INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF SCIENTIFIC RESEARCHERS
ISSN: 3030-332X Impact factor: 8,293
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TYPES OF BRANDS IN TOURISM AND THEIR ROLES
Ra'no Yolchiyevna Badalbayeva
Senior Teacher of the Highest Category,
Academic Lyceum No. 1 of the Ministry of Internal Affairs
Ruxshona Mohir qizi Badalbayeva
1st-Year Student, Group 54,
Faculty of Tourism,
Tashkent State University of Economics, Uzbekistan
Annotation:
This article explores various types of brands within the tourism industry, including
hotel, airline, travel agency, destination, and digital platform brands. It highlights the
significance of branding in shaping tourist perception, influencing travel decisions, and
enhancing a country’s global image. Through analysis of international and local examples, the
study examines how branding strategies can enhance competitiveness and cultural recognition
in both global and regional tourism markets.
Key Words
: tourism branding, destination marketing, hotel brands, airline identity, digital
tourism platforms, local tourism promotion.
Kalit so‘zlar
: turizm brendi, destinatsiya marketingi, mehmonxona brendi, aviakompaniya
identiteti, raqamli platformalar, mahalliy turizm targ‘iboti.
INTRODUCTION
In the competitive landscape of global tourism, branding has emerged as a crucial tool to
differentiate destinations, services, and experiences. From hotel chains and airlines to digital
travel platforms and regional initiatives, brands play a key role in attracting travelers, building
trust, and enhancing visitor loyalty. This paper categorizes and analyzes various tourism-related
brands, focusing on both international icons and local Uzbek initiatives.
Branding in tourism not only influences commercial success but also contributes to cultural
diplomacy, national image-making, and economic development. By examining specific types of
tourism brands, this study highlights how strategic branding can shape tourists’ expectations
and experiences.
LITERATURE REVIEW
Tourism branding has been explored across marketing, cultural studies, and hospitality
management disciplines. Scholars such as Morgan, Pritchard, and Pride (2004) emphasize the
emotional and symbolic dimensions of destination brands, while Kotler (2010) outlines
strategic brand positioning for tourism competitiveness. Local studies in Central Asia
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF SCIENTIFIC RESEARCHERS
ISSN: 3030-332X Impact factor: 8,293
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(Yuldashova, 2024) suggest branding is also a vehicle for promoting national identity and
heritage.
Hotel and airline brands have traditionally been leaders in shaping travel expectations through
consistent service and visual identity (Kapferer, 2012). Destination brands, however, engage
with deeper layers of perception — representing the “spirit” of a place through slogans, visuals,
and experiences (Anholt, 2007). Digital platforms like TripAdvisor and Airbnb serve as
facilitators of branded experience, emphasizing user-generated content and peer trust.
METHODOLOGY
This research adopts a comparative qualitative method. It reviews secondary data — brand
websites, tourism reports, and academic literature — to analyze brand categories across five
domains:
a) Hotel brands
b) Airline brands
c) Travel agencies and tour operators
d) Destination (territorial) brands
e) Digital platforms and apps
Each category is evaluated by its global reach, local representation, and role in shaping tourist
behavior.
DATA ANALYSIS
Table 1: Types of Tourism Brands – Global and Local Examples
№ Brand Type Global Brands
Local Brands
Description
1
Hotels
Hilton,
Marriott,
Hyatt,
Sheraton,
Radisson
Silk Road by
Minyoun, City
Palace
Hotel,
Wyndham
Tashkent
Hotels serve as the first point of
contact for tourists. Global brands
offer consistency and trust, while
local ones combine heritage and
luxury.
2
Airlines
Emirates,
Qatar
Airways,
Turkish
Airlines
Uzbekistan
Airways
Airline branding emphasizes safety,
comfort,
and
national
pride.
Uzbekistan Airways serves as both a
carrier and a national symbol abroad.
3
Tour
Agencies &
Operators
TUI, Thomas Cook,
Expedia,
Booking.com
Sayohat.uz,
Dolores Travel,
Silk
Road
Destinations
These brands act as cultural
translators,
offering
easy
and
immersive travel. Local brands use
Silk Road themes to attract heritage
tourists.
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№ Brand Type Global Brands
Local Brands
Description
4
Destination
Branding
Visit
Dubai,
Incredible
India,
Amazing Thailand
Visit Uzbekistan,
Discover
Bukhara,
Welcome
to
Samarkand
Destination
campaigns
promote
entire regions through slogans,
visuals, and storytelling, showcasing
cultural identity and historical
richness.
5
Digital
Platforms
Airbnb, TripAdvisor,
Trivago,
Travel
—
These
platforms
build
digital
ecosystems that influence travel
decisions
through
reviews,
algorithms, and user experience.
ANALYSIS
In the context of today’s dynamic and experience-driven tourism industry, branding plays a
critical role in shaping consumer perception, decision-making, and destination loyalty. The
table of tourism brand types presented above categorizes key sectors — hotels, airlines, tour
operators, destinations, and digital platforms — and evaluates their function through the lens of
global and local brand dynamics.
