Özet:

Branding can be simply defined as differentiation something from the same kind of products and services in marketing. In spatial terms, cities are the places where urban population lives. During the globalization wave, some cities became more attractive in countries for foreigners. The historical values, educational opportunities, flamboyant architecture and natural beauties of those cities are unique and attract foreign investment and make them international destinations. The main idea behind this development is successful branding of those cities. Globalization transformed to a new era where local entities and values became well known objects in all over the world. This new concept called glocalization where small, simple assets save their historical and physical values and meantime attract many visitors besides its inhabitants from all around the world. The application of international relations concept to city images and planning brought the idea of city branding to academic literature. Brand improvement of cities enables local governors and businessman to have sustainable economic development and financial resources for new investments. The multiplier effect of those investments improves local development capacity of those provinces. Coastal parts of Muğla city are recognized as an international travel destination around the world. It has more than half of the yacht marina capacity of Turkey. The demand for marinas in Muğla also increased in last decade. The special aura of this sector is related with the high segment customer profiles. The region has natural beauty, rich cultural and historical background and warm environment. These are the focal point for city branding in international arena. In this chapter the evaluation of City branding of Muğla with special interest on Marinas will be explored. I will define and conceptualize brand cities and their potentials in international literature. After listing the marinas around Muğla region their capacities and superiorities will be compared to its rivals in Mediterranean basin. Finally how this service helps the branding process of Muğla will be analyzed.

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