The guest house industry’s contribution to building a destination brand

Abstract

Tourism happens when tourists visit a destination – the place they visit and at which they stay. Due to the intangibility of the holiday experience, destinations depend heavily on positive images and experiences. Guest houses, as part of the accommodation sector in tourism, could potentially play a big role in this aspect. However, the guest house industry runs the risk of being viewed as a readily accessible industry that does not require special training or formal qualifications. As the grading of these establishments is not compulsory in South Africa, this could cause quality issues and could have a negative impact on customer perceptions, and ultimately on the tourism industry. Destination marketers use branding to position the tourism destination in the market. Destination branding assists in identifying and differentiating a destination in a very competitive marketing environment. The main advantage of destination branding is that it creates a favourable position for the destination in the minds of consumers and distinguishes it from its competitors. This study aimed to provide new insight into the manner in which guest houses (as stakeholders in a specific destination) can be managed to contribute to the enhancement of the brand of a destination. This qualitative study design applied a combination of different strategies during the different phases of the research. It included a conceptual analysis of destination branding, a literature review of the guest house industry as the context within which destination branding was practised, and interviews with guest house owners/managers and guest house visitors on two branded tourist routes. Information and data from the three phases were integrated to suggest guidelines on how guest houses can enhance a destination brand. The findings of the study imply that the guest house industry plays a more significant role than just serving as an "essential support facility for tourist destinations". Guest houses, as conveyers of quality and communicators of brand value, are influencers of destination image, encouragers of word-of-mouth promotion and contributors to repeat visits to the destination. As many guest houses offer agro-tourism activities or other unique experiences, they become tourist attractions in their own right.