City Branding and the Tourist Gaze: City Branding for Tourism Development

For many years now the topic of city branding has gained a significant interest in both the academics and policy maker’s specified fields. As many cities tend to compete globally in attracting tourism, investment or talents, the concepts of brand strategy has been increasingly adopted from the commercial filed and has been applied to the urban development, regeneration and quality of life of cities. Nevertheless, city branding helps in increasing the status of the place as touristic destination, residential, or business location. As many places are mainly branded as touristic destinations, urban tourism is one of the fastest growing segments of worldwide tourism market. Thus this article intends to explore the essence of city branding related to tourism and John Urry, “Tourist Gaze”; city image, and the relationship between city branding and its residents.