Research Article

Communicating national identity markers in official tourism commercials: The challenge of overrepresentation

Teodora Kiryakova-Dineva 1 *
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1 South-West University “Neofit Rilski”, Blagoevgrad, BULGARIA* Corresponding Author
Online Journal of Communication and Media Technologies, 15(3), July 2025, e202527, https://doi.org/10.30935/ojcmt/16805
Published: 21 August 2025
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ABSTRACT

This study investigates the representation of national identity markers (NIMs) in national tourism commercials of six countries from the Balkan Region and aims at identifying which NIMs are most prevalent. Based on mixed-methods, the study applies four main research tools: content analysis, cross-case analysis, a star rating approach, and visualization techniques. The analysis shows that the most frequently offered NIMs are the natural landscape, national symbols, cultural heritage, and national cuisine due to their significant association with national identity. However, the frequent recurrence of these markers results in a high degree of similarity in the tourism campaigns of geographically and culturally proximate countries and finally reduces the distinctiveness of national branding efforts.
Keywords: official national commercials, national identity markers, overrepresentation, intangible cultural heritage, national tourism branding

CITATION (APA)

Kiryakova-Dineva, T. (2025). Communicating national identity markers in official tourism commercials: The challenge of overrepresentation. Online Journal of Communication and Media Technologies, 15(3), e202527. https://doi.org/10.30935/ojcmt/16805

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