Slow philosophy in destination branding

This case study shows the application of slow philosophy in destination branding from the Destination Marketing Organisations’ (DMOs) perspective and illustrates how a national slow brand has been implemented at the local level. It is based on a qualitative study that used semi-structured in-depth interviews with DMOs’ representatives in Latvia where the slow philosophy was embedded in the national tourism brand “Latvia. Best enjoyed slowly” between 2010 and 2018. The case study demonstrates that while the slow brand has the potential to become iconic for a destination, the main challenge lies in its capability to represent a shared collective identity for larger destinations. Hence, the slow brand is more easily applied to cities, towns, or regions rather than nations. The case study provides practical recommendations for destination marketers willing to use the slow philosophy in destination marketing. The slow brand can be used in place branding if destination marketers can resolve its inclusivity and compatibility with other destination brands.

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