KnE Social Sciences
ISSN: 2518-668X
The latest conference proceedings on humanities, arts and social sciences.
Destination Branding of Rural Cultural Tourism in Guilin, China: A Qualitative Approach
Published date: Dec 03 2025
Journal Title: KnE Social Sciences
Issue title: The 5th International Conference on Tourism, Gastronomy, and Tourist Destination (TGDIC 2025)
Pages: 406 - 417
Authors:
Abstract:
Destination branding facilitates the sustainable development of rural cultural tourism. However, some obstacles are keeping it from culturally sustainable development. These barriers cover inconsistencies in brand management, inefficient cultural narratives in brand personality, and insufficient culturally sensitive design in brand marketing. This study explores a characteristic model of constructing rural cultural tourism from the theory of destination branding. The methodology of this research consists of semi-structured interviews and documentary investigations from the stakeholders’ perspective on destination brand building of rural cultural tourism, through in-depth interviews with local authorities, local communities, cultural tourism operators, and tourists, combined with theoretical dimensions of destination branding, which includes brand management, brand personality, and brand marketing. Research findings show that destination branding is crucial to rural cultural tourism. Brand management is effectively fulfilled by engaged stakeholders’ shared understanding of rural cultural tourism branding. Agricultural Cultural Intellectual Property (IP) addresses irreplaceable cultural elements as brand personality. Cultural narratives offer innovative approaches to expand brand marketing. Theoretical and practical implications for rural culture tourism are further discussed.
Keywords: destination branding, rural cultural tourism, qualitative approach
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