Destination branding and the role of emigrants: the case of morocco.

Aquesta tesi pretén analitzar el paper de l'emigrant marroquí en la construcció de la marca Marroc com a destinació turística. Per aconseguir aquest objectiu, aquest estudi proposa, primer, desenvolupar un model conceptual que permeti comprendre el paper de la població emigrant en la construcció de la marca dels seus llocs d'origen. Segon, determinar els aspectes clau del paper de l'emigrant marroquí resident a Espanya en la construcció de la marca Marroc. Finalment, analitzar els principals atributs de la marca Marroc que transmeten els emigrants, i les seves percepcions sobre la seva influència a l'hora de formar la marca Marroc com a reclam turístic. Els resultats demostren que l'emigrant marroquí destaca els atributs emocionals per sobre dels funcionals quan tracta de caracteritzar el seu país, també posen de manifest que la seva influència és forta, en la construcció de la marca del seu país, llançant un missatge positiu, clar i consistent.Esta tesis pretende analizar el papel del emigrante marroquí en la construcción de la marca Marruecos como destino turístico. Para lograr este objetivo, este estudio propone, primero, desarrollar un modelo conceptual que permita comprender el papel de la población emigrante en la construcción de la marca de sus lugares de origen. Segundo, determinar los aspectos clave del papel del emigrante marroquí residente en España en la construcción de la marca Marruecos. Por último, analizar los principales atributos de la marca Marruecos que transmiten los emigrantes, y sus percepciones sobre su influencia a la hora de formar la marca Marruecos como reclamo turístico. Los resultados demuestran que el emigrante marroquí destaca los atributos emocionales por encima de los funcionales cuando trata de caracterizar su país, también ponen de manifiesto que su influencia es fuerte, en la construcción de la marca de su país, lanzando un mensaje positivo, claro y consistente.This Ph.D thesis seeks to analyse the role of Moroccan emigrants’ in the construction of Morocco brand as a tourist destination. To do so, firstly, this study proposes a conceptual model to understand the role of emigrant population in the construction of their places of origin’s brand. Secondly, it determines the key aspects of the role played by Moroccan emigrants living in Spain in the construction of the Morocco brand. Finally, it analyses the main attributes of the Morocco brand transmitted by Moroccan emigrants, and their perceptions of their influence on the Morocco brand as a tourist destination. The findings sum up that Moroccan emigrants highlight emotional attributes more than functional ones to characterise Morocco. Our data also show that Moroccan emigrants think that they exert a strong influence on the construction of their country brand, and that their message of their country is positive, clear and consistent

The role of emigrants in the construction of a destination brand: a new research line

Purpose – The main objective of this work consists of proposing a new line of research which consists of exploring the role of emigrants in the construction of their country of origin’s brand. Design and methodology: To justify the need of this new research line we provide arguments by conducting a literature review on destination branding and topics related to migration in tourism. Approach – A proper destination branding may have a bearing on the image of a particular area, attracting visitors, investments, and a greater economic wealth for the region. The relevance of this topic for tourism management explains the interest of research in determining the elements of the brand of touristic destinations and its influence on the tourists’ behaviour. Originality – Scant attention has been paid by the literature on the influence of stakeholders on brand construction at a regional level, and specifically on the influence of emigrant population, that is those people who are living outside their original territories and whose identity might exert an influence on the construction of their country’s brand and attract potential tourists. Findings – This study proposes a conceptual model to understand the role of emigrant population in the construction of their places of origin’s destination brand. This model suggests that social identity processes may affect the way emigrants communicate to locals a brand about their places of origin, contributing therefore to the construction of the brand of their countries