Dimensions of Tourism

1. Dimensions of Tourism • Social Interaction • Cross-Cultural Interaction • For many travelers, cross-cultural interaction is the motivator • Cross-cultural interaction is also the result of travel • Cross-cultural interaction may be a “pull factor” of a region

2. Negative Use of resources/utilities Longer lines at the grocery store Pollution Increased traffic Larger crowds at recreation facilities Positive Exposure to new ideas Increased interest in activities Increased interest in the arts Reduce barriers Impacts

3. Contacts (Encounters) • Tourist (non-resident) and resident (host) contacts do not just happen in formal situations (such as check-in at a hotel or at a CVB) • Contacts can occur at any place of business (even if the business is not specifically tourist-related) • Contacts occur on the street or in cafes with regular residents of the host community

4. Providers • Providers are those people in other sectors of the tourism industry who service the needs (and wants) of tourists, but are not located within the destination community • Airline personnel • Hotel employees • Travel agents • Information providers

5. Directly Involving Tourists Hosts & Tourists Tourists & Tourists Tourists & PotentialTourists Tourists & Providers Support of Tourists Host & Providers Providers & Providers Hosts & Hosts Contacts (Encounters)

6. Dimensions of Tourism • Each contact, whether positive, negative or neutral, leaves an impact • All encounters are personal • At many commercial attractions, the tourists & tourists interactions are the most frequent (therefore, controlling tourists behavior becomes paramount)

7. Social Impacts • Changes in the lives of people who live in destination communities which are associated with tourism activity • Tourists are also affected by social impacts

8. Limiting Factors • Interactions between tourists, providers and hosts have four limiting characteristics: • Transitory • Bound by spatial and temporal constraints • Lacking in spontaneity • Unbalanced, less than equal

9. Transitory • By (modern) definition and design, tourism is short term • Interactions will be brief without forming personal bonds • If friendships do occur, they are most likely to be between tourist and tourist • Relationships between travelers and providers are even shorter, and involve the exchange of money

10. Transitory • Keeping to a businesslike relationship can be beneficial • Superficial greetings and comments are valuable because of the personal nature of service interactions, and should be maintained

11. Spatial and Temporal • Because (as mentioned earlier), time is limited, tourists themselves are often impatient at delays which would be considered normal at home • The result is providers and hosts may begin to make tourism experiences predictable (reducing the chance of problems or delays)

12. Lack of Spontaneity • As encounters become more regimented and predictable (to ease the strain of problems and delays), destination visits and experiences become less spontaneous • The “tourist bubble” for example, greatly enhances tourist access to providers and facilities, but almost completely eliminates the “chance encounter” or possibility of interacting with “the locals”

13. Unequal Relations • Often, in tourism destinations, tourists and hosts have different socioeconomic backgrounds • Social and economic differences, when large, may make tourists avoid such encounters altogether

14. Response Models • Social impacts of tourism can be explained by several models: • Irridex Model • Attitudinal Model • Adjustment Model

15. Irridex • The irridex model is one of the most commonly used and the most simple to understand • One of the problems with the irridex model is that it tends to group all residents together, not allowing for individual differences of the local population

16. Irridex • The irridex model has four stages: • Euphoria • Apathy • Annoyance • Antagonism • *Been to Lake Tahoe recently? According to the irridex model, where would the lake be?

17. Attitudinal • I will not ask you to re-draw this model or label it, but I will ask you to be able to explain it if you see it on the test (hint, hint)

18. Attitudinal • This model allows for different residents to have different feelings about tourists and tourism • This model allows for the same resident to change his mind • This model allows for the same resident to have different feelings on issues and impacts related to tourism and tourists • The attitudinal model uses “strong” and “quiet” (each in two different situations) to indicate how residents will respond in positive/negative and active/passive categories – definitely read this!

19. Adjustment • This model also allows for residents to have more than one feeling towards tourists and tourism • The five categories of responses to impacts are: • Resistance • Retreatism • Boundary maintenance • Revitalization • Adoption

20. Resistance • Residents take active, aggressive (and often hostile) actions against tourists • Refusing to speak the language of tourists • Refusing to serve tourists • Purposely taking advantage of tourists monetarily • Taking advantage of tourists that don’t treat the natives (or the environment) respectfully

21. Retreatism • Avoiding contact with tourists on a social level, but dealing with them at a business level • The community is often dependent on tourism for economic reasons, but has a resentment over that fact • This may be a passive form of resistance (tourists are almost always unaware)

22. Boundary Maintenance • Locals may appreciate tourism (and even enjoy the tourists), but make an effort to separate themselves from the tourists • Common with sub-cultures in the US • Customs, dress, diet, language, technology, etc. can keep a distance from the tourists

23. Revitalization • One of the most controversial areas of tourism destination/social impacts research • Local customs, festivals, rituals, architecture, dress, foods, religious ceremonies, etc. can often be tourist attractions

24. Revitalization • Historic districts (Boston, Colonial Williamsburg, Charleston) can use tourist derived dollars to maintain themselves, and act as “living museums” • Residents of these areas may practice boundary maintenance

25. Adoption • The local community adopts the lifestyle and orientation of the tourists • The community organizes (or alters) its festivals and marketing and local wares to cater to tourists • Such a place is known as a “tourist town” (Gatlinburg, Aspen, Amity Island)

26. Resistance Retreatism Boundary Maintenance Revitalization Adoption Hawaii/Florida Native Americans Ethnic Grous/Tourists as Modern Man Charlestown, SC New Orleans Summary of Adjustment

27. Cultural Impacts • Cultural impacts are thought of as a change in the art, artifacts, customs, rituals and architecture of a people that result from tourist activity • Much of this work is debated since cultures are dynamic (they change anyway, on their own or by outside forces – see Nelson Grayburn)

28. Cultural Impacts • Local traditions, customs, etc., may be preserved by tourism • Local traditions, customs, etc., may be trivialized by tourism and result in what is called “airport art” • Some traditions or skills may be lost altogether because they were not marketable in terms of tourism

29. Social & Cultural Impacts • (pg 96) Summary • Social Interactions • Morality and Religious Norms • Social Norms • Cultural Ways and Activities • Day-to-Day Activities

30. Case Study • Alarde in Fuenterrabia • Local festival (to recreate the 1638 victory of Spain over France in the region) became so popular with tourists that the small, intimate feeling of the ritual was lost • Locals first responded by keeping tourists away, but quickly decided to market the ritual, and thus it has become a commodity rather than a local community celebration • It makes lots of money for Fuenterrabia, but locals rarely attend

31. UNESCO • United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization • www.unesco.org

32. Heritage Tourism • Beware… • Is heritage tourism just another excuse for mass shopping??? • Case study(ies) Rouse Company’s “Festival Marketplaces”

33. “Heritage” Tourism • Heritage tourism has many guises, some more authentic than others • As society has become increasingly white collar and increasingly service oriented, oddly, places where blue collar people once worked are more and more popular as tourist attracts – postmodernism gone mad

34. Heritage Tourism

35. South Street Seaport, NYC

36. Heritage Tourism

37. Riverwalk, New Orleans

38. Pull factor Push factor Attraction Attractor Guest Host (Host community) Providers Excursionists Irridex model Adjustment model Attitudinal model Social impacts Tourism Tourism vs Travel Tourist WTO Multiplier effect Terms &Vocabulary

39. Natural environment Build environment International tourism Internal tourism Domestic tourism National tourism Border Sumerians The Grand Tour Retourner Cathedral Slides of cathedrals USP UNESCO Terms & Vocabulary