Branding Odisha As a Rural Tourism Destination : An Alternate Approach

Branding is considered as one of the most efficient tools for marketers promoting destinations. In the contemporary era of cutthroat competition, marketers strive hard to position their products such that they meet the expectations of a niche market that no other brand is serving. In this regard, a brand is considered as something that distinguishes a destination from the rest by positive image building. It has also been considered as a parallel weapon for image (re)positioning building of image and finally its reconstruction. Odisha, the soul of Incredible India is mostly considered as a cultural or heritage tourism destination. But many other states of India such as Madhya Pradesh, Bihar, and Uttar Pradesh, etc. are promoting their destinations under the same branding umbrella of Culture and Heritage. So, there is a definite need to acquire an alternate branding approach to sustain the interests of the tourists for the state of Odisha. At the same time, 83.13% of the total population of Odisha resides in rural areas. This study is an attempt to unfold the true potentials of Odisha Tourism to be alternatively branded as a Rural Tourism destination and its consequent favorable impacts