Place branding and local food souvenirs: the ethical attributes of national parks’ brands

Abstract

Purpose This paper aims to identify what ethical attributes tourists associate with national parks’ brands shown on food souvenir labels and the influence of such attributes on purchase motivations. Design/methodology/approach An exploratory study was carried out involving a total of 102 Italian tourists, who were interviewed at two different souvenir shops in Italy. Respondents were first asked to describe what images and values they were associating with the visited Italian National Park. The second level of questions related to the association of food products with national parks and the purchase motivations of food products branded with the national park’s label. The ethical attributes associated with the national parks’ brands and their relevance in purchase motivations were detected and analyzed through content analysis. Findings The analysis of the national park brand allows highlighting the food souvenir role in communicating ethical values that influence the perceived quality of food as well as tourists’ purchase motivations. The analysis reveals interesting implications for the enhancement of local productions in tourist destinations, more specifically, how the place brand can act as a valuable communication tool. Particular attention is given to the crucial role that national parks’ brands play in strengthening the value proposition of small businesses located within parks. This vision must be implemented from the perspective of mutual promotion of local food and tourism in these parks. Originality/value The results of this paper contributed to the literature by filling the gap regarding the role of place brands in promoting food souvenirs.

Seafood festivals for local development in Italy and Sweden

“…Small shops and markets could represent significant elements to support the dissemination of knowledge of local products and promote activities accordingly. Through the purchase of local food products, visitors establish a closer bond to the place and producers and keep memories of different countries and cultures (Pizzichini et al, 2020). However, in the cases observed, there was a lack of attention concerning this aspect.…”

“…R.K. -Director of Musselfest organizing committee As it emerged in the interviews, this approach might have a negative impact on place identity and the tourists' perception of food authenticity. Several studies found that local origin and authenticity of food products are important factors for tourists who desire to explore the local culture, to obtain unique products and to contribute to the local community development (Pizzichini et al, 2020;Altintzoglou et al, 2016;Sims, 2009;Sthapit, 2018).…”

“…Petty trade may attract visitors who perhaps are not so interested in the food festival per se but might want to attend the event for more generic leisure motives (Getz, 2019). On the other hand, petty trade might negatively affect the perception of the authenticity of the event (Pizzichini et al, 2020;Altintzoglou et al, 2016;Sims, 2009).…”

Brand management and cocreation lessons from tourism and hospitality: introduction to the special issue

“…It is expected that the model creates added value for historic districts and influence the task of regeneration. Place/ nation branding has been discussed not only in relation to tourism destinations but also in its application to national parks (Pizzichini et al, 2020) and the food industry (Donner et al, 2017). In particular, sport mega-events are catalysts for nation branding as they create unique opportunities for transformational development and global appeal while support internal brand building and public diplomacy (Knott et al, 2017).…”

Black Caviar Perturbs Reflection of Russian Geography: A Research Note of Aquaculture-Triggered Place Naming Puzzle

“…Some food products are closely associated with particular geographical places and countries (even if not specific to only them), and, thus, it is natural to expect from these products reflectance of the local/regional/national geographical names, i.e., their contribution to place branding. The relevant ideas are actively discussed by the contemporary researchers, and some general thoughts can be found, particularly, in the works by Blichfeldt and Halkier [1], Bosco [2], Del Casino [3], Harner [4], Lopes et al [5], Pizzichini et al [6], and Sanz-Cañada and Muchnik [7]. As shown by Merle et al [8], geographical indications influence strongly on food perceptions [8].…”