FESTIVALS' ROLE IN BRANDING A DESTINATION A case study of the Barbaros Strawman Festival in Izmir, Turkey

Abstract

Tourists' changing expectations and behaviours push destination managers to launch new and different products in the tourism market. This chapter investigates the value and applicability for a specific festival organisation of taking a destination branding approach, using a case study of the Barbaros Strawman Festival held in Urla-Izmir in Turkey. Understanding the role of thematic festivals for destination branding may help organisers to promote and make a brand for the destination. A brand is identified as 'a name, term, design, symbol, or any other feature that identifies one sellers' good or service as distinct from those of other sellers' by the American Marketing Association. Festivals have been described as public events that celebrate a specific theme, a culture, a season or a time of year. Qualitative methods were used to obtain data directly from residents. In-depth semi-structured interviews were conducted during the festival, and direct observation was also carried out, as a way to complement the data collection.