Visitor Engagement
Mockery and Respect in the Tourist Encounter: The Tourist Role within the Constructed Memoryscape Museums in Eastern Europe
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session Elizabeth Carnegie, Jerzy Kociatkiewicz
In this paper, we focus on museums that reflect the recent political past within Eastern and Central Europe including the Museum of Occupations in Tallinn, Museum of Occupation in Riga, and Museum of Genocide Victims in Vilnius which cover roughly the same period (1939 to 1991). As memorial museums, their aim is to commemorate and reclaim the unique suffering of specific geographically located individuals, and to project a united present and renewed sense of nationalism. They focus on Soviet and Nazi occupations of these countries which also led to forced migration and deportation. Drawing on our ethnographic study, we seek to determine how visitors engage with these museums and parks. We question whether there is an expected role and "appropriate" behaviour/responses of tourist/visitors to such sites. We question how their relationship with the recent past shapes their memories and experience of being a visitor. Are tourists also "ghost hunters" or "bringer of ghosts" to these sites? We conclude that being a tourist is a complex experience often requiring a respectful approach regardless of background or country of origin. However, our study shows that in some cases tourists are invited to mock, to actively perform ‘disrespect’ in ways which would be unthinkable for local people.
Attitudes towards Space Travel and Tourism
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session Xiaoxiao Fu, Asli D.A. Tasci, Alan Fyall
Space tourism is one of the most heated subjects of the modern day. With its expected economic, environmental and social benefits and costs, it raises a lot of questions, to which people seek answers from different sources and generate social representations. Nonetheless, general public perception, attitude and support for scientific space travel and civilians’ space tourism have received minimal attention thus far. The current study aimed to measure general American public’s perceptions, attitude and support for space travel. Using Qualtrics, a structured survey was designed to investigate information these variables. The results will be shared at the conference.
Are We Still Eating, Praying, and Loving?: The Special Interest Tourism Niches of Culinary, Spiritual, and Romance
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session Leslie Gail Scamacca
Over ten years ago, Elizabeth Gilbert wrote the novel Eat, Pray, Love: One Woman's Search for Everything Across Italy, India and Indonesia. After divorcing her husband, Gilbert chronicles her journey of recovery through personal stories of her travels through Italy, India, and Bali. Gilbert’s book inspired wanderlust in travelers eager to “find themselves” and launched a desire to experience global cuisine, spirituality, and romance through travel. In fact, googling “romance tourism” returned “Visit Indonesia” as the first result. These themes shaped into vital areas of tourism known as culinary tourism, spiritual tourism, and romance tourism. This paper and paper will explore the three special interest tourism niches of culinary tourism, spiritual tourism, and romance tourism. First, we will discuss the history of these specific fields of tourism. Next, we’ll discuss the initial impact of Gilbert’s book, and the subsequent 2010 release of the movie by the same name, on these fields. We’ll continue the discussion with the changes and evolution of these tourism niches through present day; and finally, look at trends and predictions for the future.
