Attracting more tourists by taking account of their cultural background Marinel Gerritsen Professor...

Attracting more tourists by taking account of their cultural background

Marinel Gerritsen

Professor of Intercultural Business Communication Department of Business Communication StudiesRadboud University NijmegenThe NetherlandsM.Gerritsen@let.ru.nl

Three aspects of marketing communication of a tourist area that will be dealt with

a) Content of the information about the area (text and pictures)

b) Communication media used to convey information about the tourist area

c) Form of the communication

Outline of the paper

1. A model and a hypothesis that indicate that responding to the communicative conventions of the culture of a target group might be an important device in attracting tourists

A communication model The similarity attraction hypothesis

2. Which elements of culture: visible and/or invisible elements?

3. Applying knowledge of the values of the target group in the marketing communication of a tourist area

4. Adapting to the communication style of the target group

5. Implications for tourist marketers

In communication at least two persons are involved

• Sender A person who sends a message in the form of symbols for example words, pictures

• ReceiverA person who interpretes these symbols and deduces a message from these symbols

Effective communication

Communication between sender and receiver is most effective if the interpretation of the message by the receiver is similar to what the sender intended to communicate with the message

SENDERMessage

Targowski/Bowman Layer-based pragmatic communication model

RECEIVERMessage

SessionLink

StorageRetrieval

PhysicalLink

AudienceLink

SystemsLink

Environ-ment Link

Functions& Role

SymbolsLink

BehaviorLink

ValueLink

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Twitter in Europe, the more colour the more twitter is used

SENDERMessage

Targowski/Bowman Layer-based pragmatic communication model

RECEIVERMessage

SessionLink

StorageRetrieval

PhysicalLink

AudienceLink

SystemsLink

Environ-ment Link

Functions& Role

SymbolsLink

BehaviorLink

ValueLink

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The marketer of the tourist area has to adapt to the communicative conventions of the target group and has to realize

In intercultural marketing communication, what matters is not what you show, but how it is seen, and not what you say but how you are heard

Similarity attraction hypothesis

The more similar two individuals are, the higher the attraction between them

…… and that is precisely what a tourist area wants: attract tourists.

Ng et al (2007): Tourist marketers should taken into account cultural similarities between their tourist area and the target group in their image building of a tourist area.

Similarity between which elements of a culture play the major role in attracting tourist?

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values

rituals

heroes

symbols

practi

ces

Model of culture: Hofstede's onion-diagram

Symbols

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Tea rituals in Japan

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values

rituals

heroes

symbols

practi

ces

Model of culture: Hofstede's onion-diagram

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Model of culture: The floating ice berg of Edward T. Hall

Behavior, customs, language , history

1/9 visible elements

Values, perception of the world, way of thinking ,presuppositions

8/9 invisible elements

Similarity between which elements of the models of culture should be taken account by tourist marketers: the visible or invisible elements?

Invisible elements, values

Why taking account of the invisible elements?-1

Because tourists travel to see and experience new things, and they can especially observe the visible elements of a culture

Two questions that call for further research:

1. Do touristst from high uncertainty avoidance cultures (“what is different is dangerous”) and tourists from low uncertainty avoidance cultures (“what is different is interesting”) differ in the extent to which visible elements of a culture attract them?

2. Do difference between tourist area and target group in all visible aspects of a culture play the same role in attraction?

