Unveiling the Hidden Gems: Transforming Cities into Tourist Destinations through Strategic Branding

This study examines the possibilities of achieving an improved and sustainable tourism sector through Strategic City Branding in Sri Lanka. It will also explore the impact of branding the city of Colombo in attracting more visitors and supporting the economic revival of the country. The study will examine the stakeholders' perception of how branding ideologies will affect them and Sri Lanka tourism in general, investigate how well the Strategic Place Branding Management Model can assist the branding process of the cities in Sri Lanka, and explore how important branding cities, particularly the city of Colombo, would be in inspiring Sri Lanka tourism. The study follows qualitative approaches with a cross-sectional design and inductive procedures. Primary data collection is based on extracting information from professionals, business leaders, officials, and other stakeholders, chosen through ‘snowball’ sampling, connected to the industry through in-depth interviews and focus groups. Secondary data is collected from numerous journal articles and other accepted material that have been published in the past. Stakeholders agree with the concept of Sri Lanka establishing its credentials by branding its cities to derive the best from the latest trends of sustainable tourism.