive, affective and overall images perceived by visitors and residents. Residents were generally more positive than visitors in their cognitive and affective images. It was found that sex, education, place of residence, and previous travel experience only significantly affected visitors’ images of one or two attributes, while age, occupation, primary motivation, most important information source used and number of sources used significantly influenced visitors’ images of between 5 and 8 attributes. Additionally, place attachment and importance of the 2008 Olympic Games were significantly positively correlated with most of the image attributes examined in this study, while importance of German Heritage and Qingdao International Beer Festival were significantly positively correlated with fewer attributes (8 and 6 attributes, respectively). With regard to the factors influencing resident images, it was discovered that sex, education, age, occupation, length of residence, most important source used and number of sources used significantly affected residents’ images to different degrees, ranging from 7 to 18 attributes. Furthermore, place attachment and the importance of German heritage, the 2008 Olympic Games and Qingdao International Beer Festival were significantly positively correlated with the majority of the image attributes examined in this research. This study is one of very few that compares projected and perceived images although methodological challenges for undertaking such research remain. It is also innovative in that it encompasses both tourists’ and residents’ images. Very few such studies have been undertaken in China which has a massive domestic tourism industry and is a major player in international tourism.

Detta är en studie om coopetition inom destinationsnätverk, det vill säga när aktörer på en turistdestination ingår i ett nätverk där samarbete och konkurrens sker samtidigt. Studien är gjord på Visit Gellivare Lapland (VGL), ett destinationsnätverk i Gällivare i norra Lappland som består av ett destinationsbolag, turistbyrån samt ca 55 stycken medlemmar som verkar inom besöksnäringen. Coopetition är en sammansättning av engelskans cooperation och competition och är ett fenomen som uppkommit i och med att konkurrerande organisationer går samman för att nå konkurrensfördelar. Det teoretiska syftet med denna studie är utveckla en förståelse för hur kommunikation och motivation hindrar respektive möjliggör coopetition inom ett destinationsnätverk och det praktiska syftet är att utveckla Visit Gellivare Lapland som destinationsnätverk genom att ge destinationsbolaget och dess medlemmar en förståelse för hur kommunikation och motivation påverkar samarbetet inom nätverket. I och med att vi i studien vill nå en förståelse för begreppet coopetition inom destinationsnätverk har vi antagit en hermeneutisk kunskapssyn och eftersom syftet är att se hur de på förhand bestämda faktorerna kommunikation och motivation påverkar coopetition så antar studien ett deduktivt angreppssätt. Praktiskt har vi gjort en kvalitativ undersökning bestående av tolv stycken semistrukturerade intervjuer med medlemmar från destinationsnätverket VGL samt anställda på destinationsbolaget och turistbyrån. Med intervjuerna ämnade vi besvara vår frågeställning: Hur uppfattar destinationsbolaget Visit Gellivare Lapland och dess medlemmar coopetition i destinationsnätverket? Av studien framgår att medlemsrespondenterna generellt sett inte upplever någon konkurrens, men att de alla gärna samarbetar med andra medlemmar inom nätverket. Den främsta motivationsfaktorn för medlemskapet i destinationsnätverket uppger medlemmarna är marknadsföringen som de får utav destinationsbolaget/turistbyrån. Destinationsbolaget uttrycker dock en önskan om större engagemang från medlemmarnas sida då de upplever att få medlemmar medverkar i nätverkets aktiviteter, så som exempelvis medlemsmöten. Vad gäller kommunikationen i nätverket framgår att en rad olika kanaler används, men huvudsakligen sker kontakten mellan destinationsbolaget/turistbyrån och medlemmarna via mail och telefon. Vi får av destinationsbolaget/turistbyrån uppfattningen att de inte tycker att medlemmarna tar till sig den information som skickas ut, medan medlemmarna i flera fall uttrycker att de får för mycket mail, så att de inte tar sig tid att läsa. De främsta slutsatserna och rekommendationerna vi vill ge destinationsbolaget/ turistbyrån är att de bör se över kommunikationen med medlemmarna och förmedla den nytta medlemmarna kan få av att vara engagerade i destinationsnätverket. Gällande medlemmarna anser vi att de först och främst bör inse vikten av sin egen medverkan i nätverkets aktiviteter och att samtliga medlemmars engagemang i nätverket kan förbättra nätverket i stort. Nyckelord: coopetition, co-opetition, samarbete, konkurrens, motivation, kommunikation, destinationsnätverk, nätverk, regionala strategiska nätverk, strategiska nätverk, turism, destination

Syfte Syftet med denna uppsats är att ge förslag till hur regionen Kalmar/Öland kan stärka varumärkets attraktionskraft gentemot besökare. Grunden för de förslag som ges kommer baseras genom analys av följande frågeställningar:  På vilket sätt arbetar regionen med att profilera sitt varumärke mot potentiella besökare?  Vilken uppfattning finns av regionens varumärke hos potentiella besökare? Metod Vi har använt oss av en kvalitativ och kvantitativ fallstudieundersökning bestående av fem intervjuer samt en enkätundersökning. Fallstudien innefattade destinationerna Kalmar och Öland. Intervjuerna gjordes med representanter från både Kalmar och Öland samt med varumärkesbyggare. Enkäten genomfördes i åldersgruppen 18-30 där respondenterna aldrig hade besökt destinationerna. Reslutat och slutsatser Uppsatsens syfte har besvarats genom att presentera förslag till hur regionen Kalmar/Öland genom samarbete kan stärka sitt varumärke gentemot besökare. Frågeställning ett gällande hur regionen Kalmar/Öland arbetar med att profilera dess varumärken mot potentiella besökare har presenterats där Kalmar har ett varumärke som vill förmedla en mängd olika saker. Vi har uppfattat budskapet som otydligt och spretigt vilket kan anses vara en svaghet. Öland har till skillnad från Kalmar inte jobbat medvetet kring varumärkesbyggande men tar i skrivande stund fram en turismstrategi inklusive en varumärkesanalys för destinationen. Frågeställning två gällande hur regionens varumärke uppfattas har presenterats och visat att Öland har en tydlig och enhetlig bild som en semesterö där sol och bad ligger i fokus vilket, till viss del, stämmer överens med vad representanter från destinationen vill att Öland ska förknippas med. Kalmar förknippas inte lika tydligt med det som de vill förmedla och det finns inte en lika enhetlig bild av Kalmars varumärke jämfört med Ölands.