Why taking account of the invisible elements? -2

• Values are learned at one’s mother knee

• By the age of twelve a child has acquired values and because this learning process has taken place so early and unconsciouslousy, a person believes that persons all over the world have the same values

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Six basic values (Kluckhohn & Strodtbeck 1961)

1. Human nature

2. Underlying motives for acting

3. Human Relations

4. Time

5. Space

6. Person-Nature

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16 values anno 2012 and the six basic values of (Kluckhohn & Strodtbeck 1961)

1. Human nature

2. Underlying motives for actingIndulgence-Restraint (Hofstede)

Uncertainty Avoidance (Hofstede)Masculinity-Feminity (Hofstede)

3. Human RelationsCollectivism-Individualism (Hofstede)Power distance (Hofstede)Particularism-Universalism (Trompenaars)Achieved-scribed status (Trompenaars)Neutral-Affective (Trompenaars)

4. TimePast, present, future (Trompenaars)Polychrony-monochrony (Hall)Confucian Dynamism (Hofstede)

5. SpacePersonal space (Hall)Private-Public (Hall)Specific-Diffuse (Trompenaars

6. Person-Nature

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16 values anno 2012 and the six basic values of (Kluckhohn & Strodtbeck 1961)

1. Human nature

2. Underlying motives for actingIndulgence-Restraint (Hofstede)

Uncertainty Avoidance (Hofstede)Masculinity-Feminity (Hofstede)

3. Human RelationsCollectivism-Individualism (Hofstede)Power distance (Hofstede)Particularism-Universalism (Trompenaars)Achieved-scribed status (Trompenaars)Neutral-Affective (Trompenaars)

4. TimePast, present, future (Trompenaars)Polychrony-monochrony (Hall)Confucian Dynamism (Hofstede)

5. SpacePersonal space (Hall)Private-Public (Hall)Specific-Diffuse (Trompenaars

6. Person-Nature

Indulgence versus restraint ( the 6th value of Hofstede (Hofstede, Hofstede, Minkov 2010, p. 281))

IndulgenceA tendency to allow relatively free gratification of basic and natural human desires related to enjoying life and having fun

RestraintA conviction that such gratification needs to be curbed and regulated by strict social norms

Indulgence versus restraint and attracting tourists

ContentIndulgence: aspects of a tourist area that show that one can have fun, enjoy life and pamper oneselfRestraint: aspects of a tourist area that are related to learn something (history, geography, art)

Communication mediaIndulgence: glossy, glamorousRestraint: serious books, flyers

Uncertainty avoidance

The extent to which the members of a culture feel threatened by ambiguous or unknown situations

High uncertainty avoidance : “What is different is dangerous”

Low uncertainty avoidance: “What is different is interesting”

Uncertainty avoidance and attracting tourists

ContentHigh uncertainty avoidance: package tours, all inclusive, travelling in groups, well

known hotel chains, well known destinations, booking long before the journey, risk free activities, transparency of information (facts and figures), strengthen de confidence of travelers by assuring stability, free insurance, guarantee of personal safety and security

Low uncertainty avoidance: new things, adventures, last minutes, bed and breakfast

Communication mediaHigh uncertainty avoidance: travel agencyLow uncertainty avoidance: internet, word of mouth

Form of the communicationHigh uncertainty avoidance: precise, facts and figures, information long before the

journey will take place Low uncertainty avoidance: last minute information

Masculinity versus Femininity

Masculine Emotional gender roles are clearly distinct: men are supposed to be assertive, tough and focussed on material success, whereas women are supposed to be more modest, tender and concerned with the quality of life

FeminineEmotional gender roles overlap: both men and women are supposed to be modest, tender, and concerned with the quality of life

Masculinity versus femininity and attracting tourists

ContentMasculine: division of gender roles, one can show achievement in

personal life and in for example sport and financial soundness during the holiday

Feminine: no division of gender roles, environment friendly, sustainability, one helps the population by visiting the area as a tourist , social responsibility, development assistance

Communication mediaMasculine: media that show achievement (glossy magazines)Feminine: simple environment friendly media

Collectivism versus Individualism

Individualism Ties between individuals are loose: everyone is expected to look after him- or herself and his or her immediate family

Collectivism People are from birth onward integrated into strong, cohesive in-groups, which throughout people’s lifetime, continue to protect then in exchange for unquestioning loyalty

