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The process of co-creating destination brand – the case of the Athens Tourism Partnership

Eirini Vlassi (Department of Tourism Economics and Management, University of the Aegean, Chios, Greece and Department of Economics and Business, Neapolis University, Paphos, Cyprus)
Andreas Papatheodorou (Department of Tourism Economics and Management, University of the Aegean, Mytilene, Greece)

Journal of Place Management and Development

ISSN: 1753-8335

Article publication date: 20 June 2024

Issue publication date: 29 October 2024

151

Abstract

Purpose

While the value of stakeholder involvement in destination marketing and branding has been emphasized, little research has been conducted on the inner workings of collaborative initiatives. Based on the case of the Athens Tourism Partnership, Greece, this study aims to map the value co-creation process as it unfolds in joint destination marketing and branding initiatives.

Design/methodology/approach

To capture the way partners collaborated to create the brand of the city, this study collected data through participant observation and analyzed it using Classical Grounded Theory principles.

Findings

The study reveals the different types of relationships and their characteristics that develop when an airline-airport-destination authority partnership is established to enhance destination brand and the potential dynamics of the collaborative initiatives.

Originality/value

The FiNE framework has been developed and can guide stakeholders who wish to collaborate to co-create the destination brand. This study offers theoretical and practical implications for destination authorities and tourism stakeholders to initiate, manage and implement collaborative initiatives that may empower the destination brand and deliver win-win outcomes.

Keywords

Acknowledgements

Declaration of interest: none.

Citation

Vlassi, E. and Papatheodorou, A. (2024), "The process of co-creating destination brand – the case of the Athens Tourism Partnership", Journal of Place Management and Development, Vol. 17 No. 4, pp. 415-441. https://doi.org/10.1108/JPMD-05-2023-0049

Publisher

:

Emerald Publishing Limited

Copyright © 2024, Emerald Publishing Limited

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