Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
development of personal identities. One of the more apparent approaches to this is seen in
studies of diaspora tourism, such as Black Americans travelling to West Africa (Timothy and
Teye, 2004), ethnic Chinese visiting and investing in China (Lew and Wong, 2003, 2004)
and returning ethnics in almost every corner of the globalised world economy (Coles and
Timothy, 2004). Diaspora tourism, however, is just one form of an existential or authentic
tourist experience, which has become an important part of place promotion (Steiner and
Reisinger, 2006). Tourists seek more authentic experiences through various forms of speci-
ality travel, including, for example, religious tourism (Bryan and McKenzie, 2003) and
adventure tourism (Bricker and Kerstetter, 2002; Musa, 2002), as well as the recent rise in
volunteer tourism (Sin, 2009). Such experiences may make deeper impressions on the travel-
lers, contributing to their self-identity and hopefully turning them into repeat visitors
(Narayanan and Macbeth, 2009).
Beyond these niche tourism markets is the role of tourism in the larger culture economy.
This includes the relationship between tourism and the media, entertainment and fashion econ-
omies (Debbage and Ioannides, 2004), and refl ects Britton's (1991: 465) description of places
being marketed as 'vehicles for experiences which are to be collected, consumed and compared'
(see also Chang,
Chapter 17
of this volume). The internet, which has already been discussed as
a supply-side resource, also has growing value in understanding tourist demand, and in partic-
ular the 'sense of place' experience (Tuan, 1977). Walsh
et al.
(2001) associated sense of place
with a destination's organic image, as opposed to its induced image, the latter of which is created
through marketing efforts (Gartner, 1993). For marketing purposes, sense of place is the full
and direct experience of a destination that tourists share through word of mouth with friends
and, sometimes, on their blogs (Tussyadiah and Fesenmaier, 2008). The analysis of travel diary
blogs can provide new insights into the visitor experience of a destination, beyond the tradi-
tional user satisfaction studies that are common to destination and product marketing research.
Conclusions
Based on the overview and assessment provided in this chapter, the contribution of geography
to the marketing of tourist destinations exists in understanding:
1. How places are created, both organically and intentionally (Destination Location and
Development);
2. How places are perceived, interpreted and contested (Destination Knowledge and
Accessibility);
3. How differences across space shape tourist behaviour to and in places (Tourist Decision
Making and Travel Behaviour); and
4. How places are experienced and what they mean to the tourist and resident (Tourist
Experience and Identity).
These four geographic perspectives or approaches to destination marketing are not as distinct
from one another as the summary above might imply. A full understanding of place, upon
which a comprehensive marketing effort would be developed, should include research and
knowledge of all four perspectives. This is also seen in some of the more interesting geographic
marketing research, such as studies that examine both tourist movement in a destination and
their existential experiences (Nielsen and Liburd, 2008). Furthermore, the experiential
quality of a place is also related to its brand image, which in turn is at least partially refl ected
in its physical and environmental design.
