Influencing Role of Cultural Diversity on Destination Brand Equity, Mombasa County, Kenya

Abstract

Product diversity and the producer are inseparable and crucial in choosing cultural products within a region. The study sought to understand cultural diversity in influencing destination brand equity in Mombasa County. Crosssectional mixed-method design was used with a sample size of 350 respondents. Simple stratified random sampling was used with the optimum allocation method to select cultural resource sites. Stirling index was used where Simpson measured variation of cultural resources and balanced 'ex-ante' of various cultural products into a single indicator. The results show that cultural resources influence the destination brand equity efficacy on main brand aspects. The destination brand equity includes design, communication, packaging, guests' experiences, personality, and presumed liaison at the destination. As such, cultural products alone will not influence the destination brand equity if they are not consumed. Policies for marketing cultural products to promote consumption are required