Are Residents The New Tourism Ambassadors?
Local people may be the best ambassadors for tourism in their home towns and cities, according to Ph.D. graduates Dr Philipp Wassler and Dr Liang Wang, and Dr Kam Hung of the School of Hotel and Tourism Management (SHTM) at The Hong Kong Polytechnic University. Building a brand for a destination is an effective way of attracting tourists, but destination marketers rarely consider the needs of residents - the biggest and potentially most influential group of stakeholders in any destination. The researchers note that local communities can make or break a destination brand, and their marketing may be far more cost-effective, authentic and persuasive than traditional advertising. Surveying residents from Hong Kong, famously branded as "Asia's World City", this pioneering study offers important empirical insights into how residents' voices can help tourism destinations to differentiate themselves in an increasingly globalised and competitive market.