Heritage Branding and Customer Attachment to Tourism in Calabar, Cross River State, Nigeria

Abstract

The researchers set out to examine the impact of heritage branding on customer attachment to tourism in Calabar, Cross River State, Nigeria, focusing on place identity, symbolic heritage elements, and cultural authenticity. The review of the related literature was captured in three parts, Conceptual framework, the empirical framework, and the theoretical framework. The study was anchored on Place attachment theory, which explains how people develop emotional, psychological, and cultural bonds with specific places.  A survey design was adopted, with 384 tourists sampled across six major heritage sites in Calabar. Data was collected using a structured 5-point Likert scale questionnaire and analysed with regression at a 0.05 significance level. Findings revealed that place identity significantly influences customer attachment (β=0.82, t=56.31, R2=0.76), while symbolic heritage elements positively affect attachment, (β=0.82, t=37.89, R2=0.68), Cultural authenticity also positively impacts attachment (β=0.78, t=38.49, R2=0.66), these results indicate that tourists’ emotional bonds, engagement, and loyalty are strongly shaped by authentic, meaningful heritage experiences.              The researchers recommend, among others, that tourism managers should leverage authentic cultural narratives, festivals, and heritage symbols in promotional strategies, while policymakers should safeguard heritage sites and enhance authentic experiences.