Words That Invite Travel: The Most Common Types of National Tourism Slogans

Abstract

How do different countries around the world seek to attract visitors through their tourism slogans? How long are these slogans, and what words appear most frequently in them? Are they primarily supply-oriented, emphasizing a country’s attractions, cultural values, and natural assets, or are they demand-oriented, actively encouraging travelers to embark on a journey of discovery? Do they highlight features that are truly distinctive to the destination, including unique cultural attributes, or are they phrased in a more general way, using adjectives that could apply to many different places? Or is it perhaps the explicit inclusion of the country’s name that makes a slogan distinctive and immediately recognizable? In this study, we analyzed the English-language tourism slogans of 169 countries to explore the linguistic and cultural strategies that underpin these short yet impactful statements. Our findings provide insights not only for tourism professionals but also for scholars interested in the intersections of culture, language, and destination branding.