Destination branding at a regional level: backpackers perceptions of the Mackay region

According to Morgan and Pritchard (2002), branding is perhaps the most powerful marketing weapon available to contemporary destinations marketers confronted by increasing product parity, sustainability and competition. While there are an increasing number of examples of nations\ud adopting destination branding, there has been little to no investigation of branding techniques employed at the regional tourism level. The purpose of this study was to investigate the brand awareness and knowledge of backpacker visitors to the Mackay region of the Central Queensland\ud Coast in Australia. A sample of 301 valid self-administered surveys were collected from backpacker accommodation sites in Mackay (response rate = 89%) in June and July 2004. The\ud survey solicited responses on backpackers' pre and post visit images of the region, as well as examining their exposure to, and recall of, brand communications. The results of this research highlight the challenges faced by regional destinations in developing and communicating unique\ud brand identities to key target markets. The Mackay region appears to have had only limited success in distinguishing itself in the minds of backpackers as a coastal tourism destination in Queensland. The level of success of regional tourism brands will depend on how the brand strategy is\ud implemented and maintained with respect to the needs, perceptions and expectations of key target markets