Theorizing the Linkage between Place Branding and Sustainable Destinations: An Integrative and Generative Review

The urgent transition towards more sustainable futures requires places and tourism destinations to leverage every available tool to assist in this effort. Previous research brought attention to the subjective and perceptual dimension of sustainable tourism, suggesting the importance of stakeholders’ perceptions in destination development. Place branding can interact with such perceptions, yet its role in advancing the sustainable destination remains unexplored. This article addresses this gap by integrating research from sustainable destinations and place branding and theorising the mechanisms that connect them. An integrative and generative literature review guides this explorative and combining effort. Six thematic clusters framing the sustainable destination and seven thematic clusters framing place branding reveal their frail connections and evidence of the need for integration. By integrating, synthesizing and comparing these results and coupling them with the concept of situational meaning, this study develops a theoretical framework that explains how place branding can be harnessed to foster a more sustainable future for tourism destinations and their communities. Six research streams are proposed that substantiate the potential of place branding in enhancing sustainability meaning-making and, in turn, support the development of sustainable destinations, highlighting future research avenues for sustainability-driven place branding.