Geography Reference
In-Depth Information
ing employment after graduation, they are usually attracted to states that are viewed as offer-
ing good job prospects.
Getting an image adjustment
Mental maps can be a lot of fun to play around with, but they may strike you as rather trivial. In fact,
they have a very serious side as predictors of potential migration. Most places seek to attract entre-
preneurs and businesses that can create jobs and generate tax revenues. Mental maps can sometimes
reveal that a particular place has what may be called an “image problem” in certain parts of the world,
or is simply not seen as a great place to do business.
This perception may encourage officials in that place to create ad campaigns or engage in other mar-
keting measures designed to promote a positive image. If you routinely watch TV or listen to the
radio, then sooner or later you are bound to see or hear a commercial that encourages people and
businesses to move to a particular place. The reason is simple. Officials who live in that “particular
place” know that shift happens. They also know that getting it to happen in their direction can add to
employment, tax revenues and political clout.
Putting your best image forward
I cannot end this chapter without a word or two about tourism — a migration of sorts that has much
to do with geographical impressions and subjectivity. Tourism is a multi-billion dollar industry that is
likely to grow as more countries develop and more people have more disposable income. Seemingly
every country and locale wants a piece of the multi-billion dollar travel and tourism pie. They won't
get a sliver, however, unless tourists perceive them as a desirable place to visit.
Enter advertising, which is a major means by which tourists find out about and assess destinations
that are anxious to attract them and assist in the disposal of their disposable income. In the world of
tourism advertising, objective geography tends to give way to fantasy geography. It's not that tourism
ads lie, but they definitely do put a certain spin on reality. Thus, I have yet to see a travel ad that
shows a rainy day (even for Ireland, which isn't called the Emerald Isle for nothing). No matter the
destination that is being touted, the landscape is always gorgeous, the locals are always smiling (and
often dressed in traditional garb that nobody really wears anymore), and the tourists are healthy and
fit. And why not? The goal is creation of a positive image that potential tourists will find attractive.
Will tourists visit places they perceive as unattractive? Would you?
