Starting conditions for the green branding of a city

The aim of this paper is to investigate the starting conditions of green resource branding in Hong Kong and Copenhagen. The study is based on the application of the Green Brand Hexagon (GBH) that measures multi-dimensional attributes of a green resource brand. Two surveys were conducted in Hong Kong (n = 395) and Copenhagen (n = 217), sampling inbound visitors. The results show that visitors in Hong Kong tend to believe that green brand attributes are connected to the economic benefits of a greener urban environment, while the green aspects related to international status and public policies are relatively stronger in Copenhagen. Hong Kong has a square green resource brand structure that combines interconnected green resource attributes, whereas Copenhagen keeps a hexagonal structure with more dimensions but a simpler composition in each dimension. •Distinctive green features differentiate starting conditions for green branding.•Visitors hold perceptual similarity and discrepancy in green city brand.•Green brand structures of visitors in Hong Kong and Copenhagen are different.