During the spring semester of 2018 the authors of this bachelor thesis, in tourism sciences, have studied the subject of destination brand identity. In order to study the matter, two highly competitve island destinations in Thailand (Koh Tao & Phi Phi) were identified as subjects for further research. Contributing factors in the context of brand identity were then applied and studied separately on both destinations, in order to identify the factors of importance.  The aim of this study is to identify competitive island destinations in the competitive tourism region of Thailand and, from a visitor perspective, determine what factors in destination branding that are important to differentiate and create an identity on the market. To conduct the study several methodological approaches were carefully chosen to collect empirical data. The collected data were then analyzed based on a theoretical framework. The primary method used in this study has it’s origins in a quantitative approach, where most of the data got collected from two surveys. Purpose of this study suggests it derives from a visitor perspective, thus respondents of the surveys have all visited the chosen subject(s) and/or at least one other island destination in Thailand. Results of the study highlights Koh Tao and Phi Phi as competitive island destinations in a busy tourism region and that factors, within the concept of destination brand identity, is necessary to differentiate destinations and their unique characteristics. The results have also contributed to increased understanding of visitors and their views on the destinations seperate brand identities.

Although Georgia has experienced dramatic increases in the number of visitors over the past decade Swedish travellers are absent in the arrival statistics. Visitors from Eastern Europeans account for the majority of the increase in arrivals. This thesis attempts to understand what is missing in order for Swedish tourists to discover Georgia as a destination. This is done by interviewing Swedish tour operators and surveying Swedish visitors to Georgia. The results are analyzed in the framework of Leiper’s theory of destination competitiveness. A SWOT analysis is also used to structure the analysis, and the thesis suggests some benchmark measures that could be used to implement a systematic effort to improve the destination. The thesis concludes that Georgia indeed has a strong attractiveness on Swedish tourists, but that the main problems are connected with low awareness and lack of convenient transportation options. It is argued that these problems can be solved through improved marketing and entrepreneurship. Furthermore, the thesis highlights the need for Georgian destination managers to make choices today in order to shape the image of the country in the future. Georgia has a challenge to strengthen the authenticity that many travellers associate with the country, but is in a position to modernize by preserving traditions. Finally, it is argued that the results from this study are generalizable to include preferences of travellers from Western Europe in general, and therefore the study points to some significant opportunities available to Georgia.