Tourism is an important activity and the major source of income for many destinations. To be competitive, destinations must develop and promote strong brands. A variety of interdisciplinary approaches to destination branding have been prompted by researchers and practitioners with distinct backgrounds that resulted in alternative destination branding strategies. This Special Issue aims to advance an interdisciplinary perspective on destination branding by encouraging interdisciplinary contributions. In article 1, considering Japan and the 2020 Olympic Games, the authors propose that tourism and destination branding are relevant soft power tools to generate a positive reputation, shape the country's image and attract visitors. In Article 2, by adopting a sustainable management perspective, the authors test tourists' intention to conserve cultural heritage destinations. The role of place identity, destination image and sustainable intelligence are also addressed in the context of cultural heritage destinations in India. Article 3 deals with emerging trends in the post-COVID 19 world. Innovative approaches and principles with the potential to be applied in destination branding are identified. Article 4 deals with content shared on social media and its influential role on potential tourists' behaviour. It is widely accepted that positive user-generated content is influential in choosing the holiday destination and the hotel.

Guest-Editors: Homayoun Golestaneh, Manuela Guerreiro and Hassan Sadeghi Naeini