ABSTRACT
The importance of culture has been highlighted in a number of relevant academic works (e.g. Buhalis 2000; Richards 2002; Richards and Wilson 2004). According to Florian (2002: p. 24), ‘urban renewal . . . touches upon such points as structure, programming, functions, the sort of actions and activities that characterise the image of the city, events and the chemistry of the people who operate there’. In the attempt to assess customers’ behavioural intentions with regards to destination brands, researchers have built upon corporate branding studies (most commonly Aaker 1991 and Keller 1993, 2003) as they may be adjusted and put into effect in destination branding (for instance, Konecnik and Gartner 2007; Boo et al. 2009). Within these lines, a few recent studies have focused specifically on cultural destination brands (Kladou and Kehagias 2014a, 2014b), yet the rising popularity and significance of identity-based branding efforts (as recently further supported by Kavaratzis and Hatch 2013 and Kavaratzis and Ashworth 2015) call for additional investigation in what drives consumer behaviour in the case of cultural destination brands. As a result, an insight into cultural brand assets, awareness, associations, quality and loyalty emerges as necessary. The study builds upon the case of Istanbul, a developing cultural destination with arrivals that outscored those of traditionally popular destinations, such as Rome (Euromonitor International 2014). The final structural model appears beneficial for practitioners and scholars as it specifically investigates customer behavioural intentions.
