The aim of this thesis is to establish knowledge on branding issues of the city of Liège in Belgium. It can be said that Liège is not too well known tourism destination in the international tourism market but according to several documents launched by the city, it has an ambition to become more recognised and to attract more tourists. It is analysed in the work how is the city of Liège presented to its potential visitors on the Internet on four websites created and managed by the Liège Tourist Office, the VisitBelgium/Belgium Tourist Office, and the Belgian Tourist Office for Brussels and Wallonia (two websites). As it is possible to say that it is not clear what can be considered the brand of the city of Liège, the main research question of the thesis is: what can be considered the brand of Liège? Since different websites introduce the city emphasising different aspects, the work is also trying to find answers to the questions, why is Liège presented differently by different tourism institutions, and what can be the consequences of dissimilar presentations. In order to establish knowledge on the issues mentioned above, a content analysis of four websites is carried out, examining texts, images, logos, and slogans presented on the websites. Secondary data found on the websites is complemented by a small amount of primary data collected from the representatives of the institutions that have created the websites. The data is analysed in the theoretical framework of branding, paying particular attention to two aspects of branding, identification and differentiation. As several institutions introducing the city to tourists are involved, some ideas on destination management in the context of branding are involved into the theoretical framework.
Analysing texts, images, logos, and slogans presented on the websites, the dominant attributes, i.e. the most frequently presented attributes of the city are detected. It is assumed that the dominant attributes may have a role to play in branding the city. In addition, the differences between the four presentations are examined, and the work is trying to find answers to the question why are different institutions presenting Liège from different angles, and what can be the consequences of presenting dissimilar information about a destination that is not too well known yet on the international tourism market.
Finally, based on the outcome of the analysis, the work is presenting several ideas about branding Liège, i.e. it is explained which attributes of the city can be involved into the creation of the brand of Liège.