Brand experience applied to tourism: an exploratory analysis in the Peneda- Gerês National Park (Portugal)

Abstract

There are many brand-related marketing concepts that seek to study consumer behavior and how to build consumer loyalty to these brands. Many concepts related to the brand that derive from the marketing area are being used in the tourism area (destination image, destination personality, destination identity, among others). The aim of this exploratory study is to test the scale of the destination brand experience construct, which is still little analyzed in the context of tourist destinations. The method of study applied was the quantitative methodology, with the collection of data made through the use of a questionnaire survey. The territory under analysis was Peneda-Gerês, the only Portuguese national park that has registered a high growth in visitors. 507 valid questionnaires were collected and later coded. It was possible to observe that sensory experiences stood out clearly, followed by affective experiences. It should also be noted that intellectual experiences did not have much evidence, probably due to the type of tourist destination.