Collectivism versus individualism and attracting tourists

ContentCollectivistic: to have a holiday with the whole (extended) family and the

possibility to travel in groups Individualistic: individual activities that are tailor made to the individual

desires

Communication mediaCollectivistic: more reliance on family/ friends or company colleagues

for travel information Individualistic: more reliance on the internet

Form of the communicationCollectivistic: high context, indirect, flowery style, metaphors, narrativesIndividualistic: low context, direct, facts and figures

Power distance

The extent to which the less powerful members of institutions and organizations within a country expect and accept that power is distributed unequally

Power distance and attracting tourists

ContentHigh power distance: highest quality and service, you will be treated as

a queen, well known destinations (Montreux!), the most important, powerful and famous people of the world were here too.

Low power distance: population of the area is easily approachable

Communication mediaHigh power distance: glossy, luxurious brochuresLow power distance: internet

Form of the communicationHigh power distance: show respect to elderly and people with powerLow power distance: you will be one of us

Past, present, future orientation

People differ in the way they think about the past, present and future, which of the three is most important and how they are related

Past, present, future orientation in a number of countries

Past, present, future orientation and attracting tourists

ContentPast: history, historical monuments, archeology, glorious past Present: modern buildings, modern life, hic et nunc mentality,

innovations

Polychrony and monochrony

In monochronic cultures time is sequentially ordered, one prefers to do one thing at the same time and one does not like to change schedules that are settled

In polychronic cultures one likes to do several things simultaneously and schedules are not important and can be changed easily

Polychrony and monochrony and attracting tourists

ContentPolychronic: appointments can be changed easily and time is flexibleMonochronic: everything will be organized in the way that is announced

before, in time, there will be no changes in schedules

Communication mediaPolychronic: many different media and information about an area has

not to be univocalMonochronic: univocal, same information everywhere

Form of the communicationPolychronic: communication way be woollyMonochronic: facts and figures, direct, logically structured, sound

communication

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16 values anno 2012 and the six basic values of (Kluckhohn & Strodtbeck 1961)

1. Human nature

2. Underlying motives for actingIndulgence-Restraint (Hofstede)

Uncertainty Avoidance (Hofstede)Masculinity-Feminity (Hofstede)

3. Human RelationsCollectivism-Individualism (Hofstede)Power distance (Hofstede)Particularism-Universalism (Trompenaars)Achieved-scribed status (Trompenaars)Neutral-Affective (Trompenaars)

4. TimePast, present, future (Trompenaars)Polychrony-monochrony (Hall)Confucian Dynamism (Hofstede)

5. SpacePersonal space (Hall)Private-Public (Hall)Specific-Diffuse (Trompenaars

6. Person-Nature

Communication style

The Context theory of Edward T. Hall

Cultures differ in the extent to which they use context and situation for the interpretation of a message

In high-context cultures, most of the meaning of a message is deduced from the context in which the words occur, for example non-verbal communication, and the setting of the communication

In low-context cultures, the meaning of a message is primarily deduced from the words

Context and attracting tourists

Form of the communicationHigh context: implicit, indirect, flowery, narrative, poetry-like, non-verbalLow context: explicit, direct, to the point, no waste of words

Communication mediaHigh context: media with a high information richness ( face-to-face

communication, travel agencies)Low context: media with a low information richness (travel guides, e-

mail, letter, text message, twitter )

Implications for tourist marketers

• Determine target markets

• Adapt the communication about a tourist destination to the communicative conventions of the culture of the target group regarding: - content (text ánd pictures), - communicaiton media used to convey the message- form of the message

This implies market segmentation and different marketing approaches for different target groups (Reisinger and Turner 2002, Frias et al 2011)

Suggestion: web sites tailor made for each target group. Just as tourist areas have web sites in different language they could have web sites for different cultures (reduction of costs by asking students from the target group cultures to help with content and design)

Consequences for education of tourist marketers

Future tourist managers should have knowledge about the cultural background of their customers (Tsang and al 2007).

More information: M.Gerritsen@let.ru.nl