sociocultural – Lost on the Journey

business, Business Environment, carrying capacity, definition, economic, environments, exchange, history, landscape, man-made, motivation, motivators, natural landscape, place, products, resources, service, services, sociocultural, stakeholders, stewardship, tourism, Tourism, tourism education, Tourism Goods, tourism life cycle, Tourism Services, travel, value, value, value chain

More to attractions than meets the eye…

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Gettysburg Civil War Monument — Mom on her honeymoon at Gettysburg Civil War National Park

Attractions have a lot of complicated parts, both intangible and tangible. They have a wider impact that many realize. A whole mess of questions in a complicated world.

Attractions evolve from the three environments: socio-cultural, economic, and physical (natural and man-made). They take many forms and trying to define them can be a delicate journey. They are a composite of activities that the tourist can partake in and use. Attractions can ‘attract’ a host of visitors, but more than likely it is not homogeneous. Something that can’t be generalized across all markets. More than likely, a niche market will be their primary source of revenues.

Motivation is tricky to decipher and study. The reasons drawing, pushing and pulling tourist to a site is as particular to one person as another. Case in point my mother and our annual trips to historic sites. Deep down I don’t think she liked visiting Williamsburg or Gettysburg or other historical site. I don’t know. She’s never been a fan of hot weather, preferring spring and fall for travel. The beach to the oppressive heat and humidity of the countryside. Maybe I don’t know what she likes. And therein lies the conundrum of tourist researchers. Do we know who our visitors are, and what they like? Do we really know what attractions to build or create for tourists?

Attractions have many purposes. They are a composite of a host of activities and services that cater to a varied population of tourists. Take away any resource within that matrix of services and the system fragments. That fragmentation can be induced by tourist as well as the industry itself. Attractions are part of a greater value chain.

Take away one and suffering occurs. Take away the primary reason for tourist to visit, and the whole system suffers. The impacts are far-reaching. The multiplier effect drops in function and revenues do not circulate through the many layers.

Once an attraction changes, matures, stagnates or declines, tourist motivations will shift and change. They will choose something else. And then the area in which it is embedded spirals downward and declines. And unless this erosion is stopped, halted, the host community will continue to suffer. There will be no reason to go to the area. Thus, schools can’t be built or remodeled, hospitals will close, services will pull out of the area leaving a shell of a community.

I’ve seen it first hand. My hometown in Pennsylvania suffers from the decline and closure of industry. Relying on tourism for most of its dollars.

Johnstown, PA is an old town, settled in 1770. The only reason people would have a reason to visit there now is because of a natural disaster back in 1889. The Great Flood was the largest man-made disaster up until 9/11. The event killed 2200+ people and leveled the prosperous steel town. Now, since steel has pulled out, the city is a shell of its former self. Still a beautiful place to live, but survival hinges on the National Monument to the Flood as well as several key events throughout the year.

Thunder in the Valley is a motorcycle rally that happens every June. Last year, 2016 was one of the best turnouts because of the beautiful weather and increase in services available. As reported in the Tribune:

When the weather cooperates, the four-day event has drawn as many as 200,000 people to the area – and this weekend was likely no exception, said Lisa Rager, executive director of the Greater Johnstown/Cambria County Convention & Visitors Bureau.

Motorcylces line Johnstown, PA streets during Thunder in the Valley — Motorcycles line Johnstown, PA streets during Thunder in the Valley

That is a lot of people traveling to a small town in southwestern Pennsylvania for three or more days. To a town that has limited resources to host 200,000 people over three days. Maybe it does. Maybe I don’t know the exact carrying capacity of the area or the extent of services. Yet, think of the revenues generated from a host of sources. How many jobs are created just for that weekend? How much revenue is generated from event sales? And then that revenue is circulated through the community.

Budweiser Clydesdales — Budweiser Clydesdale at Thunder in the Valley

Therefore, attractions are classified as something that generates some form of revenue. They sell an entrance fee or cluster a host of services around it to generate revenue. Take it away and revenues are lost. Some people do not understand that concept. What the community loses.

And sometimes that happens when motivations shift over time and choice is directed elsewhere.

Sometimes we lose attractions through other means. How will the Caribbean rebuild after the devastating hurricanes? How much will the islands alone lose from the loss of cruise ship revenues? A host of questions.

A loss of revenue for the catchment area means a loss of revenues to circulate through the system. A loss of future development. Attractions can be the reason some businesses are drawn to the area. This past summer I was at home during the annual Thunder. One of my favorite motorcycle companies had heard about Thunder and was making its first appearance.

Ducati Logo ©Ducati

Ducati had come to town. I would have loved to have visited the Rally but personal plans got in the way. Yet, with such a famous brand drawn to this event, others followed. The weather dampened the festival for the first day, but more than made up for it the last two, giving Ducati and others the chance to showcase their products. I’m sure Harley Davidson enjoyed the friendly competition. Throughout the 19 years this event has been held in Johnstown, it has evolved to what it is today. An attraction that is just not for bikers. It caters to a host of different types of tourists. And that is important if the event is to continue.

I try not to be political in class or here. But I can’t go without addressing certain issues effecting tourism today. The destruction of certain attractions must be discussed if we are having an honest conversation about tourism. The recent destruction of Civil War Monuments and the potential for more changes in that landscape. Try to see and envision all sides. Try to understand the impacts of all points of reality. The total effect this has on the host community.

Dad at the Alabamians Memorial at Gettysburg during honeymoon.

Tourism has a history. Tourism exist in time and space. The reasons for attractions and construction of attractions is particular to each stakeholder given that time and space. The reasons for travel have varied through the generations that have engaged in the activity. It has its positive and negative connotations. Good and bad. The tourism landscape has countless stories to tell to explain the history of civilization. Tourism is an action and behavior. Tourists engage with a variety of landscapes. Host communities rely on tourists for revenues. If the main reason for travel is gone, people will shift their actions and behaviors. They will go elsewhere.

We are all stewards of this landscape. This landscape needs all sides to understand the implications to all three environments and participants. All voices must be heard and considered.

A host of questions must be asked before action is taken. We must be sympathetic and empathetic to the multiplier effect. And the multiplier effect is not just revenues any more. It is more. Again, I stress that all voices must be heard and considered.

acculturation, business, Business Environment, code of ethics, core functions, core values, Cultural Intelligence, definition, economic, empowerment, environments, Ethics, information, innovation, leadership, man-made, management, natural landscape, Organizational Behavior, People Process Culture, PPC, quality of life, sense of identity, sense of self, service execution, sociocultural, tourism education, value

More on defining Organizational Culture…(PPC and more)

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We have a host of authors within our book by Kersten and La Venture ¹ that exposes the various definitions of organizational culture. There is a theme that emerges based on shared core values, beliefs, and principles. This hints at behavior and how that behavior is communicated to a greater audience (p. 2-3). That behavior exists within and outwit the company. It governs the day-to-day operations and the lives that work within that community. Yes, a community. Marriott views their associates as a greater family.

Core Values of the School of Hospitality Leadership

Yet, as I decipher these words, I am left with one thought, one word. Service. Servant leadership is a common phrase we hear about the university, and incorporate it in our culture.

The definitions of organizational culture are incomplete without the inclusion of servant leadership or service.

You may be thinking: But it is all apart of that definition, when you argue for that commonality of themes within organizational culture.

Yes, and no.

Service is inter-woven and stands alone. Why? Maybe it should be the overriding concept? See still in a heated debate.

Maybe if we address behavior. Behavior is action. Behavior is developed with immersion with in a unique place. That place has three environments–physical landscape (natural/man-made environment), economic and socio-cultural. Everyone is a product of their own three environments. A host of variables will define those environments and shape how your beliefs are formed from the roots of those variables. Core values remain, but the breadth and depth of those values shifts and adapts, matures and grows over time. Some of those core values will stick with you and others you will shed with maturity, personal growth and reflection.

Life happens.

You bring these dynamics into any company.

Each individual of a society makes up the culture. I am getting away from service and need to bring it back. We will get to culture shortly.

Warning, service has a broad definition. For this argument, service is the want to do something for someone else. Not just because we have to, but because we want to. It is the right thing to do. We have within our hearts the want to help. And that does have its hang ups. We are after all human and considerably flawed.

Some have this ability to help more than others. They have this innate compassion to such a degree that it is second nature. No questions are asked. Deep down we all do, but we are stymied by our own fears.

That is why I want to call it a service heart. Some would label it as the heart of service. But several colleagues and I have been gnashing on changing that. I’m sure that phrase has been around for a bit. And anyone can develop a service heart.

We have come to that conclusion that that phrase incorporates those core values. In tourism, we have a lot of choice in products. Some similar, some different. What creates competitive advantage now and in the future will be the service. The human element. People will want to return because of the people helping them fulfill their expectations. Because we want them to return ‘home’ to us again and again. Thus, our behavior is paramount to fulfilling the expectations of our stakeholders. All of them.

So, at the heart of organization is a culture. We should hold commonality, without the lost of identity. That is something that isn’t really articulated within our first readings. Identity. We each bring our own sense of self to the work environment. I have posed this question before. How do we retain our own sense of self in a workplace that may or may not have the same common values as our own. Today, we are seeing disparity in our society. Not all of us possess the same beliefs. We have our own unique cultural attributes that we bring into a workplace. How do we mesh this divergence? Some are not always the same. Should we or should we not ask people to change that culture to conform (shudder) to that workplace culture? Do the mission and vision of a company posses the flexibility to handle various cultural nuances?

Acculturation exists in tourism. Simply defined, it is the moment when two or more cultures meet and something happens. You can either have assimilation of one culture with another. Yes, there may or may not be dominance of one over another. The second may be nothing happens. Or friction. There is too much difference that problems occur. Could we now extend this concept into the workplace because of the diverse backgrounds of our employees.

So, maybe I should hint at diversity. Diversity, in its simplest terms, is about the difference in a workplace. It identifies that difference and should be embraced. We can all contribute to our workplace. Yet, the definition is limiting to us in trying to understand that difference and how to handle it. It doesn’t get to the heart of everything. It doesn’t offer strategies. Laws aren’t strategies. There is still some mysticism with diversity. If we extend diversity and marry it with the concept of cultural intelligence, especially when working in a global world, we can develop strategies and broader, better behaviors to handle that diversity. Remember these are my interpretations of my own readings and research. Don’t take it as face value. What kind of Socratic professor would I be, if I didn’t ask you to think for yourself. Read, digest, understand and reflect.

Culture today is so much greater, broader in definition than what some might think.

This is when I tell you that I hate definitions. I think they are limiting. I don’t think they encompass the expanse of variety that exists. Yes, we need a foundation on which to start. But how many of us stop and do not explore the many layers, the breadth and depth of those definitions. Culture is one of those definitions. That is why later on in the semester we will be examining Cultural Intelligence.

The discussion continues…

Footnotes

1. Kersten, J., La Venture, Kelly, Lui, Katherine E. Welch, & Cervenka, Debbie. (2015). The human factor to profitability : Building a people-centered culture for long-term success / Jeanette Kersten, EdD, SPHR, and Kelly La Venture, EdD ; with a foreword by Kat Lui, PhD, and Debbie Cervenka. (First ed.).

Business Environment, core functions, economic, environments, information, innovation, landscape, leadership, man-made, management, motivation, motivations, motivators, natural landscape, Organizational Behavior, People Process Culture, place, PPC, promises, resources, sociocultural, Tourism, tourism education, Tourism Goods, Tourism Services, travel, Walt Disney World

Location, Location, Location…

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Ford's Theatre — Ford’s Theatre in Washington, DC

I have lived in a host of different cities, states and one country. The depth of knowledge about those locations various with experience. I love to get out and talk to people, and I’ve met some interesting people along the way. I love to explore and more than likely will get lost. I always find my way back. Every experiences brings a whole new set of learning.

Another year is upon us here at Stout, and I’m teaching Development of Tourism Attractions, Convention Meeting Planning and People Process Culture. The former course expands and expounds on concepts learned in the Principles of Tourism, extending it into the heart of the three environments–socio-cultural, economic and natural/man-made as well motivation, and planning.

It peels back the layers of tourism. Tourism is an act of doing something and depends on the viewpoint in which you view it or peel back the layers. There are tangible and intangible elements that are part of this dynamic process, and we need to know why some destinations and their attractions are more successful than others. As leaders or managers of the future, we will be part of that success and/or failure. What we do, when we do it, could be a defining moment. (For those of you in tourism, remember the mantra.)

At the heart of any attraction is a motivation.

Echoes of those reasons why people travel to a destination and its attractions, percolates through my mind, and I’m sure others.

“Something I always wanted to see.”

“It is on my bucket list.”

But that is from a customer point of view. What about the others?

Why did Disney decide to buy up a large mass of swamp land and orange groves in the middle of Florida to create Disney World?

Why place it there? Why create something in the middle of no where, and hope that people come?

Begs the question posed in A Field of Dreams: “If you build it, will them come?”

The process of building attractions is long and arduous. It takes time to build attractions from concept of the idea to opening. Disney World was conceived as a supplement to Disneyland in 1955 and opened in 1971. During that time of development, Walt Disney died unexpectantly in 1966. Disney World and especially Epcot could have died right there on the table. But it didn’t, and more on that later. Yet, that is a long time for an attraction to be built. Some rise in less time, and close just as fast. The Internet is peppered with a host of attractions that opened and closed quickly because they couldn’t sustain numbers or creativity. Walt Disney World has several areas that have been closed and abandoned because they weren’t as popular as they once were.

Visit to Disney World, 1977 — From left to right, Mom, sister, me and brother at Walt Disney World, 1977

So, this hints at one aspect of motivation and decision-making.

Even leadership (Waves at my PPC group, bringing them into the conversation).

Your stakeholder’s needs change over time. All of them.

But who are your stakeholders you ask, besides customers.

Customers
Employees (all levels)
Governments
Financial
Host Community
Others (that arm-chair traveler that hasn’t even made a decision yet, but is bombarded with a mountains of information both by word of mouth, and through other distribution channels and has an interest)

Their needs and wants will change over time as their lives change. It can be short or long-term.

Disney World’s Epcot Center is now going through a major renovation. The original vision of Epcot is a far cry than what Walt had in mind. That vision was transformed because he wasn’t there and those that came after, nixed it in the butt. Roy Disney, his brother, wasn’t the creative genius that Walt was and deferred to others. If you read any books about Walt’s life and his company, his creative style and visions were a prime directive for the company. To lose someone so young in their mid-60s, without a concrete succession plan, will have far reaching effects on the company. And it did.

An attraction is just a structure. An idea.

People make it come to life.

Caspar_David_Friedrich_-_Wanderer_above_the_sea_of_fog

People are the resource that propel it into the future.

Even destinations and their success depends on the people who manage it, work within the boundaries, and even visit.

So, this then suggest a management/educational journey down two different paths.

At times these paths, one of tangible origins and one of intangible, coalesce and merge. At other times, they run parallel. And during times of stress, anxiety, and erosion, diverge.

So, we are at the precipice. On top of the mountain and have a vista to explore. We can see the concrete but the human element is clouded in degrees of mystery.

Let’s begin…

contrived, economic, environments, man-made, natural landscape, scarcity, sociocultural, Tourism, tourism education, travel

If you build it, will they come?

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Yes and no, and if they do, not always will tourist return.

Tourism, like any other industry, is a complex set of functions, processes, and activities. You can’t develop an attraction without some thought to why you want it in the first place. A feasibility study should be conducted of the area and thus, an audit of other similar attractions should be included. The carrying capacity of any destination, big or small, should be analyzed to know the resources you have and lack.

Resources are important, in their raw and refined form. What are they and how will they sustain your development today and tomorrow? How much do we need to develop to make an entity a viable point for visitation. Something just doesn’t grow up over night or decline and close. Disney started planning for Walt Disney World more than a decade before he even started to build.

Here is a short video about that process.

What if those resources, and tourist are scarce? What are you going to do?

Tourism by its nature is seasonal and perishable. There are peaks and valleys of movement. Our products have a 24-hour use, and if we don’t attract the numbers to our attractions, revenue is lost.

I ask my students to consider their own experience when answering questions in order for them to apply context to the problems I pose. As I stated before, I sifted through my Dad’s colored slides while I was home over Christmas break. Our 1967 trip to Montreal included the Upper State New York, and a place called North Pole, NY. There is a Christmas village aptly named after the North Pole. The park opened on November 1, 1949 and is still in existence today. That’s almost 70 years old.

Visiting North Pole, NY and the North Pole

31855106392_6d0ace174c_k — Visiting North Pole, NY and the North Pole

The place hasn’t changed all that much.

31886570991_1216c90fd4_k — Visiting North Pole, NY and the North Pole

But the North Pole isn’t in the bustling mecca of Orlando. It is nestled in small corner of the Adirondack’s with one way in, and one way out. If you are going to get there, you are going to have to drive. Limited accommodation with Lake Placid, NY 12 miles away. Accessibility, challenging but doable. But what makes it successful to stay in business for almost 70 years?

Good question. What variables do we use to judge a successful destination. That is another post for another time.

acculturation, border, carrying capacity, cultural homogenization, Cultural Intelligence, culture, definition, economic, environments, landscape, man-made, management, motivations, natural landscape, quality of life, resources, sense of self, sociocultural, spatial segregation, Tourism, tourism education, tourism life cycle

Daily Prompt: Border (s) mean so much in tourism

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The Johnstown Flood Memorial/ St. Michael, PA #SouthForkFishingHuntingClub #SouthForkDam #JohnstownFloodof1889

Border (s) exist on a map, in different geographic markings, and man-made signs to denote a boundary. In tourism, boundaries are blurred more today than 100 years ago. As tourist we are constrained only by the regulations to move from one place to another. Most countries have some form of visa requirements, and yet, as an educator, I teach that boundaries or borders are not insurmountable. Anything is possible.

Yet, the question of migration is constant note of debate in today’s society. That borders should be freely open and allow for that migration. We try to have a reasonable discourse in my classes. But more so drill down to the core reasons, the SWOT of migration, of tourism in a greater context.

I have an intercultural competency or as I prefer a cultural intelligence assignment in most of my classes. I tweak it for the different levels. In my intro class, I begin to open the windows and doors to the vast global world, allow the students to peer out into the broader spectrum, and start the dialogue. Most of the students, if not all, have a passport and have utilized it. Some of have not. But even with their experience, the question remains how much do they really know about the cultures in which they interact with?

At the beginning of the semester, the first couple of weeks, I try to articulate that they are, for their current position on the life cycle, at a limited awareness of the dynamic and complex relationship of the world. Tourism fosters a movement from a limited awareness to a greater awareness, even if it is traveling from the middle of no where into a bigger, and broader context like a city. Diversity of the population is far more substantial in the city than in the middle of no where. They are exposed to more cultural norms.

So borders aren’t just lines on a map, marking the boundary between countries. Borders can be, may be that demarcation line of change. Where we step off into something more, and become something more. That precipice that requires of leap of faith to overcome the fear of doing something. Of testing yourself and expanding your understanding. To shedding the shackles of a myopic viewpoint, and opening up oneself to knowledge. Ignorance breeds fear. Knowledge gains an understanding.

Tourism is a vehicle for change. And yet there is always another side of the argument. The movement of people has a negative impact on infrastructures. We can’t have this debate without understanding the implications of acculturation, tourism area life cycle or TALC, carrying capacity, spatial segregation, and cultural homogenization. Planning is key.

Host communities must question the impact on their local identities and quality of life. Resources and the sustainability of a destination must be examined in order to maintain a balance. If those resources diminish beyond what the area can handle, then the destination has reached its carrying capacity. You will see a negative impact on the three environments – natural/man-made, economic, and socio-cultural. Basic needs will not be met, and people will suffer. The infrastructure will begin to deteriorate and impact will be exponential, until a point has been reach, when movement lessens and an area can begin to recover. If saturation has been reached, or even exceeded for any length of time, resources will disappear completely. Movement will stop, economic vitality will diminish and the destination will enter a stagnation or decline on the tourism area life cycle or TALC.

Border (s) have so many meanings in tourism, and I have only hinted on a host of thoughts. The final comment, if a destination is to continue, hard questions need to be asked.

via Daily Prompt: Border

authenticity, contrived, culture, Diana Gabaldon, economic, environments, heritage tourism, historical tourism, history, icons, literary tourism, literary tourism, man-made, marketing, motivation, motivators, natural landscape, place, segments, sense of identity, Sir Walter Scott, social media, sociocultural, STARZ Outlander, Starz's Outlander, tartan, Television and Film, terminology, tourism, Tourism, tourism education, travel, TV/Film, value

“Heritage is a thoroughly modern concept” *…

June 13, 2016August 28, 2018by bap5Leave a Comment

Heritage is a thoroughly modern concept ~ McCrone, Morris and Kiely (1995, p. 1)

As McCrone, Morris and Kiely assert in their seminal work on Scotland – the Brand: The Making of Scottish Heritage (1995), heritage as we know it today is not the same concept of heritage from hundreds of years ago. The depictions of plaids, and other Scottish icons can be traced back to the early 19th century (1822), to Sir Walter Scott’s pageantry of King George IV’s visit to Scotland. Scott was well ahead of his time regarding the marketing of a destination. He put Scotland on the map with his writings and romanticism of the country. I can’t blame him for he is reacting to the historical events that happened in the late 17th and 18th century that stripped the country of its pride and self-identity. I would say those events, to a degree, bent but didn’t break the country. If anything those events helped to make it stronger. This isn’t the first time I revisit the discussion of ‘manufactured’ tourism.

Let’s revisit Starz Outlander. Don’t get tired; this is a great show to demonstrate concepts, even the ‘built’ world of writers, and the film/tv industry. Saturday night was episode 210: Prestonpans was aired, and of course, I visited the subsequent talks on social media on Saturday, and Sunday. Of course, some of the chatter had to do with Bonnie Prince Charlie’s wardrobe.

Outlander Bonnie Prince Charlie — Bonnie Prince Charlie, Outlander Season 2, episode 210; ©2016

Some of the fans were arguing over what tartan he was wearing. Some thought it was the Wallace tartan; others weren’t sure. Whatever they utilized in the show, I would hazard a guess that there is host of historical inaccuracies. Again, what makes for good television. Any tartan or plaid we have today is a manufacture representation traced back to that demarcation line when Scott created the icons for Scotland.

This is one of my favorite paintings of the Prince by Pettie and is in the Royal Collection. Pettie lived from 1834-1893, in the age of romanticism. The Prince is wearing the Prince Charles Edward Stuart tartan. The Prince is emerging into the light of Holyrood Palace after taking Edinburgh in the early days of the ’45. If this tartan had any historical accuracy, which it may or may not, then the tartan used by the wardrobe on the show has thoroughly got it wrong. But more importantly, these two depictions demonstrate the concept of modern heritage.

I am amused by the show. Heck, I just watch it to hear the accents and see the beautiful scenery, and it does have a great storyline. The acting is well done, but I cringe every time for the bastardization of representations of heritage and historical events. I know, let it go, it’s just entertainment. Usually, I do several days later. I have to remember what Beveridge and Turnbull, 1989 stipulated in their works. That the truth of Scottish cultural is that mystical entity that has been ‘eclipsed’ over time. That we will not truly know the genuine character and can only ‘create’ our own interpretations. McCrone, Morris, and Kiely argue that Scottish heritage and its associated icons are malleable. That they are distorted and susceptible to interpretation.

Bonnie Prince Charlie and James Fraser, Starz Outlander Season 2, EP 210 Prestonpans ©2016

The romanticism of Scotland is a glamorous depiction of historical events. And I have to say makes for great entertainment. Students you must dig past this glamorous representation, do your homework, find primary sources and research for yourself the truth behind destinations. Understand how history, those that influence the development of tourism and its associated marketing to understand how we can differentiate one destination from another. To benchmark against those that are successful and those that are not. Scotland is successful in its marketing efforts and has Scott to thank for that. Tourism is one of the leading industries that aid that countries economic vitality. Go further, farther in your examination to understand just what heritage is, and how it supports a country and its tourism products.

Should we even get into a discussion about authenticity? Maybe next time.

authenticity, case studies, code of ethics, codes, contrived, core functions, cultural tourism, culture, Diana Gabaldon, economic, environments, historical tourism, history, journey, landscape, literary tourism, literary tourism, man-made, management, marketing, motivation, motivations, motivators, natural landscape, place, place attachment, segments, Sense of Belonging, sense of identity, sense of self, Sir Walter Scott, sociocultural, STARZ Outlander, Starz's Outlander, Television and Film, tourism, Tourism, tourism education, travel, TV/Film, writing

Sense of Belonging…

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Stormy skies over Ring of Brodgar, Orkney

So my tourism class has finished up for the most part motivation and I am sitting here reflecting on what we talked about. I tried to convey to the students that they have to develop their own understanding of the functions of motivations for their own career aspirations. To apply what we learn to their own passions, and how this will aid in becoming a better overall manager. Yet, I continue to ponder the questions in my own life as a tourism researcher, as a tourism educator.

Why do people travel? Why do we feel a kindred spirit with certain destinations? Why are we tugged towards something that we have never really been before, and feel at home? Why do we have a physiological, psychological, and cognitive response to a destination? Finding out those answers is gold for a destination marketing organization. If we can hook the heart of people, and have them make a decision, choose one destination over another, then we have succeeded at the function of promotion.

Yet, I always thought there was more to this behavior.

What are those feelings that tug at the heart, that sense of belonging that makes you return again and again to the same space, the same landscape?

What is that longing for a place?

It isn’t easy to articulate truthfully for some of us. We are all drawn to a destination to fulfill some hierarchy of need. Some hedonistic want to ‘see’ for ourselves what all the hype is about. Sometimes, I can’t understand some over the top reactions to the elements of life. I was never one to like concerts. The behavior of participants that this was the be all to end all, that if they weren’t part of the equation, their life would somehow be less fulfilling. I have only been to two rowdy concerts in my life, and sat in wonderment at the behavior of people. It was nuts. More than half the time I couldn’t hear the music for all the screaming. I didn’t appreciate or enjoy those experiences at all, and will never again participate in such an event.

Outlander Season 2 EW photoshoot — Outlander-Caitriona-Balfe-and-Sam-Heughan-photographer MARC HOM for EW

I wouldn’t pass a moment to utilize STARZ’s Outlander as a teaching tool. And I can’t understand some of the fan reaction to the program. As I have stated before, the Scottish landscape figures as a character in the books by Diana Gabaldon’s series of time-travel books, and in the television show. The marketing people are having a field day trying to gage and understand their audience. Both participants flit from one spectrum to the next, and it is fun to watch from the sidelines. Sometimes even take part. Granted I am a fan of the show, for the most part the books, but I’m more of a ‘fan’ of the landscape, the country that it is based upon. Scotland means more to me than words on a page, or the characters created and brought to life in a TV show.

But to each his or her own. More than likely those words, just like Scott’s are an embellished representation of the genuine nature of a land, of a people, of a society.

Sense of belonging to me is not so boisterous. Sense of belonging isn’t some fad that comes and goes. True appreciation and enjoyment is long-standing, loyalty and more. You know the bad exists, but the good overrides any hyped up contextualized or marginalized representation. The true heart of the three environments that tourism and its properties are derived from (economic, sociocultural, and natural/man-made {built}) runs through deep layers of complexity. Marketing isn’t an easy function of promotion, understanding motivation even harder. Sometimes people get it wrong, but we hope we get it right. Sometimes we won’t fulfill the implied promises, and people will be let down. Their expectations won’t be met, but sometimes…you have to leave what you have envisioned through books, movies, tv, and even word of mouth, and look for yourself what is there. Let go of all your baggage that you bring with you, and look, immerse yourself in the landscape to find that fulfillment. As our part of tourism credo goes,

“travel with an open mind, and gentle heart”.

There is a shift in today’s marketing environment because of the interface of technology, and the use of differing platforms. We are more in-touch than those that came before, those that had limited technology and accessibility to the variety, the diversity that is our world. People see more, do more, have the capability of understanding more, and broaden their horizons. Marketing is becoming more complex and transparent. Creditability and trust are rooted in the genuine. More and more are deciphering fact from fiction, and acting on it.

The Mantra I teach my students, and I hope that they remember is this…

Recall you are selling the right product [to the right person] at the right time, for the right price, for the right place or location, having the right promotion, engaging the right people, utilizing efficient and effective processes, and using truthful, physical evidence, that is stories and testimonials to engage with your customer…

So sense of belonging is as complex as any other concept I strive to impart. And it will take a lifetime to understand. Heck I haven’t even touched on this part of inter-relationship to authenticity. Shudder…

{There is a case study in here somewhere…ha ha ha}

February 2019
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