Turismen i Kalmar har ökat de senaste åren, men hamnar till synes i skymundan av Öland och Glasriket. Hur får man besökare att få upp ögonen för Kalmar som primära resmålet och hur får man dem att stanna? Vi har i denna uppsats intresserat oss för att ta reda på hur ett starkt platsvarumärke skapas och vad som således krävs för att bli en framgångsrik destination, samt hur man kan använda sig av platsmarknadsföring för att nå ut med platsvarumärket till potentiella målgrupper.

In the era of globalization, countries compete with each other for attention, respect and trust of potential consumers, investors, tourists, media and governments of other nations. Branding is the most powerful tool that a nation can utilize for effective differentiation strategies and for creating competitive advantage over other nations. Unfortunately, not every nations or destination marketers have a broad understanding of the concept of branding and how a country can be successfully branded. Hence, this study has proposed a model that could be used as a valuable guide for country branding. Also the model is recommended for countries struggling with image crisis; on the mission to improve the image internationally. Nigeria is a good example of countries with image crisis; it is one of the most populated countries in the world with a population of about 160 million inhabitants and growth rate of 2.553percent annually. Despite the abundant resources (e.g. coal, petroleum, natural gas etc.) that the nation is endowed with, it is quite disappointing that the population below poverty line is still at the alarming rate of 70percent of the total population. The mismanagement and poor leadership of the nation characterised by corruption, fraud, embezzlement of public fund etc. has culminated into serious image crisis that is slowing down the potential for investment and economic growth. However, there has been series of image rebranding campaigns but no tangible achievement has been recorded. It is quite questionable though, if image rebranding will provide the kind of future that Nigeria envisaged, considering the socio-political situation and the economic imbalance; compounded by the obvious fact that the nation has no known brand. Therefore, this paper argues that there is need to redirect the effort invested on image rebranding to the creation of a unique and competitive brand for the country. It was established from the study that a nation’s brand is capable of improving the reputation of the nation as well as stimulate the expectation of the target audience. However, it was also established from the study that a wrong approach to branding could mislead the target audience and attract negative publicity. Hence, as a contribution of the study to the field of branding, a model was proposed as a functional guide for country branding. Also, considering the abysmal performance of Nigeria’s image in the international community and to strengthen the argument that brand creation is required for the country; an experimental application of the proposed model was conducted using Nigeria as the case country. The first phase of the model suggested a major improvement in the society; this is required to further enhance the strengths of the country and to motivate the much needed community participation and confidence in the brand creation. It is the conclusion of the study that a strong nation brand can offset the image problem if it is built on something concrete, genuine, and uniquely identifiable with the country, capable of connecting to the cognitive psychology of the target audience.

Affärsresandet och mässor har funnits i alla tider, den första världsutställningen genomfördes redan år 1851. MICE-industrin (Meetings, incentive, conference och exhibition) utbreder sig allt mer över hela världen. Detta har resulterat i utvecklingen av allt fler anläggningar och diverse resurser. En oro har på senare tid uppkommit gällande om expansionen kommer att skapa en mättnad av marknaden. Vilka resurser krävs egentligen för att en destination ska vara intressant för MICE-evenemang? Denna studie avser att undersöka detta genom kvalitativa intervjuer med verksamma eventföretag inom MICE-industrin för att sedan sätta det empiriska materialet mot tidigare framforskad information kring detta. För studien genomfördes sex kvalitativa semistrukturerade intervjuer med eventföretag stationerade i Sverige. Informanter från de sex företagen intervjuades kring företagens tillvägagångssätt vid arrangerandet av ett MICE-evenemang samt vilka resurser de ser som av störst vikt på en destination anpassad för MICE.  Resultatet visade att de flesta resurser för sig inte är av stor vikt då olika typer av evenemang kräver olika typer av resurser. Det framkom av informanterna vissa resurser som gavs större vikt än andra såsom transporter, samarbeten och kreativitet. En slutsats drogs kring att de destinationer som i framtiden kommer vara de mest framgångsrika inom MICE-industrin är de som på ett kreativt sätt får ut sina unika kvaliteter på marknaden. / Business travel and trade fairs have been around for ages, the first World Expo was conducted already in 1851. The MICE-industry (Meetings, Incentive, conference and exhibition) increasingly extends across the world. This has resulted in the development of an increasing number of facilities and other resources. Recently, a concern has arisen about the expansion potentially oversaturating the market. What resources are required for a destination to be interesting for MICE-events? This study attempts out to investigate this through interviews with event businesses in the MICE-industry in order to take the empirical material towards previously researched information regarding this. The study carried out six qualitative semi-structured interviews with event businesses based in Sweden. Informants from the six companies were interviewed about the companies approach to organizing a MICE-event, and what resources they see as important on a destination suitable for MICE. The results showed that most of the resources for themselves where not of great importance, since different types of events require different types of resources. There were some resources the informants gave greater importance than others, such as transportation, partnership and creativity. A conclusion was reached that the destinations who will be the most successful in the future MICE-industry are the ones that in a creative way get their unique qualities out to the market.