Abstract
Although place branding in cross-border (c-b) areas is challenging, various c-b areas with common eco-natural and cultural characteristics are popular tourist brands in their own right. The emergence of c-b areas as destinations is not surprising since international borders are often natural formations, which may be popular tourist attractions. Due to historical and political circumstances, the Greek–Albanian c-b area has not experienced tourism development. It bears a weak image, and although individual destinations can be found in both border areas, they do not currently form a single place brand. Thus, place branding that aims to enhance the c-b area’s attractiveness should start with building a single identity by finding common competitive characteristics upon which it can be based. This paper analyzes part of the ‘Culture Plus’ project, which aims to identify significant common eco-natural and cultural resources in the Greek–Albanian c-b area. The resources were documented using local visits, interviews, and consultations. The most significant ones were comparatively evaluated to identify the vital common assets that can support place branding efforts, with encouraging results regarding the potential branding of the unique hidden identity of the c-b area.
Highlights
The creation of a common sense of place among stakeholders and citizens in border areas is linked to fundamental challenges, namely, geographical characteristics, language, tradition, politics, local vernacular, etc., which should be considered when planning a cross-border (c-b) strategy
Kastoria in Western Macedonia is a typical example of a city that is very much affected by car tourism and unexpected events, e.g., the closing of the borders due to COVID-19 restrictions have a substantial effect on tourism flows [44,45]
In terms of natural resources, the common resources relate to the categories of lakes and national parks, which are important because they concern emerging special interest forms of tourism with many fans worldwide., The common resources fall into settlements and festivals in terms of cultural resources, covering both material and intangible cultural heritage
Summary
The creation of a common sense of place among stakeholders and citizens in border areas is linked to fundamental challenges, namely, geographical characteristics, language, tradition, politics, local vernacular, etc., which should be considered when planning a cross-border (c-b) strategy. Specific place features and resources attract visitors that turn these places into popular tourism destinations, usually by recognizing the destination as the purpose of the trip through spending one or more nights there [3]. Not all places need to make the same effort to be established. Efforts to introduce new destinations that are not recognized as entities or as attractive places, on the other hand, require specific steps in terms of communication pathways to reach the first level of recognition and awareness [4,5]
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