Experiences and Tourism in Coastal Areas: Marketing the tourist experience at the English Riviera.

Abstract

This chapter examines the relationships between the branding and marketing of coastal destinations in England with the experiences and behaviour of tourists visiting those destinations. It does so using a case study of ‘The English Riviera’, an umbrella brand for the resorts of Torquay, Paignton and Brixham in Devon, southwest England, which is widely considered to be at the forefront of destination branding in the UK. A mixed-methods approach was used to explore these issues. Firstly in-depth interviews were undertaken with destination branding professionals to explore the distinct brand personalities that have been created for each resort. Secondly, interviews were undertaken with tourists in the three resorts to explore the congruence between the destination personality and the tourist’s self-concept. Effective destination branding resulted in higher levels of congruence and more positive experiences among tourists (particularly an increased likelihood to make repeat visits and recommend the destination to others). Conversely where the resort’s brand personality was not congruent with visitors’ self-concept experiences were less positive and visitors were not as likely to recommend the resort. The findings underline the need for effective destination branding to carefully align with the needs, expectations and personalities of potential visitors.