Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
3.
Symbolic transformations by consumers
. Upon arrival at a destination, consumers may interpret
it in a number of ways - not always in the manner intended by producers - depending on
their personality, the presence (or absence) of other people, and their motivation for being
there. It is likely, however, that some kind of consensus will already exist between different
visitors, as they would almost certainly have been exposed to 'markers' of the destination
through brochures, websites, publicity in the print and broadcast media, and the recom-
mendations of others prior to departure (see MacCannell, 1976). Also, it is possible for
consumers to symbolically transform the destination themselves, by recounting their
experiences to friends and relatives back home.
4.
Material transformations by consumers
. Tourism places are not just centres of consumption,
they are also
consumed
- both visually (as in sightseeing) and literally (Urry, 1995). With
regards to the latter, the tourist-recreation resource is depleted with prolonged and inten-
sive use (e.g. the erosion of public footpaths in rural areas adjacent to 'honeypot' sites, and
the reduction in air quality associated with the typical public holiday 'traffi c jam' in desti-
nations that are popular with excursionists). Here, the distinction is made between tourists
(those taking a long holiday or short break at the destination), recreationists (day trippers
or visitors staying somewhere else), and others (shoppers, residents, etc.), although it can
be diffi cult to disaggregate their impacts.
To pre-empt criticism that the model 'focuses on the spatially visible tracks of the transforma-
tions, but neglects the explanatory mechanisms', Dietvorst and Ashworth (1995: 8) added an
outer layer to the original version to denote the context in which these occur (again, see
Figure 4.1)
. This makes provision for the idea that competing processes of globalisation and
re-localisation imprint on the tourist-recreation resource and the assemblage of meanings
Figure 4.1
A model of tourism transformations
Source:
Dietvorst and Ashworth, 1995
