New Orleans a sensory city: a case study focusing on whether olfaction affects tourist

experience

Cassie Hughes

13038414

2016/17

Working Title New Orleans (NO) a sensory city: a case study focusing on whether olfaction affects tourist experience

Aim and Objectives

AimThis study will examine whether olfaction has an impact on tourist behaviour and enjoyment when visiting a destination

Research objectives Explore specific theory about olfaction based on memory, perception

and behaviours Review what multi-sensory aspects are being brought out within the

Hospitality and Tourism Industry Identify whether sensory triggers of olfaction effect tourist behaviour

using primary research Conclude whether olfaction can have a positive or negative effect on

tourist experience and applied within the tourism industry

Literature Review

IntroductionThe senses are an internal physiological and psychological process, which are affected by external stimuluses’ and has an effect on our everyday life. There has been an evolution of how the senses are perceived and knowledge regarding the processing and usefulness, sight and hearing in the 18th century were traditionally linked to intellect in western cultures and taste and smell however were considered an animalistic trait (Howes, 2003; Henshaw, 2014). There was a change then in the 19th century, which viewed the senses within social hierarchies (Howes, 2003). Currently the research and knowledge is extensive and continues to build about each sense and there importance in our lives (Shepherd, 2005; Pink, 2006; Majid and Levinson 2011). Experience is also important when focusing on the senses and smells because it is ultimately influenced by external environment.

OlfactionOlfaction is the main focus of this research study which will consider the current scientific research and how it applies within the Hospitality and Tourism industry. Olfaction has been defined as sense of smelling from the brain and olfactory receptors (Dubois, 2000). Scientists and researchers have shown that there are approximately 300 different types of receptors which account for olfaction (Stevenson and Wilson, 2007; Batty, 2015). It is known that a person is capable of recognising and remembering roughly 10,000 different odours coming from the olfactory receptors (Gilbert, 2014).

Smells and olfactory processing is used in order to make judgments and decisions (Morret, Brochet and Dubourdieu, 2001). Odours are regognised better against a background of other odours (Stevenson and Wilson, 2007) this is due to a single receptor being able to identify many odours (Morret, Brochet and Dubourdieu, 2001). From the olfactory environment the sense can manage to select a scent as one even when it is surrounded by a mix of others (Batty, 2015). Nonetheless Rosenblum (2010) believes that the scent detection and receptors are usually improves when smelling undetectable odours.

Humans in general, foresee and linger over food aromas. By evolving and cooking our food it has created more aromas and flavour from food (Gilbert, 2014). Moreover research shows that when airflow from receptors to oral chamber is blocked this is preventing lack of olfactory receptors in use, showed major loss for identifying common flavours (Rozin, 1982; Spence, Auvray and Smith, 2015) this has a huge impact on flavour perceptions and tastes of foods. Smith (2012) identified that even when people report loss of smell and therefore absence of taste, when tested they still show they have all taste buds working detecting sweet, salt, sour and bitter. This identifies the importance of olfaction when it comes to taste and flavour. It is vital to use the other senses and not use olfaction in isolation for rational decision making (Morret, Brochet and Dubourdieu, 2001). Stevenson and Wilson (2007) believe that it is necessary to have visual and auditory cues to identify the features for object recognition.

Senses effecting experienceThe experience economy was postulated by Pine and Gilmore (1999) and the base of the theory described that customers no longer want just products or services they want to buy a whole experience (cited in Pine and Gilmore, 2011). The idea that the art of the table is about theatre of the overall experience (Spence and Piqueras-Fiszman, 2014). This is the basis about why the senses improve experience, it goes beyond the products or services offered.

The evidence from a collection of studies show that smells are highly linked to emotion and long lasting memories which can lead to a change in behaviour from the unconscious (Morret, Brochet and Dubourdieu, 2001); Ivanka, 2004; Rosenblum, 2010). Odours are processed in the limbic system which is the very core part of the brain (Herz, 2007) The limbic system has a response to a powerful odour which creates emotion (Rosenblum, 2010). Emotion is also proceeding within the limbic system specifically the amygdala, which creates olfaction and emotion or distinctively intertwined therefore creating emotions from smells (Herz, 2007). Odours are referenced to the effect that they have on a person which is typically using emotive language because smell can take someone back to a place or time (Stevenson and Wilson, 2007).

Olfaction is experience-bound meaning that subjection to more odours can affect how the stimuli can be interpreted (Wilson and Stevenson, 2003). The

hedonic aspects of odours are highly important (Stevenson and Wilson, 2007).

