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A tentative model to measure city brands on the Internet

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Abstract

Place branding is becoming a powerful tool to gain competitive advantage, as it improves the development of a region or country not only in terms of leisure and tourism, but also in terms of attracting investment, new residents, jobs and skilled migrants. Internet websites are essential communication tools for place brands. The aim of this article is to quantify the brand image of Spanish cities according to their visibility on the Internet. After this, the study is focused on the key elements explaining the success of the brand image of Bilbao (Basque Country, Spain), with the Guggenheim Museum being the main icon. This work reveals that cities having a higher visibility on the Internet enjoy a cultural heritage of great wealth. Therefore, cultural tourism may be a key factor that enhances the brand image of these cities with the consequent implications for the growth and development of their regions.

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Notes

  1. This interactivity that 2.0 technologies enhance allows increasing both the usefulness of the web page and its credibility. It is the case of the sections of comments and ratings from users telling about their experiences in the cities they have visited, as well as the use and enjoyment of hotels.

  2. There may be a small methodological bias in search engines when entering the name of provincial capitals, as in some cases the name is the same as the name of the province. In addition, some provincial capitals can be named as any other city in the world.

  3. Between 1985 and 1997, spending rose from 59 to 82 per cent on its overall budget (Evans, 2003).

  4. The city of Turia will host the Tennis Tournament (Tennis Open 500), the European Grand Prix Formula 1, Valencia Fashion Week, the 33rd America's Cup and the Global Champions Tour (GCT), which is the most prestigious international equestrian circuit in the world.

  5. For more information about cultural heritage and economic encounters, see Lyon and Wells (2012).

  6. This event is part of Spain's cultural calendar and has been enjoyed by thousands of people. It has had a spectacular tourist relevance for this city, which has taken up the challenge of reaching 3 million visitors a year. This kind of tourism is represented by visitors with greater spending power and less environmental impact. In addition, the profile of the cultural tourist is that of an experienced traveller who demands quality (Richards, 2007).

  7. In Spain, cultural tourism is becoming increasingly important. The potential of Spain in this sector is large because of its rich heritage, and within this context some of the museums are regarded as important tourism resources and economic engines (Plaza, 2010) (as it is the case, among others, of the Guggenheim Museum Bilbao, a city under study in this article).

  8. Moreover, this city hosts fairs and various events such as the Festival of the Patios or Futurotextiles. This is a travelling exhibition that combines science and technology applied to textile art. This helps increase the number of visitors, and the brand image of the city is consequently reinforced.

  9. Forecasts of tourist arrivals in the 2011 season indicated a strong recovery from the previous year. The increase in reserves and places offered in almost all source markets is higher than major competitors and consolidated the leadership of Ibiza. The city is also developing a series of events with different European countries (Belgium, Holland, Germany, London) to promote tourism in the island.

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Acknowledgements

The authors wish to thank the encouragement and support of Professor Beatriz Plaza in the process of elaboration of this article, and the collaboration of Alvaro Fierro in the making of the statistical model.

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  1. Faculty of Economics, University of the Basque Country, Bilbao, Spain

    Ixone Alonso

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  1. Ixone Alonso
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  2. Eva Bea
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Correspondence to Ixone Alonso.

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Alonso, I., Bea, E. A tentative model to measure city brands on the Internet. Place Brand Public Dipl 8, 311–328 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1057/pb.2012.22

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