UNESCO's world heritage sites : the interplay between international and local branding for the Gonbad-e Qābus brick tower, Iran

Although UNESCO’s World Heritage Sites (WHS) can act as catalysts that can affect destination image, this has its own challenges and opportunities. Gonbad-e Qabus Brick Tower in north-east Iran is one of the most iconic symbols of the ancient cultural exchange between Central Asian nomads and Iran’s ancient civilisation. Registered as a UNESCO WHS in 2012, this outstanding masterpiece of early Islamic brick architecture may play a pivotal role in shedding light on various dimensions of new cultural exchanges and its tourism role can potentially highlight the role of Turkman minority culture in the area surrounding the WHS. This chapter provides an empirical examination (20 interviews: 10 with tourism experts and 10 with local people) of the interplay between international and local branding in the context of the Gonbad-e Qabus Brick Tower. The discussion focuses on the influence of the heritage site designation brand upon the prior image, or ‘brand’, of the destination (Turkmen culture). Furthermore, the chapter considers how far both brands can be unified within the destination. The mission of UNESCO is outlined, before discussing the role of the local community and their attitudes toward the Gonbad-e Qabus tower becoming a WHS. The chapter then turns to focus on the challenges of designating an international brand for the local community at the destination, and whether, and how, local people might accept the newly awarded branding of their own culture