Building a sustainable future: Challenges, opportunities, and innovative strategies for destination branding in tourism

Aman, Eliyas Ebrahim; Papp-Váry, Árpád Ferenc; Kangai, Deborah; Odunga, Sebastian Ongango Article Building a sustainable future: Challenges, opportunities, and innovative strategies for destination branding in tourism Administrative Sciences Provided in Cooperation with: MDPI – Multidisciplinary Digital Publishing Institute, Basel Suggested Citation: Aman, Eliyas Ebrahim; Papp-Váry, Árpád Ferenc; Kangai, Deborah; Odunga, Sebastian Ongango (2024) : Building a sustainable future: Challenges, opportunities, and innovative strategies for destination branding in tourism, Administrative Sciences, ISSN 2076-3387, MDPI, Basel, Vol. 14, Iss. 12, pp. 1-20, https://doi.org/10.3390/admsci14120312 This Version is available at: https://hdl.handle.net/10419/321380 Standard-Nutzungsbedingungen: Die Dokumente auf EconStor dürfen zu eigenen wissenschaftlichen Zwecken und zum Privatgebrauch gespeichert und kopiert werden. 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If the documents have been made available under an Open Content Licence (especially Creative Commons Licences), you may exercise further usage rights as specified in the indicated licence. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ Citation: Aman, Eliyas Ebrahim, Árpád Ferenc Papp-Váry, Deborah Kangai, and Sebastian Ongango Odunga. 2024. Building a Sustainable Future: Challenges, Opportunities, and Innovative Strategies for Destination Branding in Tourism. Administrative Sciences 14: 312. https://doi.org/10.3390/ admsci14120312 Received: 19 September 2024 Revised: 1 November 2024 Accepted: 19 November 2024 Published: 25 November 2024 Copyright: © 2024 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland. This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) license (https:// creativecommons.org/licenses/by/ 4.0/). Review Building a Sustainable Future: Challenges, Opportunities, and Innovative Strategies for Destination Branding in Tourism Eliyas Ebrahim Aman 1 ,Árpád Ferenc Papp-Váry 1,2, * , Deborah Kangai 1 and Sebastian Ongango Odunga 3 1Alexandre Lamfalussy Faculty of Economics, University of Sopron, Erzsébet u.9, H-9400 Sopron, Hungary; [email protected] (E.E.A.); [email protected]on.hu (D.K.) 2Faculty of International Management and Business, Budapest Business University (Budapest Gazdasági Egyetem), Buzogány u. 10-12, H-1149 Budapest, Hungary 3Doctoral School of Economic and Regional Sciences, Hungarian University of Agriculture and Life Sciences, 40. Guba Sándor Street, H-7400 Kaposvár, Hungary; [email protected] *Correspondence: [email protected] or papp-vary[email protected] Abstract: The current sustainability concerns affect visitors’ behavior and competitiveness of destinations. For these reasons, the destinations need sustainable and innovative branding to address sustainability concerns, stand out in a competitive market, meet changing visitor preferences, and ensure long-term competitiveness in a dynamic global environment. In this regard, identifying and understanding challenges, opportunities, and innovative strategies are critically important. An integrative literature review method was employed using the Scopus database. The study identified major challenges, such as growing environmental concerns, the dynamic advancement of new technologies and artificial intelligence, health and safety concerns, diversity and inclusion, economic and geopolitical uncertainties, local community engagement, and competitive markets. Conversely, responsible tourism, the digital landscape, wellness and health, cultural festivals and events, accessibility and inclusivity, creative industries, and authenticity have been identified as future tourism branding opportunities. Based on the literature insights, the paper provides readers with essential information and advances the field of tourism and hospitality as it identifies challenges, opportunities, and innovative branding strategies in the industry. Furthermore, this work contributes to existing literature and proposes future research agendas. Keywords: branding; tourism branding; destination branding; responsible tourism; integrative literature review 1. Introduction In a world saturated with travel options (Kamruzzaman et al. 2020), tourism destinations are under pressure to differentiate themselves from their competitors (Leal et al. 2022). Moreover, the dynamic worldwide circumstances (Escobar-Farfán et al. 2024), including intense competition, digital disruptions, geopolitical, uncertain economic situations, sustainability issues, and health and safety concerns, impact how visitors perceive and feel about destinations (Romagosa 2020;Aldao et al. 2021). Therefore, in such