Journal article
Penguatan Ekonomi Lokal Pasca-covid-19
Sidoarjo Regency has many embryos of religious tourism destinations that can be developed through a branding strategy, thereby strengthening the local economy. This study aims to identify and analyze branding strategies that can be applied to the embryos of religious tourism destinations of the Tomb of Mbah Sayyid Wali Punden and the Tomb of Dewi Sekardadu. The research was conducted with a qualitative approach which was analyzed descriptively. The informants in this study were the village government, the Pokdarwis tourism awareness group, the community, visitors and observers. The results showed that the embryos of religious tourism destinations Mbah Sayyid Wali Punden and Dewi Sekardadu's Tomb have brand positioning related to attribute elements, namely the uniqueness of the location of the tomb which is around mangrove vegetation and fish ponds. Meanwhile, in terms of brand identity, both have an element of 'Brand Story' which can be used as a positive image for the two religious destinations. That way, branding can be pursued by adopting the Jason Miletsky model which states that the success of a brand is strongly influenced by the characteristics (uniqueness), image, personality and potential around.
Keywords: Branding; Tomb; Sidoarjo; Strategy; Religious Tourism