"memory tourism", part "the phenomenon visitor attractions"

2013-07-27 SH - Tourism Studies 1

”Memory Tourism”

Part 1: - Presentation of Södertörn University

- The phenomenon visitor attractions

by

Göran Andersson (Södertörn University, Sweden)


Presentation

* Göran Andersson

* Head of the tourism studies department

* Contact info: [email protected]


The history of the tourism academy

* At Södertörn University

- As a program since 1999

- As a discipline since 2004

- Master program since 2008

* International

- Tourism Studies

- England at the 1950s

* In Sweden

- As a program since 1978

- As a discipline since 2003-2004


The education

* The bachelor´s program

* The master`s program

* Courses on the undergraduate level

* Courses on the advanced level

* 8 international courses

* One semester internship course


Research at Södertörn university

* Overall theme:

”Big city region”

• Sub themes:

- Hospitality management

- Sustainable destinations

- Experiences and visitor attractions

- Tourism communication

- Meetings industry

- The Sustainability concept


Community engagement

* Business education

* Cooperation with business and interested parties

* Investigations och applied research

* The industry council

* Trainee semester

* Alumni group


The phenomena

”Visitor attractions”

- Can we really define visitor attractions?

-A tourism product based on a permanent or temporary

object related to a destination, which the tourism industry or

other interested parties can develop and market, and which

motivate groups of people to travel for different purposes

such as experiences and meetings (Andersson 2009)

Definitions of visitor attractions


A visitors attraction can be defined as an element in an arena,

which is an area, a meeting place or a focused activity, which give

impact to the following: a place from attracting the visitor, gives a

wonderful experiences, gives satisfaction to its customers, offers

enough in terms of facilities and has a strategy to have either free

entrance or payment (Walsh-Heron & Stevens)

Visitor attractions are at the heart of the tourism industry, they

are motivators that make people want to take a trip in the first

place (Swarbrooke 2000)

The Narva Castle, Estonia)

http://www.bastis-tourism.info/index.php/File:NarvaMuseum.jpg


Why do people travel? - motivators

(Swarbrooke, 2003)


What helps people to travel? – influencing factors

(Swarbrooke, 2003)


Types of attractions

Two dimensions for all attractions:

* a) Cognitive and/or perceptual categories such as

education

* b) Adventure which creates human experiences

(Lew 2000)

Dicothomy:

a) Natural – built b) Private – public ownership

c) Free – paid d) in cluster – isolated

e) On a travel route or situated in a rural/urban environment

(Fyall, Garrod & Leask 2003)

(The ice hotel

at Jukkasjärvi,

Sweden)


Focused classification criteria

- temporary or permanent

- nature and culture

- build as an attraction / not build as an attraction

Kaali field of meteorite craters,

Saaremaa islands, Estonia

http://www.bastis-tourism.info/index.php/File:Kaali_kraater.jpg


Graham & Lennon, 2002

– Scottish visitor attractions


RANKED ATTRACTIONS IN STOCKHOLM

Number of visitors (in thousands 2012)

1 Kulturhuset (incl. Stadsteatern) 2,910

2 Stockholm Globe Arenas (incl. SkyView) 1,662

3 Skansen 1,415

4 Gröna Lund 1,408

5 Archiepelago tours, Strömma Group 1,245

6 Vasamuseét 1,218

7 Eriksdalsbadet swimming center 1,066

8 Stockholmsmässan 976

9 Swedish Museum of Natural History 511

10 Moderna museét 493

11 Casino Cosmopol 457

12 Fotografiska 427

13 Junibacken 392

14 City Hall 365

15 National Museum 352

16 Kungl. Slottet, Visningsvåningarna 328

17 The Kaknäs tower 310

18 Friends Arena 300

19 Museum of Science and technology 276

20 The Stockholm Concert Hall 272


Attractions -

activities and

revenues

Garrod, Leask

and Fyall,

2007


Attraction prerequisites -> ”Part Attraction context”

* Direct factors

- e.g. Culture heritage and natural scenery

•Indirect factors

- e.g. strong local demand and good infrastructur


The visitor

* Market segmentation:

• Geographical: close area, region, nationally och

internationally

• Demographical: income, age och travel partners

• Psykografical: eco tourism och urban turism

• Behavioural: first time visitor and many times visitors

* Understanding the individual customer


Litvin, 2007

A study of Charleston,

South Caroliona

2013-07-27 19

Human experiences

• The interaction between human being

and object

• Consumer behaviour and decision

making

• Motivators and restriction factors

Pine & Gilmores model

of the experience delivery´s dimensions


Expericence landscape experience dimension

- in relation to the life cycle


Kick Comfort

Contact Competence

Parks And Resorts Scandinavia AB 2011

Escapism

Rest Risk

Conncection


Tourist service

General travel

”The human visitor experience”

and the tourism product

Core-

attractions

The attraction product


Product levels:

1) The core product is the imagescape

The attraction itself: consists of an image. The

purpose is to mediate the visitors potential

experience to the market.

2) Commodities and services to add value or

support the imagescape

3) Supporting facilities such as a) general service

and b) augmented imagescape

The product package


* Define and analyse the core attraction

* e.g. What is the core attraction when going

to the Viking town Birka in Sweden

The core attraction

The Viking town Birka


The A-criteria experience model (Andersson, 2012)

Attraction object related criteria:

1) Activities – Did you yourself participate when visiting the attraction?

2) Authentic - Did the artefacts and events feel real?

3) Accessible – Is the attraction´s espericence easy to reach from a logistical point of view?

Experience quality related criteria:

4) Affection – Did the attraction move you emotionally?

5) Aha-experience – Did you get a strong experience from the visit?

6) Absorption – Did you escape from your normal life into the experience?

7) Adaption – Is the attraction info/message easy to understand?

Visit purpose related criteria:

8) Adventure – Was the experience exciting?

9) Aestetics – Was the experience pleasing to the senses concerning the nature of beauty, art and taste?

10) Academic – Was the experience related to higher learning?


General travel experience

Product package gives experiences

- travel to/from the place

- different accommodation

- simple meal/ exclusive meal


Experiences of tourist services

* Frequent and time coordinated transports

* Displayed and personal information

* Storage space and toilets

Attraction economy

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SH - Tourism Studies

28


Demand analysis and pricing strategy


* Central Florida theme park pricing behavour (Fyall, Garrod & Leask 2003)

* The elasticity model: an increase/decrease of the price factor (independent

variable) will result in an increase/decrease of the demand (dependant variable),

where 1.0 means to the same level and 0 means no effect at all

* Disney´s own pricing: Disney´s pricing compared with Disney´s attendance had

an elasticity coefficient -0.03. This means that if Disney increase the price with 10

% the attendeance decreased with 0.3 %.

* Competitors pricing: Universal price compared with Disney´s attendance had an

elasticity coefficient -0.68.

* Macro factors: a) Per capita disposable income (elasticity coefficient 1.0)

and b) Population (elasticity coefficient 2.89)

* The tourism industry in general:

a) Unleaded gas price (elasticity coefficient -0.14); b) Air fares (elasticity

coefficient -0.38) and c) Lodging prices (elasticity coefficient 0,42))

Attraction development


Triangle elements of the development process:


Imagescape

Localisation Market


Thank you for your participation

- With a hope of future developed and

marketed destinations and visitor attractions

from a sustainable perspective

The Viking town Birka at Youtube (3

minutes):

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E3_Yvl3

3ows&feature=player_detailpage

"memory tourism", part "the phenomenon visitor attractions"

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