THE PROCESS OF ESTABLISHING CITY BRAND IDENTITY AND ITS SIGNIFICANCE IN TERMS OF TOURISM

Today, branding efforts which appear as a result of better marketing of branded products that provide positive effects on establishments are taking their effects on cities which are considered to be a touristic product, and city tourism has begun to increasingly come to the forefront among study topics of local governments. Country branding, on the other hand, has been replaced by city marketing which has a brand value. It is almost impossible for a country to create a consistent perception as each of the cities in a country has different outstanding features. This becomes clear especially in tourism. People do not go to France, Italy and Turkey for a holiday. They go to Paris, Venice, Istanbul and Antalya. Cities have begun to concentrate on branding practices in order to receive a greater share not only in tourism but also in areas such as trade, health, education and investment in both national and international markets. Brand components which express the purpose of existence of a brand and the value offered and which are expected to be established and protected by city administration are the building blocks of city brand identity. City brand identity expresses the most appropriate situation is composed in order to create the desired perception over people. A positive image which is created by an identity is the key to success in city marketing. In this study, samples of branded cities around the world and branding efforts of some cities in Turkey will be exemplified.