Destination Branding: A Strategic Analysis of Corfu Island Tourism

This report provides a branding strategy for Corfu Island in Greece, highlighting the importance of strategic branding for destination tourism. It reviews literature on destination branding, emphasizing the connection between branding and competitiveness, as well as the role of digital challenges and tourist-generated content. The report evaluates Corfu Island's attractions and challenges, including waste management issues and the need for improved marketing. It proposes a new brand strategy focusing on slogans like 'Connect with History!' and 'Come fall for Greece!', enhanced marketing materials, and targeting the elite and modern travel enthusiasts from countries like the UK and France. The report concludes that a well-executed branding strategy is essential for Corfu Island to flourish, boost its economy, and enhance its appeal as a top tourist destination.

Running head: BRANDING STRATEGY FOR CORFU ISLAND
BRANDING STRATEGY FOR CORFU ISLAND
Name of the Student
Name of the University
Author note

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BRANDING STRATEGY FOR CORFU ISLAND
Executive Summary
The chief objective of the report was to provide branding strategy for a small island. The island
chosen for the purpose was Corfu Island in Greece. The report further provided a detailed
explanation on the importance of strategy in branding. In particular, the importance of branding
strategy for destination tourism was highlighted in the report. The report further provided
discussion on the role of branding elements like slogans or taglines, marketing materials and
target markets in making island-branding effective. The report even suggested various slogans
that could be used by Corfu Island tourism. It concluded with the statement that good brand
strategy helps promote island destinations effectively.

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Table of Contents
Introduction......................................................................................................................................3
Literature review..............................................................................................................................3
Evaluation of Corfu Island...............................................................................................................5
New brand strategy..........................................................................................................................6
Conclusion.......................................................................................................................................8
References:......................................................................................................................................9
Appendices:...................................................................................................................................11
Appendix A:...............................................................................................................................11
Appendix B:...............................................................................................................................11
Appendix C:...............................................................................................................................11
Appendix D:...............................................................................................................................12

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Introduction
Island destinations have the benefit of being surrounded by natural beauty. However, it is
important to promote island tourism strategically because no matter how beautiful the islands
are, a weak strategy could result in oblivion. Island tourism concept has fascinated researchers of
tourism throughout ages who attempted to examine the characteristics that distinguish islands
(Fountoulaki and Jung 2018). A good branding strategy could boost island tourism. Branding
strategy comprises an attractive slogan, marketing materials and a target market. All these
elements have to be addressed in order to prepare a great brand.
The present report focuses on the branding strategy of Corfu Islands located in Greece.
The report will first review the literature involving destination branding. In addition, the
literature review will include developing a new brand for island destinations. Further, the report
will provide an evaluation of the island chosen for the purpose and analyze its status. It will be
followed by the presentation of a new brand strategy for the island.
Literature review
Destination branding began attaining visibility during the ending years of the 1990s after
its inclusion as the central theme at the 1998 Annual Conference of Travel & tourism Research
Association (Ttra.com 2018). The conference saw the presentation of various destination
branding examples including those of Hawaii, New Orleans, Canada and Oregon. Destination
branding as a concept had developed during the 80s as well but with a different name –
destination image studies. New York and Glasgow were amongst the first cities to have used the
destination branding strategies with slogans like “I love New York” and “Glasgow’s miles
better”. Other countries like Spain, Australia and Hong Kong followed suit and developed a

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strategic approach towards destination branding. These events indicated that destination-
branding strategy incurred much significance over the years. Miličević, Mihalič and Sever
(2017) carried out a study on destination branding and its association with destination
competitiveness and found that the two have very close connection. The authors state, “There is
a need for understanding the role destination branding plays in achieving destination
competitiveness”. On the other hand, Oliveira and Panyik (2015) focused on the modern
challenges of destination branding that is digital challenges. The authors found that the
integration of tourist-generated content into destination branding strategy would most likely
generate brand value. However, state the authors, empirical research and studies on the role of
social media content in shaping destination brands is lacking.
Island destinations in particular are the most attractive part of destination tourism and the
most crucial part of destination branding. Liang (2017) highlighted the issue of managing island
destinations. The authors mention that the “sustainable management of islands as tourist
destinations differs as per their global positioning, nearness to large populations and location on
sea routes and airlines”. Seraphin et al. (2016) are of the view that strategies that help promote
destination tourism form a crucial part of destination branding. Brand elements like name,
tagline and logo also play a crucial role in the branding strategy for destinations. Apart from the
destination name, the island destination branding strategy requires equal attention to the logo and
tagline. Researches on the importance of branding strategy for island destinations have found
that differences in promotion by different island destinations affect tourist perception. As George
(2017) has found, familiarity of tourists with various tourism activities and the rate of
involvement in these activities vary considerably between islands. Tourists have shown greater
familiarity with beach activities and have indulged in these in higher proportion.