a competitive and sophisticated world, the success of tourism destination lies in a strong brand (Ruiz-Real et al. 2020;Hanna et al. 2021) that highlights its unique selling proposition and connects with potential tourists (Greaves and Skinner 2010). The ability of destinations to attract visitors who resonate with their values and offerings, create desirable images in the minds of travelers, foster a sense of loyalty among visitors, encourage tourists to become brand ambassadors and recommend destinations to others, and achieve environmental, social, and economic sustainability requirements lies in the quality of branding built by tourism destinations (Aaker 2012;Hanna et al. 2021). According to Ryan (1991), the relationship between tourism and branding is interdependent, as branding significantly impacts travelers’ perception and experience of a destination Adm. Sci. 2024,14, 312. https://doi.org/10.3390/admsci14120312 https://www.mdpi.com/journal/admsci Adm. Sci. 2024,14, 312 2 of 20 (Ritchie and Ritchie 1998). In the meantime, tourism serves as a means through which the image of a destination’s brand is conveyed and brought into well-being (Hudson and Ritchie 2009). Strong tourism branding has the potential to contribute to sustainable tourism (Hudson and Ritchie 2009), particularly by creating distinct and appealing tourism destinations that promote responsible and sustainable tourism (Ruiz-Real et al. 2020). Tourism branding entails creating and promoting a distinctive, appealing, and identifiable image that embodies the destination’s personality, culture, attractions, and attractiveness to prospective travelers (Cai et al. 2009). Tourism branding provides revenue generation opportunities for organizations operating in the tourism sector (Faraji et al. 2021), including those in the transportation and hospitality industries, while also providing them with the responsibility of building their brand image (Qu et al. 2011). For instance, a powerful tourism brand may raise revenue by enticing local and foreign visitors with the destination’s distinct attractiveness (Anjomrouz et al. 2021). In the same way, tourism branding may enhance a destination’s cultural richness and diversity, facilitating cultural interchange and supporting responsible and sustainable tourism development (Phung and Nguyen 2023;Woodland and Acott 2007). Moreover, it serves to distinguish destinations, convey values, lure investment and collaboration, involve local communities, benefit the local economy, support the preservation and sustainable growth of destinations, attract mindful travelers, and establish visitor expectations (Rahman et al. 2022;Chigora and Katsande 2021;Anjomrouz et al. 2021;Yang et al. 2020; Kumar 2018). Therefore, tourism branding has attracted interest in academic literature and, particularly, destination branding has emerged as an important research area in the context of tourism. Although tourism branding has a noticeable significance, there is a theoretically grounded literature gap, and no previous publication has comprehensively reviewed it, particularly regarding tourism branding challenges, opportunities, and innovative strategies for destination branding in tourism. Also, little attention has been paid to tourism branding where the industry is being researched and applied. Researchers appreciate prior literature though highlight different objectives. As stated in Table 1, despite existing studies on destination branding in the literature, none of them comprehensively examined the challenges, opportunities, and strategies for building sustainable branding destinations. Instead, they emphasize different purposes within this area of the study. Ruiz-Real et al. (2020) conducted a systematic literature review focused on the state-of-the-art research of destination branding to identify trends in destination branding and propose the future agenda. Skinner (2021) adopted a critical marketing stance to explore the relationship between place branding and two recent crises in the tourism industry: overtourism and COVID-19 crises. The paper conceptualized the cyclical process of rebuilding from crises and coping with success. Hanna et al. (2021) conducted a systematic review with the aim of enhancing knowledge, theory, and practices in place and destination branding literature without a specific date limitation in order to cover the literature of place and branding destinations since its inception. Bastidas-Manzano et al. (2021) carried out a comprehensive review of 258 articles published from 2013–2019 using a bibliometric approach to provide an overview of past, present, and future of smart tourism destinations. Tran and Rudolf (2022) synthesized the contribution of scholars within the field of place branding and