Destination Brand Personality at the Spotlight

Abstract

As destinations strive to enhance their uniqueness and differentiate in the competitive arena of the post-pandemic era, symbolic attributes and variables seem to explain better tourists' decision making. Some years ago, Kumar and Nayak (2014) claimed that research concerning destination personality was still in a nascent stage, but as Šagovnović and Kovačić (2020) note, the number of relative studies is increasing. This chapter aims to provide a literature review presenting the most recent evolution of destination personality research and providing an updated mapping of the domain, as depicted in the state-of-the-art scientific literature. The identified articles are comparatively presented in terms of main findings, measurement scales and dimensions of destination personality, methods and samples used, destinations, journal, and year of publication. Destination personality has been linked with other marketing constructs, such as destination image, self-congruity, and behavioral intentions. Key conclusions are drawn, and research priorities and practical implications are discussed.