Tourists' Perspectives on Brand Image and Brand Loyalty of KwaZulu-Natal

Destinations with strong brands will possibly perform better and hold more value than destinations with unbranded offerings. As sub-Saharan Africa's tourism destinations are becoming increasingly similar, competition among them has become very intense. This research aims to measure tourists' perceptions of KwaZulu-Natal destinations' brand image and brand loyalty. A questionnaire survey of 411 respondents revealed that most tourists are attached to the KwaZulu-Natal destination and will likely return. Furthermore, they are willing to recommend KwaZulu-Natal as a preferred tourism destination to their family and friends. Therefore, it is recommended that KwaZulu-Natal tourism destination marketers capitalise on the destination‘s brand attributes that make the destination a strong brand to strengthen its role in South Africa and globally as a cultural and natural destination.