Successful recognition of odours may not lead to effective identification, where the name of the object is recovered (Stevenson and Wilson, 2007). Humans have outstanding skills for detecting odours however the ability to identify the smells is poor (Morret, Brochet and Dubourdieu, 2001). Knowing a familiar odour but not being able to title it was defined as the ‘tip-of-the-nose’ state, first postulated by Lawless and Engen (1977) and later discussed by many other authors (Rosenblum, 2010; Gilbert, 2014; (Morret, Brochet and Dubourdieu, 2001). Describing smells is one thing however trying to substantially and vividly imagine smells is even harder (Rosenblum, 2010).

Senses used within the IndustryThe hospitality and tourism industry uses senses to effect experience within some sectors, it specifically hotels that focus on smells. The Mayfair hotel use scent to evoke emotions in their guests, which give them a feeling of wellbeing for their whole stay. The scent is put throughout the hotel in incense sticks, with a signature fragrance of cut grass and lemongrass (The Mayfair, 2010).

Methodology

IntroductionWhen examining the relevant literature regarding olfaction and the effect on experience it was clear there were many theories supporting the idea that smells increase memories and emotions (Rosenblum, 2010) which then lead to memorable experiences. This is very relevant this is to the Hospitality and Tourism industry today, smells are used widely within the hotel industry however are not really highly regarded in any other sector. It was evident there was a gap in the literature, which lead to the need for research regarding smells and tourist experiences. Therefore as part of this study, primary research was conducted which aimed to answer the gaps.

Research Approach Hospitality research and its nature are crucial because it shows theories and can be applied directly into a working environment (Ro, 2012). Firstly this research project will take an exploratory approach which predominately identifies the key problems and provides a perspective for further research and development (Brotherton, 2008). After the results from this study there may not be a definitive answer and in order to be valid within a workplace more research into this area can be produced. This investigation will take on an inductive approach where the research data gets collected and that will lead to explanations based on the results (Veal, 2011). Finally due to the qualitative nature of this study which inspects the content of the data this would be referred to as an interpretivist style within the exploratory approach (Jankowicz, 2005).

Research ContextThis research main focus is to identify whether olfaction and smell triggers have an effect on tourism experiences, this focuses on emotions, memories and experiences. All data was collected during and shortly after a visit to New Orleans from the 11th November 2016- 17th November 2016 on a university arranged trip for food and culture (A1). New Orleans was chosen as the case study for this research because of the nature of the city, the music, food and drink and architecture (Lonely Planet, 2016). This makes it a very sensory city, which will allow for lots of data from the research. This type of trip fall into the tour group tourism sector because the majority of the trip was spent with the one group and organised activities. The observer was actively involved within the group throughout the duration of the trip and the observations have come from interactions during the organised activities on the tour and various other social occasions outside the set tour activities. Case studies are widely used within explorative research, they are used to describe and report on certain circumstances and situations (Lee and Lings, 2008). Using purely New Orleans for the case study research makes this investigation unique because it is trying to find answer to questions but looking at a specific place for the answers. However meaning the results will not be able to be used to generalise for other places (Yin, 2014).

Data CollectionThis study contains two main forms of data collection, primarily participant observations which were conducted by collecting descriptive data and secondly in-depth interviews with participants which were carried out using open-ended questions in order to achieve the research aims. The researcher had a strong observer role however due to the nature of the tour it is hard to stay observing and not have any element of participation. Participant observation is most effective when the observer takes part within the group and then recording the observations (White and McBurney, 2013). With observation being a form of ethnographic research it lends itself to the researcher/observer being involved within the observing situation (Finn, Elliott-White and Walton, 2000). There are some negatives with participant observation because it is hard to fully observe and document everything which raises questions of validity and secondly it increases ethical consideration in the view that some participants may not want to be observed so is it an invasion of privacy (White and McBurney, 2013). Within the ethnographic approach objective research is not of interest because it is all based on the subjectivity of human behaviour which is of benefit to this study (Finn, Elliott-White and Walton, 2000). The researcher being a white, British, young woman made it easy to fit in to the tourist environment and allowed the observations to become richer and have a higher understanding of the tourist environment. Photographic images, video and audio recording were conducted during the duration of the visit which assisted with the writing up procedure to stimulate the memory of the researcher.

Moreover the second research method of interviewing, which can be conducted using three main methods which are on a continuum, structured, semi-structured and unstructured (Punch, 2005). semi-structured interviews will be the technique used within this research project which takes the form of in-depth exploratory style interviews (Punch, 2005). These will be conducted face-to-face shortly after the New Orleans visit where a consent form was provided before the interview took place (A2) The questions of the interview were geared towards the main focus of the research and insure they will get the desired answers are achieved (Berg, 2009). The interview questions were developed from revising previous research and adapting based around this research question (Tung and Richie, 2011; Anderson and Shimizu, 2007). Piloting the interview questions is crucial to the success of the answers, it removes issues for the actual interview if piloted before (Altinay and Paraskevas, 2008). The interview questions in this study went through a rigorous piloting process to come out with the final questions (A3).

