Adjustment of the spontaneous tourism brand: peculiarities of regional practices

The article analyzes the approaches to the branding of tourist and recreational destinations. The authors study the existing approaches to the branding of recreational areas, dwell on the analysis of foreign studies and practices. The article examines in detail the difference between branding places and branding of goods and services, analyzes the components of the brand, describes the pragmatic and symbolic value of the brand. The territory brand is considered as a component of strategic communication, which is carried out not only by the customer, represented by the authorities, but also by all businesses interested in the development of the territory and attracting tourists. In the absence of agreements and unified position, the process of territory branding will be difficult, and the communication will not reach its result (audiences are not taken into account, messages/messages are not built), etc. In the structure of the brand the authors distinguish functional and symbolic components. At the moment the symbolic component, which is connected with a tourist's way of life, emotional and associative filling of the image, has an influence on the choice of the audience. Theoretical assertions are verified by the research, the results of which are presented in the article. The authors analyze the regional practice of Omsk region, which is typical for Russian branding. The process of forming the tourist brand of Muromtsevo district of Omsk region has several stages, which are described with the proposed study. The authors, using various methods of analysis, suggest making adjustments to the concept of the territory brand, which will take into account the interests of all stakeholders - authorities and businesses. The study conducted by the authors reveals the "associative molecule of the brand", which is difficult to change, as it currently constitutes the symbolic value of the brand. The authors suggest expanding the concept and considering the elemental brand as a component of the umbrella brand in the process of strategic communication. This will not only expand the audiences attracted, but also contributes the development of other neighborhood locations. Such an approach is proposed for replication in the practice of branding tourist destinations in the Russian Federation.