social media from 2011–2021 to explore current inquiry and propose an agenda for future research. Escobar-Farfán et al. (2024) delve into a bibliometric mapping analysis of destination branding identity by identifying 295 studies published in the Scopus database between 1995 and 2022. In light of the aforementioned studies, it is crucial to comprehend the challenges, opportunities, and innovative strategies in building sustainable destination branding. Thus, using an integrative literature review our research aims to fill this gap. Therefore, this article serves as the preliminary attempt to provide an in-depth review of tourism branding opportunities, challenges, and strategies for sustainable destination branding, as well Adm. Sci. 2024,14, 312 3 of 20 as to provide new perspectives on tourism branding, thereby contributing to the body of literature. Table 1. Previous literature. Author Title Purpose Primary Studies Included Ruiz-Real et al. (2020). Destination branding: Opportunities and new challenges. To analyze the state-of-the-art research of destination branding. 1998–2018 (Skinner 2021) Place branding-the challenges of getting it right: coping with success and rebuilding from crises Provide a warning about place-branding strategies that are implemented in a post-pandemic world. No date limits (Hanna et al. 2021) Place and destination branding: a review and conceptual mapping of the domain To contribute to the development of theory and practices in place and destination branding. No date limits (Bastidas-Manzano et al. 2021) The past, present, and future of smart tourism destinations: a bibliometric analysis To fill gaps and contribute to smart tourism destination literature. 2013–2019 (Tran and Rudolf 2022) Social media and destination branding in tourism: A systematic review of literature Synthesize the contribution of scholars within the field, explore current lines, and propose avenues for future research. 2011–2021 (Escobar-Farfán et al. 2024) Destination brand identity: challenge, opportunities, and future research agenda. Provide a scholarly contribution by conducting a bibliometric mapping analysis. 1995–2022 The current study Building a sustainable Future: challenges, opportunities, and innovative Strategies for destination branding in tourism. Emphasize building sustainable destination branding in tourism. 2019–2024 Source: Created by authors. This work is organized as follows. Initially, the literature review on branding, destination, and destination branding is explained. Secondly, the methodology is clearly defined. Thirdly, the results are presented in different subsections. Fourthly, the discussions are highlighted in various subsections, and lastly, the conclusion, implications, limitations, and potential future research directions are given. 2. Literature Review To comprehend the concept of destination branding, it is essential to examine the notion of a brand and destination separately, which frames the whole idea of this study. Branding is defined as a sign, term, logo, name, design, symbol, or a combination of them, intended to distinguish the goods or services from competitors (Wood 2000;Aaker 2009). It is all about creating differences between products or services (Kotler and Keller 2012). Mearns (2007) highlights branding as a point of difference, which assists the organization to be competitive in the market. It is a crucial marketing strategy used by cities, regions, countries, or governments, and even specific attractions, tourism boards, and businesses in the travel and hospitality industries, to differentiate the destination, attract target audiences, establish a positive perception, increase visitor numbers, promote cultural exchange, enhance destination management, and foster economic growth (Scott et al. 2011). Thus, the term brand can serve as a noun, representing entities such as places, people, goods, services, and ideas (Stern 2006;Kasapi and Cela 2017). On the other hand, a destination is a place people travel to for recreational and leisure activities, business, or other purposes (Murphy et al. 2000). It encompasses various tangible and intangible components to represent it (Ruiz-Real et al. 2020). For instance, it contains Adm. Sci. 2024,14, 312 4 of 20 tangible elements such as attractions (forests, wildlife, mountains, beaches, landscapes, and climate), accessibility (roads and transportation system), amenities (accommodation, restaurants, and shops), cultural heritage (historical sites, museums, art galleries, monuments, traditional architecture, and archaeological sites), and tourist facilities (theme parks, amusement parks, and zoos) (Buhalis 2000;Smith 1994). Similarly, it includes various intangible attributes such as culture (traditions, local customs, language, arts, and