The sampling method chosen for this study is purposeful sampling which entails selecting groups of individuals that have experiences or have knowledge about a phenomenon of interest (Cresswell and Plano Clark, 2011). This method is only used with high information rich studies (Patton, 2002), which applied to this research because of the nature of the data, being all qualitative. The sample used were people who attended the trip due to the reason they have experiences the relevant activities in order to answer the interviews, there were ten participants for the interviews. Bias can arise when conducting any form of research and within interviews there are three main forms, interviewer, interview and participant bias (Saunders et al, 2015). There are techniques which can be used to reduce bias but depending on the study it many not fully be removed, such as not using leading questions (Altinay and Paraskevas, 2008). The subjectivity of this study makes it difficult to total avoid bias because the fact that memory recall of experience is subjective towards individuals (Tung and Ritchie, 2011). A way of reducing bias is by gauging the participants awareness of smells to assess whether is in the conscious mind or mainly subconscious of each participant (see Q6 in A4). Smeets et al (2008) stated that being able to assess people’s odour awareness is very useful when inspecting their response to environmental odours.

Data AnalysisA method of inductive analysis can be used to examine the data collected in this study, this allows the researcher to analyse the data and then draw on conclusions (Silverman, 2006). The ‘audit trail’ is very important when starting early stages of analysis and it refers to the account of the data, which leads to the findings through the method of analysis (Johnson and Gill, 2010). This can be found within the appendices of this report. Yin (2014) states that when initially analysing data you are looking for patterns, concepts or insights and these come by manipulating the data and putting some information against another.

The analytical techniques used for this case study research was pattern matching. This method looks at all of the data and variables and finds a connection with them (Yin, 2014). It is then recorded if there is any frequency of events or explanations that happen within the research. (Yin, 2014). This data both observations and interview data were grouped in order to identify recurring themes within the data (A5). This could also be referred to as thematic analysis, in which patterns and themes are identified within rich qualitative data (Braun and Clarke, 2006). Initial codes are found within the data and these slowly relate to themes which connects the information together. This research study identified themes within the research and identified a connection within the literature which is shown in the findings and analysis.

Findings and Data Analysis

The Tour ExperienceThis section of the research project identifies elements that impact on experience, both positive and negative. The researcher started with separating both the observational data and interview raw data into general themes and then from these themes key words and sub heading were deduced (A6). This lead to the analysis of the research and organisation of the data. In order to make conclusions to achieve aim and objectives. The story of the findings will tell how the senses especially smells have an impact on the overall tourist experience. Tourist experience has been defined by Larsen (2007) as travel related events which are poinant and lodged in the long term memory.

Visual cityThe mix of all factors of tourism explain that sightseeing and the visual item is only one aspect of its nature and what happens when being a tourist is a ‘total body experience’ (Andrews, 2005). It is vital to have a combination of all the sensory elements to lead to the overall memorable experience. In this study the participants identifies the sights of the architecture in NO to be important to them whilst visiting.

‘I think sight is most important because I really pay attention to the architecture, the nature and types of trees and weather, its palm trees or pine trees’. ~Participant 10

‘Obviously their architecture is famous, when I recall the trip my instant thought it about the buildings and landscape’. ~ Participant 8

‘Visualness of the city was so overwhelming, I have been to places like Sicily and it is really run down because of the mafia and it is almost a ruin quality, these beautiful buildings that are ruined. But it didn’t have such a visual strength as New Orleans, because the French Quarter is so iconic because of the detailed architecture’. ~Participant 8

‘The architecture, I spent one half day just walking with one other guest and we almost didn’t speak very much we just absorbed how the city has been redeveloped around the arts and warehouse district and of course the French Quarter and it is really remarkable and distinctive, it couldn’t be anywhere else’. ~Participant 9

Gulhespy and Harris (2010) argue that an understanding of the visual aspects of tourism experiences is important, there needs to be an emphasis recognition on the was tourists embody experiences which challenge all of the senses. No single sense can be used in isolation (Andrews, 2005).

‘Everything you see changes your perspective on things. For example when I went to the Caribbean you can see shantytowns and it makes you question whether it is safe. Similar in New Orleans, you have Treme and then the Garden District and CBD, which sometimes makes you feel like you are in safer areas’. ~Participant 4

This participant links sights to safety and if it looked safe they felt safe, which again lead to their overall tourist experience. This was mentioned quite a lot during the interviews, some felt the air of un-safety more than others but there is a large divide between rich and poor is NO. Other sight that was mentioned within the trip was a specific tour and the visit to a sugar mill, the group got to see the scale of how the sugar cane is processed and then saw a mountain of sugar in a warehouse and was able to climb it.

