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Brand extension—marketing of a new product as an extension of an existing one—is a well-known strategy to increase brand value in an efficient way. However, the concept has not been sufficiently addressed in the field of destination branding. This study introduces the concept of destination-to-destination brand extension (or “destination extension”) and empirically tests its practical utility using an experimental design. In this design, two established tourism brands, South Korea and UNESCO World Heritage Site, were positioned as potential parent brands while the newly emerging destination of Jeju, the only island in the world with three UNESCO designations of outstanding value, was positioned as the extended brand. After analyzing how parent brand equity as well as the perceived fit between the parent and extended brands influence the brand equity of Jeju, this study demonstrates the feasibility of “destination extension” as an alternative marketing strategy for tourist destinations.

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Religious destinations today are visited by a large number of tourists, whose travel motives may vary from purely religious to purely secular. Diverse motives and on-site experiences are, in turn, causing a shift in the identity perception of these destinations. However, research is still limited regarding the dynamic relationship between travelers’ motivation and the perceived identity of a religious space. Using a theoretical–thematic analysis, this study analyzes the online written accounts of visitors to Camino de Santiago (a route-based pilgrimage site) to understand (i) the motivational and experiential differences among religious versus non-religious travelers, and (ii) the perceived identity of Camino with respect to Smith’s “pilgrimage–tourism continuum”. Despite the increase in secular motives, the majority of travelers showed some form of spiritual connection with Camino. Concurrent with the contemporary shifts in the idea of “religion”, Camino continues to be a religious place driven by inner goals, albeit in a more personal, interpretive, and “spiritual” way.

Purpose – Findings of previous research imply that virtual contact with other social groups, such as the internet, may have an impact on sociocultural dimensions such as social distance; however, there is a lack of empirical evidence supporting this implication. To fill this void in the literature, the purpose of this paper is to explore the relationship between social distance and the internet as an information source. Design/methodology/approach – A self-administered survey was conducted on tourists from several different European countries, through random sampling, in select popular tourist destinations of Turkey. Findings – A direct relationship between the use of the internet as an information source about the host community and social distance was not revealed within the scope of this study. Originality/value – There is limited research on the relationship between Internet and several sociocultural aspects in tourism. This study investigates the relationship between social distance and internet empirically.