STRATEGI COMPETITIVE ADVANTAGE UNTUK MEMBANGUN CITY BRANDING KOTA BATU SEBAGAI KOTA WISATA

Abstract

Globalization led to tough competition among cities around the world to win the competition to
attract visitors and increase investment. Therefore, not only the company, the cities are also struggling to
create uniqueness to gain an advantage in competition. It is very important to communicate the competitive
advantages owned by these cities to the public and all parties to ensure the achievement of objectives. City
branding is a method used to re-brand the city as identification which is expected to reflect the advantages as
well as its uniqueness. Therefore, in 2013 Shining Batu was introduced as a city brand wich expected to be
reflect the competitive advantage of Batu City. The purpose of this study is to reveal aspects of the competitive
advantages Batu City; strategies that are used in communicating it; as well as how big the impact of the
communication strategy for the visitors Batu City. The paradigm of this research is qualitatively by case study
design. Data were obtained by interview and documentation. The results showed that the Batu City has three
interrelated aspects superior to one another that supports the creation of competitive advantages: geographic
and agricultural sectors are packed in the development of the tourism sector. At the same time, the government
developed the program as a means of communicating Shining Batu and reflects the benefits of the city to the
public. Shining Batu communicated through various forms of promotion that utilizes a wide variety of
communication tools; a variety of Tour Package; and held aa variety of routine and incidental events.
Questionnaire showed that aim to dominate the number of respondents traveled, which consists of a visitor,
where recreational tourist attractions types over a favorite choice than any natural attractions. Hotel is a top
choice for a place to stay. Most visitors make a visit to Batu City more than once.