Research note: Protected area labels as brands in tourism

Abstract

We assess the brand strength of the main large-scale protected area (PA) categories in Germany based on the marketing funnel logic. It has long been argued in the literature that PAs, in general, can be strong regional brands in tourism, but that different PA categories may have a stronger or weaker brand identity. For example, it is often claimed that the national park label is the most well-known worldwide, and hence the most attractive as a tourist brand. However, the difference in brand strength has so far not been systematically assessed with nationally representative studies. Our research note addresses this gap, relying on a representative panel survey (N = 3,192) for Germany. We find that national parks are indeed the strongest brand, and that nature parks, despite being often described as a rather weak protection category, come second. On the other hand, biosphere reserves, although characterized as the most modern approach to area conservation, have a much more diffuse image. Implications point to the need for a stronger focus on differences between PA categories in communication and marketing.