**11.1 Rural tourism destination appeals**

**11. Findings from participant observation**

Tourism Destination Appeals – Research Question 1

Destination Branding Strategies – Research Question 2

Destination Stakeholders' Roles - Research Question 3

Tourism events a. Food and cultural festival

**Component of destination branding strategies**

*Tourism*

Critical success factors of tourism

involvement in activities and events

Destination branding

Analysis of stakeholders'

stakeholders

Identification of destination

Community involvement and commitment in activities and events

Tourist participation in events and

Involvement of other stakeholders in

relationship building

activities and events

*Source: Developed for this study.*

**Table 8.**

**290**

**Table 8** presents a comparison of these findings from in-depth interviews and participant observation. Based on the analysis of findings in this section and comparison with the in-depth interviews, it was discovered that most of the findings

> **Findings uncovered from in-depth interviews**

a. Brand communication

Findings uncovered from in-depth interviews

e. Government agencies f. Local airline company g. Agro-business investor h Logging companies

a. Food and cultural festivals b. Host vs. guest relationship c. Local salt production d. Rice production e. Participation in exhibition

a. Food and cultural festivals b. Taking photographs c. Relationship building d. Visit archaeological sites

a. Tree planting b. Painting of long houses c. Taking photographs d. Relationship building e. Participation in exhibition f. Food and cultural festivals g. Visit archaeological sites

*Comparison of findings from in-depth interviews and participant observation.*

a. Local residents b. Volunteers/NGOs c. Researchers d. Tourists

b. Local MICE

benefits b. Brand promise **Findings uncovered from participant observation**

a. Food and cultural festival b. Local MICE – WWF/ Kalimantan Indonesia and Kelabit highlands Malaysia

communication benefits to the stakeholders b. Brand promise

Findings uncovered from participant observation

e. Government agencies f. Local airline company g. Agro-business investor

a. Food and cultural festivals b. Host vs. guest relationship c. Local salt production d. Rice production e. Participation in exhibition

a. Food and cultural festivals b. Taking photographs c. Relationship building d. Visit archaeological sites e. Trees planting

f. Participation in exhibition

Meetings

a. Effective brand

a. Local residents b. Volunteers/NGOs c. Researchers d. Tourists

f. Trees planting g. Guest vs. guest relationship

a. Trees planting b. Painting of long houses c. Taking photographs d. Relationship building e. Participation in exhibition f. Food and cultural festivals g. Visit archaeological sites

This section summarises **Table 4** and its relevant to **Figure 1**. Based on the analyses of the data, eight main themes of destination appeals or attractions have been identified that would help brand a rural destination namely: characteristics of rural tourism destinations; destination image; destination awareness and identity. Others include destination accessibility; hard factors attractions; soft factors attractions; community-based tourism and cultural events (CBTCEs); and (h) local meetings, incentives, conventions and exhibitions (L-MICE). These findings are important because within this study, relationship building experience, staging of food and cultural festivals which include the name changing ceremony and the traditional wedding are unique tourism attractions. Similarly, the locally organised MICE that has featured the eBario Knowledge fair and the annual anniversary of Bario revival are destination appeals that would enhance the destination brand

**Figure 1.** *Destination brand framework for rural tourism: A relationship-based approach.*

development of Bario. These constructs were conceptualised into the destination brand framework developed in this study as presented in **Figure 1**.

**12.2 Practice and policy implications**

*DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5772/intechopen.93839*

reducing the number of tourist arrivals and receipts.

**12.3 Implications to the community**

sustained in a longer term.

**destinations**

destination.

**293**

This study has practical implications for policy makers and practitioners. Firstly, the destination brand framework can be used in practice for the destination brand

The study implication to the host community is that the development of a rural tourism destination brand has the potential to provide employment opportunities for the host community. This is because an increase in the number of tourist arrivals will require more local residents to be gainfully employed. Notably, increase in the tourist arrivals could draw the attention of the government and investors alike. A good example is the study context where we have private investments in rice production which has increased the number of rice output, employing more people from the community and provision of seven dams for rice irrigation planting system. In addition, is the preservation of core values of the rural tourism destination such as local culture, heritage and historical sites attractions, farming community status would be preserved. Besides that, tourist desire for authentic experience would be enhanced and this suggests that the rural destination appeals can be

**12.4 Transferability of destination brand framework to similar tourism**

Transferability is important in qualitative research findings [84]. Transferability connotes external validity [70]. The following elements of the destination brand framework can be transferred or implemented in other tourism destinations brand building. These include: (a) the application of relationship-based approach suggests the involvement of the local community other rural destination stakeholders and non-stakeholders in the process involved of developing a destination brand for rural tourism; (b) the bottom-up approach and community**-**driven strategy through the stakeholder power delegated to the local community's association leadership initiative; (c) local community association and leadership initiative in understanding the strategies and benefits of relationship building in destination brand development; (d) stakeholders' involvement in rural tourism destination sustainability in building a destination brand; (e) identifying specific rural tourism destination appeals (hard and soft factors) that can be used in developing destination brand for rural destinations; and (f) communicating destination brand benefits specific to rural tourism

relationship-based approach (RBA). This is because RBA encourages stakeholders to be involved in activities that will promote and develop the tourism destination brand. This suggestion is corroborated by Szondi [42] that relationship-based management in building a destination brand can lead to mutual understanding, collaboration efforts and shared values among the stakeholders and non-stakeholders. The second managerial contribution is the formation of community protocol and engagement behaviour of stakeholders and non-stakeholders to encourage sustainable and responsible rural tourism practices. Tourism practitioners should understand tourists' behaviour in terms of their expectations by maintaining the remote image and identity of a rural destination and avoiding massive infrastructure development which may result in the number of tourist attractions being lost and

building of Bario and transfer to other rural tourism destination using the

*Developing a Rural Tourism Destination Brand Framework from the Perspective…*
