A Region as Destination: Towards a Place Branding Strategy for Northern Portugal
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The document discusses the need for a strategic place branding approach in the North of Portugal to address complex challenges such as economic stagnation, high unemployment, and low purchasing power. It emphasizes the importance of tourism as a catalyst for economic and social transformation, highlighting the role of place branding in enhancing regional identity and competitiveness. The document also outlines strategic spatial planning as a means to implement effective place branding for regional development.
A Region as Destination: Towards a Place Branding Strategy for Northern Portugal
- 1. A Region as Destination: Towards a Place Branding Strategy for the North of Portugal Eduardo Oliveira Department of Spatial Planning and Environment, Faculty of Spatial Sciences University of Groningen, The Netherlands
- 2. Contents Background of the discussion; The growing complexity & challenges Portugal and N.PT.; Tourism as necessary (…); The economic impact (…); Research question; What is place branding; What is strategic planning? What are the links? Contribute for the development; Towards a place branding strategy;
- 3. Places have a past, a present and aspire to a promising future. Places often emphasise the historical, social, human, and cultural assets, features…. However…
- 4. The growing complexity in places, such as cities and regions Challenges Major issues Albrechts, 2010 de Roo & Rauws, 2012 Approaching the research area European Union Portugal North of Portugal
- 5. Places are facing crucial issues, causing structural change (Albrechts, 2010) Financial crisis Economic crisis Social crisis Unemployment rates, European Union (Eurostat, July 2012)
- 6. Portugal is facing challenges I Unemployment Economic stagnation Government debt Source: Portugal Bank, http://www.bportugal.pt Economic growth feeble or negative
- 7. Portugal is also facing challenges II Low purchasing power Relocation / Bankrupt Minimum Wage in Some EU Countries Google
- 8. The North of Portugal is also facing challenges I Resident Pop.: 3,741,092 Statistical cities: 53 Towns: 199 Viana do Castelo Bragança Braga Guimarães North of Portugal Porto INE; Google Maps
- 9. The North of Portugal is also facing challenges II Unemployment Recipients of unemployment benefits of Social Security 40% Portuguese Parliament, 16/10/2012 North of Portugal % Unit: thousands Source: Statistics Portugal; Bank of Portugal, 2012 42% of the Unemployed pop in Portugal
- 10. 4 different types of response Framework for change The role of planners & place managers Reactive Rear-view mirror Portugal as tourism destination Inactive Going with the flow Pre-active Preparing for the future North as tourism destination Pro-active Designing the future – making it happen Creative thinking about possible futures How to get there? there Why tourism? Why the region as destination?
- 11. Tourism as necessary for an economic and social transformation Why? response to the contemporary challenges Portugal as tourism destination Experience Source: IPDT, http://www.ipdt.pt/ficheiros_upload/IPDT%20-%20Barometro%20Internacional(1).pdf, October 2012
- 12. Tourism as necessary for an economic and social transformation Why? response to the contemporary challenges Portugal as tourism destination Attractiveness Source: IPDT, http://www.ipdt.pt/ficheiros_upload/IPDT%20-%20Barometro%20Internacional(1).pdf, October 2012
- 13. Tourism as necessary for an economic and social transformation Why? response to the contemporary challenges Portugal as tourism destination Image Source: IPDT, http://www.ipdt.pt/ficheiros_upload/IPDT%20-%20Barometro%20Internacional(1).pdf, October 2012
- 14. Tourism as necessary for an economic and social transformation Why? response to the contemporary challenges Portugal as tourism destination Product Source: IPDT, http://www.ipdt.pt/ficheiros_upload/IPDT%20-%20Barometro%20Internacional(1).pdf, October 2012
- 15. Tourism as necessary for an Why? economic and social transformation response to the contemporary challenges The Economic Impact of Tourism in Portugal GDP 2011 GDP (direct contribution): 5.3% US$bn GDP (total contribution): 15.2% Source: Portugal Economic Impact Report, The World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC) http://www.wttc.org/site_media/uploads/downloads/portugal2012.pdf
- 16. Tourism as necessary for an Why? economic and social transformation response to the contemporary challenges The Economic Impact of Tourism in Portugal Employment Direct contribution Total contribution - 2011: 17.8% Expected to increase 1.2% 2011 jobs Total contribution - 2022: 19% Source: Portugal Economic Impact Report, The World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC) http://www.wttc.org/site_media/uploads/downloads/portugal2012.pdf
- 17. Tourism as necessary for an Why? economic and social transformation response to the contemporary challenges The Economic Impact of Tourism in Portugal 2011 2011 2012 2022 2022 2022 US$bn % of total growth US$bn % of total growth Source: Portugal Economic Impact Report, The World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC) http://www.wttc.org/site_media/uploads/downloads/portugal2012.pdf
- 18. Challenges Tourism Place Branding Strategic Spatial Planning Why? How? The national program for spatial planning Place branding can be used as strategic spatial planning instrument to support a strategic change in direction of regions (e.g. image; position) Embedding of tourism for regional development Response to the challenges?