crafts), reputation, hospitality, and personal experiences (Madafuri 2018;Xu 2010). When it comes to the concept of destination branding, there is no clear or consistent definition that scholars have agreed on. However, it is evident that the notion of destination branding goes far beyond a symbol, name, or logo (Ruiz-Real et al. 2020). Destination branding is defined as “a name, symbol, wordmark, logo, or other design that both identifies and differentiate the destination; conveys a memorable experiences that is uniquely associated with the destination; and consolidate and reinforce the recollection of pleasurable memories of the destination experiences” (Ritchie and Ritchie 1998, p. 17). Moreover, the most cited and well-known definition of “brand destination” is the one revised and proposed by Blain et al. (2005). According to the authors, destination branding is defined as “the set of marketing activities that (1) support the creation of a name, symbol, logo, wordmark, or other graphic that readily identifies and differentiate a destination; (2) consistently convey the expectation of a memorable travel experience that is uniquely associated with the destination; (3) serve to consolidate and reinforce the emotional connection between the visitors and the destination; (4) that reduce consumer search cost and perceived risk. Collectively, these activities serve to create a destination image that positively influences consumer destination choice” (Blain et al. 2005). Thus, destination branding is basically a holistic marketing strategy used to promote and create a unique personality for destinations that positively influences visitors. In an increasingly competitive landscape and the dynamic world circumstances (Garanti et al. 2024), destinations must be branded and offer a concept that positively impacts the environmental, social, and economic dimension for a sustainable future (Agapito et al. 2023;De Bruyn et al. 2023;Liasidou et al. 2022). Sustainable branding addresses the practical aspect of destination branding by applying more comprehensive viewpoints on sustainability and corporate social responsibility (Nascimento and Loureiro 2024). Moreover, building sustainable destination branding undoubtedly contributes to sustainable tourism and sustainable development goals (Aziz and Niazi 2024;Bowen and Sotomayor 2022). Thus, tourism branding needs to build destinations that create a dynamic environment which attracts not only potential visitors but preserves the environmental, economic, and social–cultural aspects of the destinations. In this regard, identifying and understanding challenges, opportunities, and innovative branding strategies for future tourism destinations are critically important. Due to such significance, the researchers were motivated to review the current topic which will contribute to the existing literature. 3. Materials and Methods Consistent with the present research, the researchers adopted the integrative literature review approach because it aligns most effectively with the objectives of the research, which were not to encompass all issued and archived materials across all databases pertaining to tourism branding and branding destinations but rather to synthesize the existing and future tourism branding challenges and opportunities in the tourism industry. An integrative research review is defined as “a summary of past research by drawing overall findings and conclusions from several studies” (Broome 2000, p. 234). The integrative literature review approach provides a comprehensive and integrated synthesis of existing literature (Daley et al. 2010;Fain 2016). Additionally, it is effective and useful to generate new perspectives and provides a more varied and in-depth understanding of the topic at hand (Russell 2005). Hence, guided by the integrative review steps proposed by Russell (2005), the researchers conducted the current review in five main phases, namely, problem formulation, literature search Adm. Sci. 2024,14, 312 5 of 20 or data collection, data evaluation, analysis of data and interpretation, and discussion (See Figure 1). Adm. Sci. 2024, 14, x FOR PEER REVIEW 5 of 21 guided by the integrative review steps proposed by Russell (2005), the researchers conducted the current review in five main phases, namely, problem formulation, literature search or data collection, data evaluation, analysis of data and interpretation, and discussion (See Figure 1) Figure 1. Integrative literature review flowchart: created by authors. 