Analysis of factors affecting brand equity in rural tourism destinations (Case study: Qalat tourism target village in Shiraz)

Branding a tourism destination has many benefits for that destination; But it should be noted that branding is not the end of the road and you should always measure its strength, that is strengthened and weakened by the brand equity;Purpose of research: The purpose of this study is to evaluate and prioritize the factors affecting the brand equity of Qalat village;

Data collection was done by library and survey and the statistical population of the study was tourists of Qalat village. The statistical sample was determined using Cochran's formula and the sampling was random; Finally, the collected data were analyzed by structural equation modeling method and in Smart-PLS software;Geographical area of research: The geographical area of this research is Qalat village in Shiraz city;

Findings showed that all dimensions of image, awareness, perceived quality and brand loyalty have a positive and significant effect on the brand equity of Qalat village; Most important component is brand awareness and brand loyalty, perceived brand quality and brand image are after awareness.

Due to the high impact of Qalat village brand awareness on the brand equity of the village brand, the emphasis of the village's tourism staff on strengthening information, introducing unknown village attractions and discovering prominent elements of the village, (which has the capacity to become a symbol of village tourism) is necessary; Qalat village has potential and actual attractions in various cultural, social and natural fields, which, if properly managed, will promote the brand and sustainability of tourism in this village. Qalat village has potential and actual attractions in various cultural, social and natural fields, which, if properly managed, will promote the brand and sustainability of tourism in this village.