- 19. What is our understanding about Place Branding? If branding is a part of If branding is wider than marketing, then branding marketing, then branding is: is: Communication tool; A strategic development tool; A task for advertisers and A task for local authorities graphic designers; and stakeholders; planners; Disconnected from the Connected to the place's place's identities; identities; Apolitical; Effective in creating Ineffective in creating sense/pride of place; sense/pride of place; Effective in attracting Ineffective in attracting investment; investment; Effective in attracting visitors; Effective in attracting Effective in attracting talent visitors. people/researchers; Kalandides, Kavaratzis & Ashworth, 2010
- 20. What is our understanding about Place Branding? “A place brand strategy is a plan for defining the most realistic, most competitive and most compelling strategic vision for the place” (Anholt, 2003). “Place branding as a long-term strategic activity” (Hankison, 2010). “Place branding can be used as at least part of policies aimed at: To fostering economic restructuring; Community participation ; Political engagement; engagement To secure visibility, create value; value To reinforce local identity; To reinforce the physical and psychological well-being of citizens To achieve competitive advantage (e.g.): To increase inward investment; investment To increase tourism revenues”; revenues” (Ashworth, 2010).
- 21. What is strategic spatial planning? … As response to challenges at Determining the strengths economic and social level. and weaknesses …what a place is and what it e ? et t he r w to g might become. Ho A run for specified goals Where do we want to go? Designing the future. Prepare a response. Enabling change. Friedmann, 1982; Throgmorton, 1996; Kotter, 1996; Innes & Booher, 1999; Kunzmann, 2000; Hillier, 2002; Healey, 2007; Albrechts, 2010; 2012.
- 22. What is strategic spatial planning? A transformative and integrative public sector, co-productive, sector co-productive socio-spatial process through which visions or frames of reference, the justification for coherent actions, and the means for implementation are produced that shape, frame and shape reframe… …what a place is and what it might become. As response to challenges at economic and social level; Active force in enabling change; Focuses on determining the strengths and weaknesses; weaknesses Focuses on place qualities and assets (e.g. cultural, physical and social); Albrechts, (2010; 2012) Healey, (1997, 2006) Kunzmann, (2000)
- 23. What is strategic planning? Characteristics Not authoritarian & Negotiated & participatory prescriptive Pro-active Not reactive Flexible Not rigid Integrative Not sectoral Not confined to single Transcends spatial jurisdictions jurisdiction Ashworth et al., 2010
- 24. Place Branding Strategic Planning What are the links? Highlight assets Inclusiveness Envisioning -Visions Common engagement Common objectives Create identity Communication – Radical change Tourism message spatial context Dynamic/creative Development process Strategic thinking towards a place branding strategy
- 25. What is going on in terms of Place & Destination Branding? mm-dd-yy | 25 Spatial Scale Country Award of Best Tourism Film Place branding or country promotion? Any strategy?
- 26. What is going on in terms of Place & Destination Branding? mm-dd-yy | 26 Spatial Scale North region of Portugal GOALS? Talent Investment? Tourism? attraction? Economic Cohesion? Engagement? restructuring? Place Branding or Any place branding tourism promotion? strategy?
- 27. Place & Destination Branding and Strategic Planning? Destination Portugal
- 28. What is strategic for the region as destination? North of Portugal
- 29. Place & Destination Branding and Strategic Planning? Tourism Planning? Urban Planning with goals for tourism? Strategy in it?
