Moderni turisti putovanje počinju pretraživanjem informacija o destinaciji koju planiraju posjetiti, koje su dostupne putem interneta i društvenih mreža, ali i putem preporuka prijatelja koji su ranije posjetili određeno mjesto. Zahvaljujući pričama o turističkoj destinaciji, turisti na planirani put dolaze sa svojim željama i očekivanjima; iskusiti nešto posebno, čudesno ili edukativno. Ako turistička destinacija, smještaj ili usluga nemaju upečatljivu interpretaciju, ostat će nezapamćeni, a turist će ostati uskraćen za njihovu posebnost. Ključnu ulogu u interpretaciji ima storytelling i upravo njime se pojačava sam doživljaj. Autentičnost je još jedan koncept koji se često spominje u kontekstu destinacijskoga marketinga kroz storytelling. Cilj je istraživanja ispitati stavove i mišljenja ispitanika kako storytelling kroz autentičnost i narativno razumijevanje utječe na namjeru posjete destinacije. Rezultati istraživanja impliciraju da autentičnost priče i narativno razumijevanje kao odrednica storytellinga utječu pozitivno na namjeru posjete destinacije što se smatra temeljnim doprinosom rada. Ključne riječi: storytelling, destinacijski turizam, brendiranje, autentičnost

We are witnessing a moment in time that many treat as a "time of change. "Truly this is a time characterized by new economic relations, digitalization, the Internet, the economy of experience, etc. The trends of this time and of this kind of economy are, therefore, so dynamic and changeable that one logical question arises: should they be observed, researched and apostrophized as rules with some longer-term meaning? The world is on top of the fourth industrial revolution. All those who have started the processes of digitization must urgently bring it to an end, and those who have not will not be on the relevant maps of global processes very soon. The global trends at the top of the global pyramid are quality and flexibility, and success is guaranteed only to those who manage to create a products/services with innovation and creativity that will be marked and become both complex and flexible, taking on qualities of disruptors who already became the most powerful stakeholders in global economic processes. Branding a tourist destination has long been one of the crucial components of a strategy to gain a competitive advantage in increasingly challenging tourism markets. The modern holistic approach to leading the process to the set goal implies process management at three levels, the level of strategic management, the level of marketing management and the level of brand management. It is quite clear that the branding of a tourist destination does not stand out from the whole process, especially considering the complex interactions within each tourist destination. For emerging tourist destinations, such as the tourist destination of Herzegovina, it is crucial to have the right vision, define the mission, set goals and manage the processes of creating a unique identity of Herzegovina as a tourist destination, bearing in mind