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Evaluation of Corfu Island
Corfu is an island situated in the Ionian Sea in Greece. The second largest island in the
Ionian, Corfu boasts of numerous historical and modern places to visit (See Appendix A)
(Visitgreece.gr 2018). The iconic city mansions like Liston Arcade and the Spianada Square are
some of the attractions of Corfu (See Appendix B). The island shelters a host of other small
islands that include the mystical islands of Diapontia and Lazaretto (See Appendix C). Corfu,
also known as Kerkyra is a place rich in history and tradition. UNESCO has declared the historic
centers in Corfu as world heritage sites (See Appendix D). In addition, Corfu is amongst the
greenest islands across Greece that gives tourists even more reason to visit. All these facts make
the island one of the most sought after island destinations in the world. Many things are there in
the island that tourists could find attractive. Some of these include visiting the Canon and Mouse
islands, the Old Fort, the beaches of Sidari and the Canal d’Amour and many more
(Visitgreece.gr 2018).
However, the increase in the number of tourists the island also meant that there was
increase in wastes, pollution and carbon footprint. The tourism development department of the
country has an isolated view of the island with focus only on the central coastal patches. The
secondary roads are uneven giving a rough experience to tourists. One of the most glaring issues
in the islands is the presence of a mountain of garbage stuffed in the garbage bins throughout the
island. The situation has grown to be so worse that the European Union had to declare the main
landfill of Corfu to be illegal (Telegraph.co.uk 2018). Villages within the island also disagreed to
provide new landfills for disposing off the garbage thus escalating the problem further.

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Coming to the branding strategy of the island, it lacks the edge that would attract
maximum visitors. In the modern era of technology and emergence of social media, the island
lags far behind in branding. The island was recognized as a tourist destination during the 1950s
and became one of world’s first big tourist destinations. Even today, the island attracts loads of
tourists every year. In 2017, the increase in the number of tourists was registered at 10% in the
first four months (News.gtp.gr 2018). However, experts believed that this was a meager number
that reflects sloth in the growth of tourism in this part. Destination marketing organizations
(DMOs) like VisitGreece, AtCorfu and many such were given the responsibility to promote
Corfu as an island destination across the world but the organizations also failed to leave any
mark. Funded by the Greek Ministry of Tourism, the DMO had sufficient financial power to turn
Corfu into the biggest island destinations brands in the world but it failed to do so (Terzidou,
Stylidis and Terzidis 2018).
New brand strategy
Corfu was once the world’s top tourist destination that was opened for public in the
1950s. Today, it boasts of being highest rated tourist’s destination in the country. Despite this
fact, the island has managed to keep its authenticity intact. In order to make a brand known
worldwide, it is important to understand the basic elements of branding. It is nonetheless
important to note that branding strategy for island destinations differ significantly from branding
strategy for other firms. Majorly, three areas need to be focused while preparing a brand strategy
for islands (Law, DeLacy and McGrath 2017). These include slogans, marketing materials and
the target market.

