Should Dracula Myth be a Brand to Promote Romania as a Tourist Destination?

Abstract

Dracula is an international brand, not a Romanian one. But Bram Stocker chose to locate his vampire in the mysterious location of Transylvania. Thus, Romania is the only country in the world which can exploit the myth of Dracula as being at its ‘home’. This could be considered a competitive advantage for Romania as a tourist destination. The vampire named Dracula generates mixed, mainly negative, feelings among Romanians. And maybe – for the 21st century – can become a character falling in desuetude. Though, the question remains: should the Dracula myth be used as a brand promoting Romania as a tourist destination? The present paper tries to find an answer to this controversial question.brand, Dracula, tourism, destination, product, Romania