Hotels remain one of the most essential touchpoints in the tourism journey. Global hotel brands
such as Hilton and Marriott offer a standardized level of service, comfort, and brand reliability,
which is especially valued by international travelers seeking predictability. In contrast, local
hotel brands like Silk Road by Minyoun and Wyndham Tashkent are now increasingly focusing
on combining comfort with cultural authenticity, catering to the growing trend of experiential
tourism, where travelers seek localized and immersive lodging experiences. This shift aligns
with the global move toward glocalization — blending global standards with local flavor.
Airlines not only provide logistical mobility but also act as cultural ambassadors. Global
carriers like Emirates and Qatar Airways project luxury and technological innovation, while
Uzbekistan Airways operates as both a practical service provider and a representation of
national image. In modern branding theory, airlines are increasingly viewed as extensions of
soft power, projecting a country’s values and reputation through hospitality, visual identity, and
service philosophy. National carriers thus play a dual role: commercial and symbolic.
Tour agencies act as navigators and interpreters of culture. Well-known global platforms such
as TUI or Expedia offer streamlined booking and planning, appealing to mass tourism.
Meanwhile, Uzbek brands like Dolores Travel and Silk Road Destinations position themselves
as experts in heritage and cultural immersion, especially by leveraging the Silk Road narrative.
These agencies do not merely sell tours; they curate stories, and their relevance is growing in
the post-pandemic era, where travelers demand customized, sustainable, and meaningful
journeys.
Modern destination branding goes beyond tourism advertising — it shapes international
perception, investment potential, and even geo-political visibility. Campaigns such as Visit
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF SCIENTIFIC RESEARCHERS
ISSN: 3030-332X Impact factor: 8,293
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Dubai and Incredible India effectively use emotional branding and visual storytelling to link
destinations with identity, aspiration, and memory. Similarly, Uzbekistan's Visit Uzbekistan,
Discover Bukhara, and Welcome to Samarkand are not only promotional efforts but strategic
narratives positioning the country as a cultural capital of Central Asia. This aligns with nation
branding principles, where heritage, architecture, and hospitality serve as soft tools of influence.
In the current digital era, platforms like Airbnb, TripAdvisor, and Google Travel have
fundamentally reshaped how tourists choose and experience destinations. Unlike traditional
providers, these brands do not offer physical services but instead create digital trust ecosystems
based on user reviews, ranking algorithms, and seamless interfaces. Their influence lies in their
data-driven personalization and peer-validation systems, which increasingly determine tourist
flows, local business success, and even policy shifts. The absence of a strong local counterpart
in this domain highlights an opportunity for emerging tourism markets like Uzbekistan to
develop domestic platforms.
RESULT AND DISCUSSION
Tourism branding serves both economic and symbolic purposes. Globally, brands drive
customer loyalty and quality perception. Locally, they promote heritage and attract niche
markets (e.g., cultural, eco, or spiritual tourism). Uzbekistan’s efforts to localize branding —
combining traditional narratives (e.g., Silk Road) with modern branding principles — enhance
global visibility.
Each brand type also fulfills a unique function:
Table 2: Functional Role of Tourism Brand Categories
№ Brand Type
Key Functional Role
1
Hotels
Provide
comfort
and
consistency
.
2
Airlines
Enable
mobility
and reflect
national representation
.
3
Tour Agencies
Offer
convenience
and
cultural translation
.
4
Destinations
Create
emotional connection
and support
image-making
.
5
Digital Platforms
Ensure
trust-building
and
accessibility
.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF SCIENTIFIC RESEARCHERS
ISSN: 3030-332X Impact factor: 8,293
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By integrating all five, a holistic national tourism brand can be constructed — one that appeals
emotionally, logistically, and culturally to diverse tourist profiles.
CONCLUSION
Effective tourism branding requires multi-layered strategy. From concrete services like hotels
and airlines to abstract concepts like national identity and digital presence, each brand type
contributes to the tourist experience. For Uzbekistan, expanding local branding efforts,
investing in visual identity, and aligning services with modern tourist expectations are vital next
steps.
Strengthening local brands and integrating them into global platforms can elevate the country’s
image, improve tourist satisfaction, and drive sustainable tourism growth.
REFERENCES:
1. Anholt, S. (2007). Competitive Identity: The New Brand Management for Nations, Cities
and Regions.
2. Kapferer, J.-N. (2012). The New Strategic Brand Management.
3. Kotler, P. et al. (2010). Marketing for Hospitality and Tourism.
4. Morgan, N., Pritchard, A., & Pride, R. (2004). Destination Branding: Creating the Unique
Destination Proposition.
5. Dilakfor ogli, J. R. Yuldasheva Nargiza Abdukholiq qizi (2024). The role and main
characteristics of eco tourism in the field of tourism of the republic of uzbekistan.
zamonaviy ta’limda fan va innovatsion tadqiqotlar, 2 (9), 9–13.
6. Yuldashova, N., Choriyeva, S., Ziyadulloyeva, M., Shadiyeva, D., & Umirova, M. (2024).
Role of Harnessing Green Technologies and Innovation for Sustainable Development.
In BIO Web of Conferences (Vol. 141, p. 04014). EDP Sciences.
7. qizi Student, N. G. N. (2024). CULTURAL TOURISM DEVELOPMENT AND ITS
INFLUENCE ON LOCAL PEOPLE. ZAMONAVIY TA'LIMDA FAN VA
INNOVATSION TADQIQOTLAR, 2(9), 4-8.
