Community participation has long been viewed as an important tenet of tourism planning, and there is general consensus among researchers that engaging all stakeholder groups contributes to tourism sustainability. However, there are gaps in the literature, and challenges in practice, that call for further research. Among these are the dynamics of heterogeneous community groups and that not all community subgroups have equal opportunity to participate in tourism planning. This paper attempts to advance community participation by drawing on progressive approaches to stakeholder theory in the management field and by exploring, for the first time, the engagement of immigrants in tourism planning as fringe stakeholders, representative of present and future community dynamics. Bringing first generation immigrants as an important but less studied segment within the broader host community into focus moves tourism planning toward a more inclusive approach to community engagement, reflecting increased diversity and change in host communities.
Purpose -The purpose of this paper is to identify brand dimensions of tourism products and places that most influence the perspective of potential travelers. Design/methodology/approach -The study was conducted in North America by online survey (n ϭ 4,000), using a multi-product brand measurement model to assess a competitive set of 100 tourism brands according to 54 attributes. Factor analysis produced nine dimensions that vary in their degree of influence by both product category and level of place. Findings -Country brands are most influenced by the virtual dream dimension as potential travelers explore destinations online, provincial/state brands are more influenced by the trust factor of the comfort zone and corporate citizen dimensions and, at the city level, influential brands are big and bold.Research limitations/implications -The study contributes an understanding of brand influence that crosses tourism product and place categories. While 100 brands are a good sample, they are a fraction of the market. In future, the methodology can be applied to understand selective bundles of brands that comprise any holistic tourist experience. Practical implications -A better understanding of the factors that influence potential travelers' brand perceptions is valuable to marketers, particularly for destinations offering a mix of product and place experiences. Originality/value -Much of tourism brand research is limited to one sub-sector. This paper extends the research by identifying brand dimensions across products (i.e. attractions, lodging, transportation, online travel agents) and destinations (i.e. city, province/state, country) in one study. Additionally, new dimensions, "Connectivity" and "Virtual Dream", reflect the significance of online planning and purchase in the current travel.
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