3.1. Problem Formulation The problem identification and the formulation of the review’s main purpose allowed us to define the scope of the paper and data collection efforts (Sauve-Ciencewicki et al. 2018). Consequently, the scope and intent of the study were determined by developing research questions such as: what are the key challenges, opportunities, and strategies for the future of tourism branding? Specifically, the scope was determined by establishing specific research questions, shown in Table 2. With the given justification the search was performed on Scopus database using alternative keyword combinations. Total records initially identified: 598 Records after filtering the search results based on publication type: 243 Article limited to journal articles, reviews, and book chapters. Reduction based on inclusion and exclusion criteria. Records after inclusion and exclusion criteria: 170 Content not relevant to the studies Included studies for final review: 152 Content analysis and interpretation of data done Analysis of data and interpretation Identification Literature search and database Data evaluation Allowed us to define the scope of the paper and data collection efforts Keyword and search database Discussion Insight from the review complied, synthesized and discussed. Figure 1. Integrative literature review flowchart: created by authors. 3.1. Problem Formulation The problem identification and the formulation of the review’s main purpose allowed us to define the scope of the paper and data collection efforts (Sauve-Ciencewicki et al. 2018). Consequently, the scope and intent of the study were determined by developing research questions such as: what are the key challenges, opportunities, and strategies for the future of tourism branding? Specifically, the scope was determined by establishing specific research questions, shown in Table 2. Adm. Sci. 2024,14, 312 6 of 20 Table 2. Research questions. No Research Question Q1 What are the potential existing and future challenges in tourism branding? Q2 What potential opportunities exist for future tourism branding? Q3 What are the strategies for managing future tourism branding challenges? Source: Created by authors. 3.2. Literature Search and Database A rigorous search process and identifying relevant research are crucial yet timeconsuming parts of a literature review. Accordingly, the researchers established the search terms, selected the databases, and specified the categories of publications incorporated in this investigation. The search criteria were developed concretely with the research question to find as many research papers as possible that were qualified to answer the research questions. Given the extensive body of literature on tourism branding that encompasses various areas such as country branding, city branding, halal tourism branding, sports tourism branding, eco-tourism branding, cultural tourism branding, and heritage tourism branding, it could potentially be difficult to determine appropriate search keywords. Since the focus of our review is on tourism branding, we distinguished these two keywords (i.e., tourism branding and destination branding) as the principal keywords and keywords synonymous with them. Thus, the first keywords that the researchers used as selection criteria in the “topic of the research” included several terms. As shown in Table 3, four alternative combinations of keywords were used to conduct searches on the Scopus database. The Scopus database was chosen as the source of information (articles) due to its broader coverage of quality academic work and ease of access with a university subscription account. Table 3. Combination of Search keywords. Source String Scopus (Future destination branding opportunities AND PUBYEAR > 2019 AND PUBYEAR < 2024) OR (Future tourism branding opportunities AND PUBYEAR > 2019 AND PUBYEAR < 2024) OR (Future tourism branding challenges AND PUBYEAR > 2019 AND PUBYEAR < 2024) OR (Future destination branding challenges AND PUBYEAR > 2019 AND PUBYEAR < 2024) AND (LIMIT-TO (EXACTKEYWORD,”Branding”) OR LIMIT-TO (EXACTKEYWORD,”Tourism”)) Source: Created by authors. In the beginning, the combination of these keywords generated a total of 598 results. These incorporated various languages and diverse categories of articles, including conference papers, reviews, journal articles, books, book chapters, and editorials. Nevertheless, in this review, the analysis was restricted to journal articles, reviews, conference papers, and book chapters. We recognize that incorporating various types of publications, including books and editorials, would have yielded a more comprehensive analysis of the topic. Still, we assert that scholarly articles published in journals are highly persuasive, since Scopus indexed journals are often considered significant platforms for the production, dissemination, and evaluation of high-quality scholarly information. Thus, after further filtering the search results based on publication type, we were left with 243. 3.3. Data Evaluation This step focused on the evaluation of relevant articles for further analysis. The evaluation of data involves assessing the quality and relevance of the articles through specific inclusion and exclusion criteria (Sizo et al. 2018). Thus, we established the inclusion and exclusion criteria for further analysis. The applied criteria for inclusion/exclusion were as follows: (1) the paper must address topics concerning tourism/destination branding, Adm. Sci. 2024,14, 312 7 of 20 tourism branding opportunities, tourism branding challenges, (2) documents published in English only from 2019 to 2023, (3) open access journal articles and final publications (not articles in press). After further reducing the results based on inclusion and exclusion criteria, 170 articles were left. Nevertheless, there were cases in which the abstract was irrelevant to the current study. Consequently, we proceeded to another phase, where the details of the entire study were examined. Finally, following an in-depth inspection of these 170 articles, 152 pertinent research papers were chosen for the review. The articles were first imported into a Microsoft Excel sheet for sorting and categorizing and then imported to VOS viewer 2023 software for content analysis of data. The meta-data contain title, author, year, publication type, abstract, and keywords. 4. Results and Analysis 4.1. Key Areas Identified This section contains a detailed summary and content analysis of 152 papers. The selected papers have been examined to provide crucial insights into the challenges, opportunities, and innovative strategies for destination branding. As shown in Table 4, the main challenges and opportunities were identified in the studies, emphasizing tourism and destination branding. The result shows that among the 152 papers published from 2019–2023, growing environmental concerns, advancement of technology and artificial intelligence, health and safety concerns, diversity and inclusion, economic and geopolitical uncertainty, community engagement, and competitive markets have been identified as the main challenges in the future and existing tourism branding. On the other hand, sustainable and responsible tourism, the digital landscape, wellness and health, cultural festivals and creative industries, accessibility and inclusivity, and cultural exchange and authenticity have been identified as opportunities. Table 4. Key challenges and opportunities identified. Key Areas Identified Challenges Growing environmental concerns Technology and artificial intelligence Health and safety concerns Diversity and inclusion Economic and geopolitical uncertainty Local community engagement and competitive markets Opportunities Sustainable and responsible tourism Digital landscape Wellness and health Cultural festivals and creative industries Accessibility and inclusivity Cultural exchange and authenticity 4.2. Publications by Year Figure 2illustrates the trends in Scopus publications on tourism and destination branding. The graph illustrates a consistent increase in publications on tourism and destination branding over the past five years. The number of publications rose from 9 in 2019 to 15 in 2020. A significant increase in tourism and destination branding publications has been observed between 2021 and 2023, indicating a substantial growth in interest and discussion within this research area. Adm. Sci. 2024,14, 312 8 of 20 Adm. Sci. 2024, 14, x FOR PEER REVIEW 8 of 21 Figure 2. Publications by year. 4.3. Type and Document Sources To obtain a more comprehensive assessment of tourism branding challenges and opportunities, the researchers acknowledged that including all different types of sources is crucial. Therefore, in this review, journal articles, review papers, book chapters, and conference papers have been included. Figure 3 displays that the majority of papers used for this analysis are articles which cover 61% (93 papers), followed by review papers at 15% (23 papers), book chapters at 14% (21 papers), and conferences at 10% (15 papers). Table 5 shows that 38 sources of articles were used for this study, and 72 were published in Sustainability, Tourism Review, Current Issues in Tourism, and Annals of Tourism Research. Figure 3. Publication type. Table 5. Source and number of studies. Source Title Number of Studies Sustainability 27 Tourism Review 22 Current Issues in Tourism 15 Annals of Tourism Research 11 E3S Web of Conferences 8 Springer international publishing 6 African Journal of Hospitality, Tourism and Leisure 6 0 10 20 30 40 50 60 2019 2020 2021 2022 2023 Figure 2. Publications by year. 4.3. Type and Document Sources To obtain a more comprehensive assessment of tourism branding challenges and opportunities, the researchers acknowledged that including all