THE CONTRIBUTION OF CONTENT MARKETING TO BUILDING THE BRAND IMAGE OF TOURIST DESTINATIONS
Abstract
The objective of our article is to highlight the role of content marketing in building brand image and increasing awareness of tourist destinations, to advance the tourism sector. To achieve our objective, we reviewed the literature, building on previous studies, in order to define our conceptual model and hypotheses. Next, we tested these hypotheses with a quantitative study, based on an ad hoc questionnaire of 500 Internet users (tourists), and the results obtained were analyzed through structural equation modeling Pls approach.
The study concluded that the dimensions of content marketing (relevance, credibility, and attractiveness) have a positive and direct impact in building the brand image and increasing awareness among tourists, while brand awareness is considered a real mediator between content marketing and the brand image of the tourist destination.
References
Tussyadiah, I. P., & Fesenmaier, D. R. (2009). Mediating tourist experiences: Access to places via shared videos. Annals of Tourism Research, 36(1), 24-40.
Baltes, L. P. (2015). Content marketing - the fundamental tool of digital marketing. Bulletin of the Transilvania University of Brasov. Economic Sciences, 8(2), 111.
Bazi, S., Filieri, R., & Gorton, M. (2023). Social media content aesthetic quality and customer engagement: The mediating role of entertainment and impacts on brand love and loyalty. Journal of Business Research, 160, 7.
Buhalis, D. (2000). Marketing the competitive destination of the future. Tourism Management, 21(1), 97-116.
Buhalis, D., & Law, R. (2008). Progress in information technology and tourism management: 20 years on and 10 years after the Internet—The state of eTourism research. Tourism management, 29(4), 609-623.
Choi, S., Lehto, X. Y., & Morrison, A. M. (2009). Destination image representation on the web: Content analysis of Macau travel related websites. Tourism Management, 28(1), 118-129.
Chung, N. &. (2015). The use of social media in travel information search. Telematics and Informatics, 32(2), 215-229.
Gartner, W. C. (2014). Brand equity in a tourism destination. Place Branding and Public Diplomacy, 10, 108-116.
Hanna, S., & Rowley, J. (2015). Towards a model of the Place Brand Web. Tourism Management, 48, 100-112.
Hair, J., Hollingsworth, C. L., Randolph, A. B., & Chong, A. Y. L. (2017). An updated and expanded assessment of PLS-SEM in information systems research. Industrial management & data systems, 117(3), 442-458.
Hays, S., Page, S. J., & Buhalis, D. (2013). Social media as a destination marketing tool: its use by national tourism organisations. Current issues in Tourism, 16(3), 211-239.
Hutter, K., & Hoffmann. (2011). Guerrilla marketing: The nature of the concept and propositions for further research. Asian Journal of Marketing, 5(2), 39-54.
Iacobucci, D. (2009). Everything you always wanted to know about SEM (structural equations modeling) but were afraid to ask. Journal of Consumer Psychology, 19(4), 673-680.
Institute, C. M. (2022). What is Content Marketing? . Récupéré sur https://contentmarketinginstitute.com/what-is-content-marketing/
Järvinen, J. &. (2016). Harnessing marketing automation for B2B content marketing. Industrial Marketing Management, 54, 164-175.
Jiménez-Barreto, J., Rubio, N., Campo, S., & Molinillo, S. (2020). Linking the online destination brand experience and brand credibility with tourists’ behavioral intentions toward a destination. Tourism Management, 79, 3-4.
Konecnik, M., & Go, F. (2008). Tourism destination brand identity: The case of Slovenia. Journal of brand management, 15, 177-189.
Kulikova, E. et al. (2024). Analysis of the implementation of digital marketing in the agro-industrial complex. Agrarian Bulletin of the 10.32417/1997-4868-2024-24-08-1106-1114.
Lou, C., & Yuan, S. (2019). Influencer marketing: How message value and credibility affect consumer trust of branded content on social media. Journal of interactive advertising, 19(1), 58-73.
Manhas, P. S., Manrai, L. A., & Manrai, A. K. (2016). Role of tourist destination development in building its brand image: A conceptual model. Journal of Economics, Finance and Administrative Science, 21(40), 25-29.
Mariani, M. M., Di Felice, M., & Mura, M. (2016). Facebook as a destination marketing tool: Evidence from Italian regional Destination Management Organizations. Tourism Management, 321-343.
Memon, M. A., Ramayah, T., Cheah, J. H., Ting, H., Chuah, F., & Cham, T. H. (2021). PLS-SEM statistical programs: a review. Journal of Applied Structural Equation Modeling, 5(1), 1-14.
Moisio, E. (2020). An empirical analysis on how relevance and credibility of content affect consumer brand engagement in Facebook and Instagram in a mixed business model (Master's thesis).
Moro, S. R. (2017). Predicting social media performance metrics and evaluation of the impact on brand building: A data mining approach. Journal of Business Research, 69(9), 3341-3351.
Munar, A. M., & Jacobsen, J. K. (2014). Motivations for sharing tourism experiences through social media. Tourism Management, 46-54.
Poursaeed, M. M., Dehyadegari, S., Khosropour, R., & Barzegarpour, M. (2023). Investigating the Effects of Brand Image, Brand Awareness and Brand Quality on Attachment and Loyalty to the Tourism Destination Brand the Case Study A Kerman and Yazd Cities. urban tourism, 10(2), 93-113.
Pulizzi, J. (2012). The rise of storytelling as the new marketing. Publishing research quarterly, 28(2), 116-123.
Safitri, S., Alii, M., & Mahmud, O. (2022). Murottal Audio as a Medium for Memorizing the Qur'an in Super-Active Children. Al-Hijr: JIIET: Journal International Inspire Education Technology, 1(2).
So, K. K. F., King, C., Hudson, S., & Meng, F. (2017). The missing link in building customer brand identification: The role of brand attractiveness. Tourism Management, 59, 640-651
Sodikov, M. (2024). EXPLORING THE INFLUENCE OF SOCIAL MEDIA FIGURES ON DESTINATION IMAGE AND PURCHASE INTENTIONS IN THE TOURISM SECTOR. None. 10.60078/2992-877x-2024-vol2-iss10-pp217-223.
Wang, H., & Yan, J. (2022). Effects of social media tourism information quality on destination travel intention: Mediation effect of self-congruity and trust. School of Logistics, Transportation and Tourism, Jiangsu Vocational College of Finance and Economics, Huaian, Jiangsu, Chin, 5-6.
Zhang, K. e. (2024). Sunsets, seafood and sea gypsies: A qualitative content analysis on the alternative destination image of Malaysian Borneo among Chinese outbound tourists. None. 10.18778/0867-5856.34.2.13.
Zhou, L. (2017). How Visual Communication Strategies, Brand Familiarity, and Personal Relevance Influence Instagram Users' Responses to Brand Content (Doctoral dissertation, The University of Southern Mississippi).
Views:
50
Downloads:
17
Copyright (c) 2025 Tebaibia Salima, Bouhrine Fatiha, Ahlam Chouali, Merabet Bilal

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
All articles are published in open-access and licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (CC BY 4.0). Hence, authors retain copyright to the content of the articles.
CC BY 4.0 License allows content to be copied, adapted, displayed, distributed, re-published or otherwise re-used for any purpose including for adaptation and commercial use provided the content is attributed.