- 30. The National Tourism Program for Branding? Spatial Planning Portugal as Destination Mention tourism? Any common place branding strategy? The National Program for Spatial Planning: The national program for spatial planning Goal 1.10 – Protect and enhance the heritage Goal 2.6 – Strategy for tourism Goal 3.4 – Tourism as a driving force for less developed regions in the country Goal 4.6 – Boost Cultural tourism Tourism as key for development
- 31. The Portuguese strategic planning documents mention branding? They attempt to any common place branding strategy? The National Program The Operational Branding? for Spatial Planning Branding? Program for the North 2007-2013 Spatial scale - Portugal Spatial scale - North The national program for spatial planning Applying the same methodology Branding? Marketing? Competitiveness? Development? Branding Promotion? Strategy? Marketing Strategy? Image? Searching for key words – reading the priorities of the documents
- 32. The National Program The Operational Branding? for Spatial Planning Branding? Program for the North 2007-2013 Spatial scale - Portugal Spatial scale - North No Branding? Yes No Promotion? Yes No Marketing? Yes The national program for spatial planning No Branding Strategy? No Yes Development? Yes (social, economic, e.g.) No Image? Yes Yes Territorial Yes competitiveness? No Marketing Strategy? No
- 33. How can a place branding strategy contribute to the development of the North of Portugal as destination? General Development Well-being of citizens Enhance the regional More control of competiviveness environment Natural places Enhance regional identity
- 34. Place Branding Strategy – Region as destination – does it work? Integrated in a Functional, wide strategy physical attributes Clear focus on limited objectives The national program for spatial planning Select the right It is not a strategies magic solution Engage Analyse of stakeholders existing images Zineldin, 2002; Rainisto, 2003; Ashworth & Kavaratzis, 2010; Hankinson, 2010
- 35. References - Albrechts, L. (2012). Reframing strategic spatial planning by using a coproduction perspective. Planning Theory, 0, 01–18. - Albrechts, L. (2010). More of the same is not enough! How could strategic spatial planning be instrumental in dealing with the challenges ahead?. Environment and Planning B: Planning and Design, 37, 1115–1127. - Ashworth, G. (2005). Can a Dutch city become Italian? A strategic change of heart in Groningen, Netherlands. In F. Martinelli (Ed.), La Plianificazione strategic in Italia e in Europa Francoangeli, Milan, 181- 202. - Ashworth, G. (2009). The Instruments of Place Branding: How is it done? European Spatial Research and Policy, 16, 9-22. - Ashworth, G. and Kavaratzis, M. (Eds.) (2010). Towards Effective Place Brand Management - Branding The national program for spatial planning European Cities and Regions. Cheltenham: Edward Elgar Publishing Limited. Ashworth, G.(2011). Should we brand places?. Journal of town and city management. 1,3, 248-252. - Hankinson, G., (2010). Place Branding Theory: A Cross-Domain Literature Review from a Marketing Perspective. In G. Ashworth and M. Kavaratzis (Eds.) Towards Effective Place Brand Management-Branding European Cities and Regions (pp.15-35). Cheltenham: Edward Elgar Publishing Limited. - Kavaratzis, M. and Ashworth, G. (2008). Place marketing: how did we get here and where are we going? Journal of Place Management and Development 1(2), 150-165. - Kavaratzis, M., and Ashworth, G. (2010). Place branding: where do we stand? In G. Ashworth and M. Kavaratzis (Eds.) Towards Effective Place Brand Management - Branding European Cities and Regions. Cheltenham, UK: Edward Elgar Publishing Limited, (pp. 1-14). -Statistics Portugal (2012). Tourism Statistics–2011, http://www.ine.pt/ -Future Brand (2012), http://www.futurebrand.com/ (others)
- 36. Eduardo Oliveira [email protected] http://www.rug.nl/staff/e.h.da.silva.oliveira https://twitter.com/eduoliveira98 Any questions?
Editor's Notes
- #11: Our Western society is facing major developments, challenges and opportunities that are affecting our cities and regions directly or indirectly:
- #17: Expected to increase 1.2%
- #22: Our Western society is facing major developments, challenges and opportunities that are affecting our cities and regions directly or indirectly:
- #23: Our Western society is facing major developments, challenges and opportunities that are affecting our cities and regions directly or indirectly:
- #24: Our Western society is facing major developments, challenges and opportunities that are affecting our cities and regions directly or indirectly: