Who owns it? When communities brand destinations

Destination branding is an important strategy to allow for differentiation from competitors. However, there has been little discussion in the literature regarding community involvement in destination branding. This study explored the perceptions of residents actively involved in tourism across two destinations: Pitlochry, and the Isle of Gigha. The chosen destinations allowed for different types of communities to be explored given the purely voluntary nature within one destination, and the inclusion of both volunteering and ownership by the community of the destination. Four key themes were identified and explored in relation to both destinations: surrogate council, motivations, funding of the groups, and community support. Further data collection across different communities will be undertaken throughout 2016 to explore this phenomenon further

Community destination branding : potential and paradox

For destinations to compete in a context of global competition they rely on their destination image as a way to position themselves and resonate with prospective visitors (Di Marino, 2008). As such, the branding of destinations is an important strategy to implement, allowing differentiation between competitors, and providing a competitive advantage. Once branded, it is far easier for a prospective visitor to remember, as well as to form positive perceptions and emotional connections with a destination (Agres & Dubitsky, 1996; de Chernatony & McDonald, 2003). The image of the destination is created in part through the identity of the community. However, many small communities struggle to make their voices heard (Taylor, 1995), and in some instances do not feel as though they are competing amongst other small neighbouring communities (TDM, 2014). Given that the level of esteem that a city, or community’s name “evokes has a direct impact on the health of its tourism, economic development, prestige, and respect” (Baker, 2012, p. 19) active community involvement in destination branding is potentially an omission from the literature

Connecting with the past : meeting the needs of ancestral tourists in Scotland

An ancestral legacy is often viewed as the epitome of heritage tourism (McCain, 2003) and can generate the feelings of personal attachment craved by many tourists (Timothy and Boyd, 2006). Ancestral tourism supports individuals who, despite an existing identity in one country, feel a connection to another ‘homeland’ (Palmer, 1999). McCain and Ray (2003) suggest that tourism associated with personal legacy offers an experience with functional, social, emotional and epistemic value dimensions (Williams & Soutar, 2009). However, there is scant research which considers the added value that ancestral tourism can provide to a destination despite the range of benefits that may be accrued by communities which meet the needs of ancestral tourists (Timothy, 1997). Scotland, a nation which maintains and projects powerful brand signifiers of its cultural heritage (McCrone, Morris and Kiely, 1995) is also a country which witnessed considerable emigration between the 18th and 20th century. Although much emigration was voluntary and motivated by a search for economic opportunity, it is the enforced clearing of Scots as part of an economic restructuring that generates particularly evocative images. By 1914 more than 2 million Scots had emigrated, mainly to the British Dominions of Canada, Australia and New Zealand.  An estimated 800,000 visitors a year are estimated to come to Scotland with ancestral motivations but a global Scottish diaspora (which could number between 40 and 80 million) is estimated to be worth several billion pounds to the Scottish economy over the next decade. We sought to explore how the needs of ancestral tourists are met through a qualitative study involving 28 in-depth interviews with curators and tourism professionals and non-participant observation at a range of heritage and genealogical attractions across the whole of Scotland.   Our research reveals a spectrum of ancestral tourists from roots tourists who appear to be satisfied with putting their ‘feet on the ground’ where their ancestors lived; to genealogy tourists who often visit with an obsession for ‘generation bagging’ and gaining detailed documentary insight into their ancestral past.  We contribute to heritage tourism studies by revealing how extensive and well preserved archives, local knowledge and a passion for family history can serve to generate unique and deeply emotional tourism experiences for ancestral tourists. Despite the often ‘cottage industry’ nature of many ancestral attractions (often reliant on volunteers and local ‘good will) the outcome of the visit can often be greater satisfaction and a strong repeat visitation pattern

Role conflict and changing heritage practice : ancestral tourism in Scotland

Developing mutually beneficial outcomes in service encounters can be challenging due to resource asymmetry within co-created experiences. Such encounters can result in role conflict for service providers. Limited attention has been paid to the effect on service providers of highly collaborative exchanges which require specific customisation. An example of this is ancestral tourism, a dimension of heritage consumption, in which visitors actively participate in the co-creation of experience at museums, archives and related heritage sites. These institutions, previously seen as repositories of historical information, now act as conduits for visitors to investigate their ancestral past. The purpose of this study is to explore the relationship between changing professional discourse in the cultural heritage sector, specifically ancestral tourism, and role conflict amongst staff. Through interviews conducted with professionals, the extent and outcomes of role conflict in complex and collaborative exchanges is explored

Delivering the past : providing personalized ancestral tourism experiences

Heritage tourism is increasingly viewed as an individual and experiential phenomenon as well as being related to specific attributes of a destination. Ancestral tourism fits the former perspective and centers on tourists travelling to sites which they perceive to be a ‘homeland’ where, during the visit, they attempt to discover more about their own heritage. This study explores ancestral tourism from a provider perspective focusing on the delivery of tourist experiences and relationships between tourists and the place visited. The research is based on a qualitative study of tourist and non-tourist specific providers across Scotland with data collected using in-depth interviews. This study reveals a phenomenon which delivers deeply personal experiences to visitors and where encounters involve intense, often lengthy, interactions between visitors and providers. Ancestral tourism experiences are also often centered on tourism provision within local communities which can present challenges to both provider and tourist alike

Modelling collaborative consumption : theory of planned behaviour, commitment, and trust

Collaborative consumption allows consumers access to consumer goods and services on non - ownership terms. Given the evolution of the internet, this has resulted in an uptake of collaborative consumption across a variety of contexts, for example accommodation, transportation, and to urs. A model of collaborative consumption intention is proposed using a combination of theory of planned behaviour, commitment, and trust. A total of 117 usable responses were used in an initial study to conduct a preliminary test of the model. Commitment and trust are identified as mediating constructs between attitude, expectations, and ease of use when considering a sharing or collaborative consumption option. Commitment, or bonding, acts as an antecedent of trust in the development of the collaborative consumption relationship. Theoretical and practical implications are outlined relative to the developed mode

What pulls ancestral tourists 'home'? An analysis of ancestral tourist motivations

Ancestry has received limited attention within the tourism literature but is shown to play a crucial role in heritage tourism, especially for countries with extended diasporas such as Ireland, Italy India, China, and Scotland. The purpose of this study is to explore ancestral tourist motivations, and attain a broader understanding of this market. A survey of 282 ancestral tourists allowed the identification of three key factors: ancestral tourist motivation; heritage tourist motivations; and mass tourist motivation. These themes enabled a detailed analysis of clusters, identifying four ancestral segments: full heritage immersion; the ancestral enthusiast; general interest; and heritage focused. Given the lack of funding and resources currently available to ancestral tourism providers, the identification of these factors goes some way to highlighting productive areas of focus for promotional efforts and resources

Diaspora, authenticity and the imagined past

Ancestral tourism in Scotland, a sector of the heritage tourism market sensitive to consumer personalisation, has particular propensities towards process-driven co-created experiences. These experiences occur within existing categories of object-based and existential notions of authenticity alongside an emergent category of the ‘authentically imagined past’. The latter of these modes reveals a complex interplay between professionally endorsed validation of the empirical veracity of objects, documents and places and the deeply held, authentically imagined, narratives of ‘home’. These narratives, built up in the Diaspora over centuries, drive new processes towards authenticity in tourism. We conducted 31 re-enactment interviews across 27 sites throughout Scotland with curators, archivists, and volunteers to explore these notions of authenticity within the ancestral tourism context

Tourist reviews of whale watching experiences : exploring TripAdvisor comments

Cetacean activities (including whales, dolphins, and porpoises) based tourism has seen a significant rise globally, attracting more than 13 million visitors each year. Understanding visitor satisfaction is an important element for small operators within this rather competitive industry, to enhance organisational performance. While previous studies have explored whale watching satisfaction quantitatively within an A ustralian context, this study proposes a more global and qualitative approach through the use of online reviews from TripAdvisor. An initial study of 5246 reviews shows significant patterns within the quantitative review elements. The outlined qualitative data shows differences between 1 and 5 star reviews, and lends itself to the possibility of further exploration

Customer value creation really works? The mediating role of customer self-determination and role stress

This article examines the mechanisms by which customer value creation in-role behavior and customer value creation extra-role behavior influence customer well-being. The results from a survey of 103 business customer-supplier dyads show that customer value creation in-role behavior and customer value creation extra-role behavior influence customer value through a process of customer self-determination and customer role stress, leading to an increase in customer value and, in turn, customer well-being. Moreover, the results show that relationship quality and interpersonal attraction moderate the influence of customer value creation behaviors on customer self-determination and customer role stress