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Slogan – In order to make a brand resounding, it is important for it to have a unique
slogan. As mentioned previously, during the 1980s, cities like New York and Glasgow adopted
branding strategies that had slogans that instantly attracted attention. Corfu too could have its
own tagline or slogan that would draw the attention of tourists the world over. Greece, the
country where Corfu is located itself has no remarkable tourism tagline like other countries. It
just has a simple “You in Greece”. However, the country’s tourism slogan is considered one of
the best by a leading UK newspaper. The “All Time Classic” slogan for Greece tourism does
have a ring to it (Theguardian.com 2018). Slogan for Corfu Island could be prepared as per its
major attractions:
Connect with History!
Come fall for Greece!
It’s good to be Greek!
These could be some of the slogans to promote not only the island of Corfu but also the
country Greece.
Marketing material – marketing materials include brochures, flyers, pamphlets, and
banners amongst others. In order to makes sure that Corfu receives adequate promotion,
brochures containing the island’s images especially its satellite type mystical islands and
historical buildings. The Unique Selling Point (USP) of Corfu is that it has remained untouched
from the onslaught of tourist entering the country and populating most of the islands. Corfu is a
secluded island much needed for the people in today’s era. Television advertisements and print
ads could be used to portray the USP. The advent of social media would further enhance the
branding of Corfu.

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Target market – Market segmentation is important to prepare a good branding strategy.
The brand should know who are its target customers or tourists in case of destination branding.
Greece is in Europe that has probably world’s largest urban population who are willing to spend
a good amount for a little vacation in the islands. Therefore, countries like UK, France and other
EU nations frequently visit the island for vacations. The prime target for Corfu should be the
elite and the royal class of countries like UK and France. With the availability of social media,
the Corfu brand even reach out to the modern generation travel junkies mostly within the UK and
France.
Conclusion
A good branding strategy involves the proper amalgamation of these elements. Corfu
Island needs a good promotion as a brand so that it could flourish. In addition, it would also open
new scope for employment and thus boost economy. The report provided the branding strategy
for Corfu Island in Greece that attracts thousands of tourists especially from UK and France
every year to Greece.

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References:
Fountoulaki, P. and Jung, T.H., 2018. Tourism Distribution Channels in European Island
Destinations. International Journal of Contemporary Hospitality Management, 30(1).
George, B.P., 2017. The evolution of destination branding: A review of branding literature in
tourism. Journal of Tourism, Heritage & Services Marketing, 3(1), p.9.
Law, A., DeLacy, T. and McGrath, G.M., 2017. A green economy indicator framework for
tourism destinations. Journal of Sustainable Tourism, 25(10), pp.1434-1455.
Liang, A.R.D., 2017. Assessing the impact of co-branding of island destination and tourism
activities on tourists’ reactions. Current Issues in Tourism, 20(5), pp.536-551.
Miličević, K., Mihalič, T. and Sever, I., 2017. An investigation of the relationship between
destination branding and destination competitiveness. Journal of Travel & Tourism
Marketing, 34(2), pp.209-221.
News.gtp.gr. 2018. Tourist Arrivals on Crete and Corfu Show Growth, GEPOET says. GTP
Headlines. Retrieved 20 April 2018, from https://news.gtp.gr/2017/05/31/gepoet-expects-rise-
crete-corfu-tourist-arrivals/
Oliveira, E. and Panyik, E., 2015. Content, context and co-creation: Digital challenges in
destination branding with references to Portugal as a tourist destination. Journal of Vacation
Marketing, 21(1), pp.53-74.
Seraphin, H., Ambaye, M., Gowreesunkar, V. and Bonnardel, V., 2016. A marketing research
tool for destination marketing organizations' logo design. Journal of Business Research, 69(11),
pp.5022-5027.

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Telegraph.co.uk. 2018. Corfu. The Telegraph. Retrieved 20 April 2018, from
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/travel/destinations/europe/greece/corfu/
Terzidou, M., Stylidis, D. and Terzidis, K., 2018. The role of visual media in religious tourists’
destination image, choice, and on-site experience: The case of Tinos, Greece. Journal of Travel
& Tourism Marketing, 35(3), pp.306-319.
Theguardian.com. 2018. Tourism slogans from around the world. the Guardian. Retrieved 20
April 2018, from https://www.theguardian.com/travel/2013/nov/21/tourism-slogans-around-the-world
Ttra.com. 2018. Travel and Tourism Research Association. Travel and Tourism Research
Association. Retrieved 20 April 2018, from https://ttra.com/#
Visitgreece.gr. 2018. Visit Greece | Corfu. Visitgreece.gr. Retrieved 20 April 2018, from
http://www.visitgreece.gr/en/greek_islands/ionian_islands/corfu

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Appendices:
Appendix A:
The Corfu Island
Appendix B:
The Liston Arcade
Appendix C: