Nation Branding and Its Roles in Shaping Domestic Travel Behaviour: A New Zealand Perspective

Despite the growing body of literature on the attitudinal and behavioural implications of nation branding, as well as the importance of national citizens upholding their nation brand, gaps remain concerning what the nation means to national citizens. In response, the purpose of this thesis, which is underpinned by self-congruency theories, is to delve into the roles nation branding has domestically. Qualitative methods grounded in interpretivism, and phenomenology were used to understand how national citizens perceive various aspects of their nation, the nation’s brand, and the extent to which they behave accordingly when travelling domestically. Specifically, ten New Zealand citizens from across the country who had travelled domestically were interviewed.

In a New Zealand context, citizen’s perceptions of their nation were found to align with how their nation is branded in many respects. However, the nation brand did not show the full picture meaning aspects of the country were exaggerated or left out. Whilst this may entice international tourists to visit, it generated contestation amongst a nation’s citizens. If national citizens agreed with what the nation brand promotes, they behaved in ways that supported it when travelling domestically if they had the resources to do so. The research findings suggest that these travel behaviours are also conditional on the alignment with citizen’s intrinsic values and predisposition to behave in that way.

This study fills a need to explore nation branding through the perspective of the primary brand carriers, the nation’s own population. Based on an increased understanding of the alignment between citizen perceptions and the nation brand, and the extent of corresponding domestic travel behaviours, insight is offered to place marketers to heighten domestic support behind the nation brand.