Storytelling concept analysis on forming tourism place identity

The recognition of the language's role in shaping and constructing social reality constituted a critical shift in social sciences, subsequently embraced by management and consumer research groups, within the scope of poststructuralism. Theorists challenged the traditional understanding of language as a transparent and direct representation of objects in the world, proposing instead the notion that language is not a mere reflection of social reality but rather is deeply intertwined with social construction processes. In this paradigm shift, the concept of place has also increasingly relied on consumer interpretation. This research aims to explore storytelling concept in shaping the identity of tourism places. In this research, the qualitative research method was applied and the study data was collected through in-depth and semi-structured interviews with the interviewees until theoretical saturation was reached. The approach of oriented content analysis was used based on the nature of the problem. Hence, semantic units were extracted from interviews and reliable literature, interpreted, coded, categorized and finally the results indicated the proposed construct of tourist place identity. These categories are individual identity, social identity, symbolic interaction and place narrative. In this regard, the narratives of a place can be considered as a socially constructed commodity that influences the perception of place identity and could potentially strengthen the engagement with the place. Therefore, place narratives can serve as a significant tool for value creation and commercialization of a place, as they foster a stronger connection between the place and its audience, ultimately leading to the development of a distinctive place identity.