A Study on the Path of Enhancing the Brand Competitiveness of Tourism Destinations with Intangible Cultural Heritage Elements under the Background of Cultural and Tourism Integration—Taking Folk Tourism Areas as an Example

This study examines folk tourism areas under the background of cultural and tourism integration and analyzes how intangible cultural heritage elements enhance tourism destination brand competitiveness. Based on field research, questionnaire data, the brand management process method, and IPA analysis, a mechanism model is constructed to explain the role of intangible cultural heritage in brand competitiveness improvement. Three typical folk tourism areas, including Danzhai Wanda Town, Chongzuo Taiping Ancient City, and Xinzhou Ancient City, are selected for comparative analysis. The study finds that intangible cultural heritage elements enhance destination brand competitiveness through three pathways: cultural capital transformation, experiential value embedding, and brand personality shaping. Empirical data show that intangible cultural heritage experience projects can extend tourists’ stay, increase the proportion of secondary consumption, and strengthen tourists’ willingness to recommend the destination brand. Based on these findings, the paper proposes three strategies: branding intangible cultural heritage resources, systematizing experiential products, and constructing a three-dimensional communication matrix. The study provides practical reference for transforming cultural resources into destination brand capital.