different types of sources is crucial. Therefore, in this review, journal articles, review papers, book chapters, and conference papers have been included. Figure 3displays that the majority of papers used for this analysis are articles which cover 61% (93 papers), followed by review papers at 15% (23 papers), book chapters at 14% (21 papers), and conferences at 10% (15 papers). Table 5shows that 38 sources of articles were used for this study, and 72 were published in Sustainability,Tourism Review,Current Issues in Tourism, and Annals of Tourism Research. Adm. Sci. 2024, 14, x FOR PEER REVIEW 8 of 21 Figure 2. Publications by year. 4.3. Type and Document Sources To obtain a more comprehensive assessment of tourism branding challenges and opportunities, the researchers acknowledged that including all different types of sources is crucial. Therefore, in this review, journal articles, review papers, book chapters, and conference papers have been included. Figure 3 displays that the majority of papers used for this analysis are articles which cover 61% (93 papers), followed by review papers at 15% (23 papers), book chapters at 14% (21 papers), and conferences at 10% (15 papers). Table 5 shows that 38 sources of articles were used for this study, and 72 were published in Sustainability, Tourism Review, Current Issues in Tourism, and Annals of Tourism Research. Figure 3. Publication type. Table 5. Source and number of studies. Source Title Number of Studies Sustainability 27 Tourism Review 22 Current Issues in Tourism 15 Annals of Tourism Research 11 E3S Web of Conferences 8 Springer international publishing 6 African Journal of Hospitality, Tourism and Leisure 6 0 10 20 30 40 50 60 2019 2020 2021 2022 2023 Figure 3. Publication type. Table 5. Source and number of studies. Source Title Number of Studies Sustainability 27 Tourism Review 22 Current Issues in Tourism 15 Annals of Tourism Research 11 E3S Web of Conferences 8 Adm. Sci. 2024,14, 312 15 of 20 perspective (Mastika and Nimran 2020), destination brand equity perspective (Gomez et al. 2015), and customer-based perspective (Chekalina et al. 2018;Dedeo˘glu et al. 2019;Rahman et al. 2021). The current academic discourse on tourism branding must expand to encompass all aspects of sustainability dimensions (environmental, economic, and socio-cultural). The tourism branding concept must be strengthened with a sustainability-oriented perspective. The current study endorses the work of (Zouganeli et al. 2012), who state that the concept of sustainability should be incorporated into the way that a destination is managed and promoted sustainably. Therefore, we suggested that future tourism branding models should embrace sustainability aspects. From a practical point of view, this study helps better understand the contribution of sustainable tourism branding. For instance, the results are an opportunity for tourism managers and stakeholders to build and promote unique aspects of destinations by integrating sustainability concepts into their destination branding. Another practical contribution is that this study draws the attention of policymakers to a crucial and timely issue to consider in transition toward sustainable development goals. 7. Limitations and Future Research Agenda Despite its significant contributions, this study has some limitations. First, this integrative literature review is based on journal articles and reviews that were available in a single database (i.e., Scopus), and the studies published in other scholarly databases were omitted. Therefore, we cannot assert that this study encompassed all the scientific literature and archived material that has been published across all scholarly databases on tourism and destination branding. Second, this study may not have employed an extensive list of search keywords, despite the consideration of numerous relevant search terms. We acknowledge that destination branding is represented using several terms, some of which may have been overlooked in our study. Third, only peer-reviewed articles published in English were considered in this study. Including peer-reviewed studies published in other languages could have provided a much more comprehensive overview. Therefore, future studies should overcome these drawbacks. This study proposes a thorough research agenda for future scholars in tourism branding. It highlights the challenges of including sustainability in tourism branding, as it is an increasingly prioritized aspect for contemporary tourists, as well as the application of new technologies and artificial intelligence in tourism branding. Funding: This research received no external funding. Conflicts of Interest: The authors declare no conflict of interest. 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