‘We were then allowed to do a bus tour around the mill which we got to feel and taste some sugar cane, then we drove into one of four of the warehouses they have full of sugar which has been processed but not fully white sugar, it was literally a sugar mountain to the top of this warehouse’. ~Observations

‘Climbing on a mountain of sugar, getting off the bus and then going up this sugar mountain and picking it up and tasting it. That was something because it was just really bizarre’. ~Participants 7

‘I remember the sugar mountain when we got out of the van and we into the warehouse where there was 65 million tonnes of raw sugar pilled high and the air was thick and sweet from the sugar which was an extraordinary experience in terms of sight and very strong smell it really hit you in the face’. ~Participant 9

‘In terms of the senses being literally fully surrounded by sugar gives a strange sensation.  It was a bit of a shock being able to climb this sugar mountain’. ~Observations

There was also a large connection between the sight of the sugar mountain and the smell; many participants could describe exactly what it smelt like.

‘When we walked off that bus I did not expect it to smell that way because sugar to me doesn’t really smell but then to walk out and to smell the caramel smell. Because it was unexpected it made me re evaluate what I think sugar is like’. ~Participant 4

‘Something I did really pay attention to was the sugar mountain, when we got off the bus and the smell, it just smelt like sugar because it made everyone be in a happy mood and everyone was laughing. I’m

not sure but I recon if the smell wasn’t so sweet it would have been a different experience’. ~Participant 7

‘We did visit that sugar mountain and it smelt like a really weird earthy or a musty smell, I don’t know for myself it was particularly sweet but it had a dense smell of caramel. Most of the times you don’t want a distinct smell to disturb your experience’. ~ Participant 8

‘The smell getting off that bus is very distinct with a hint of sweet smell but mainly a hint of Demerara sugar and cake batter’. ~Observations

These links between sight and smell are very important and vital to the experience of the sugar mountain, most people described it as surreal and bizzare which would have been different if sight and smell didn’t have a part to play. Historically vision has always been seen as the superior sense because of the complex connections between vision and human discovery (Urry, 1999). Adler (1989) expressed that ‘experiences of beauty and sublimity, sought through the sense of sight, were values for their spiritual significance to the individuals who cultivated them’ (pg22). This shows how vision has been vital throughout history and now as photography becomes a vital part of travel and tourism from the twentieth-century. It distinguishes what is worth capturing and therefore worth sightseeing. (Urry, 1999).

‘Being in Jackson Square there are hordes of tourists with music being played and tarot card readers and magicians entertaining the crowd, many tourists are taking photos of everything going on around’. ~Observations

Photos from the trip showing visual sights and tourists give a feel for the visual elements of the city and the trip (A7).

Noisy city NO has a large musical element meaning it is a very noisy city due to the history of jazz music. This was mentioned by most participants when asked about positive elements of their tourist experience.

‘Famous for their music and smells and food culture, always music being played on the street somewhere, which makes people happy if they are in a restaurant or on the street it is always in a positive way… the reason we ate so much was because we smelt it and wanted to see live bands including the music café and kept everyone in high spirits’. ~Participant 1

‘There was a lot of culture and cuisine there, every street corner there was someone playing a musical instrument’. ~Participant 4

‘Yes the two things that I enjoyed the most were the music and the food, which are obviously directly related to hearing, smell and taste and that enhanced it a lot. Hearing the jazz music in the street made it very vibrant, friendly and completely different to British culture’. ~Participant 5

‘The music was beautiful as well, when we had the champagne reception in the antique shop, the saxophonist made such a difference and it made me emotional because I didn’t want to leave’. ~Participant 6

‘In terms of hearing, in every street there was jazz music, which gives a really nice vibe, I already really enjoy jazz music but just hearing it at every corner lifts the mood and makes me really happy, that is one of the most positive experiences, atmosphere is very important and seeing everyone happy on the streets, music is an amazing way of expressing yourself but it also influences other people’s moods so the atmosphere is made, New Orleans without the jazz music would not be as happy’. ~Participant 7

The participants in this study expressed that the noise around the city added to their experiences, often when food and music mixed together it was mentioned to be more prominent. ‘the crowding of the senses that the foregoing images present with the oppressive nature of the noise and feeling of enclosure of the spaces call into question the idea of the holiday as a time of freedom and relaxation’. (Andrews, 2015, pg259). Noise can bring out both positive and negative aspects to a trip. For each of these statements it was much so in a positive way.

Cultural city The NO culture is a very important aspect, which leads to the overall tourist experience. Desforges’s (2000) identifies that tourist experience is a form of cultural capital.

‘It was food related by I felt as though food was just a lens by which I learned a lot about other aspects of the culture and the city’. ~ Participant 9

‘The culture and the way they communicate, there was one day when I had an alligator burger in a local place where everyone was watching an American football game and I felt part of the community and I saw them all interact during the game and it was nice to be apart of it’. ~Participant 10

‘Experiencing the food culture by visiting nice restaurants with both the trip and by ourselves, we visited a sugar plantation, a rum distillery, different antique places, very traditional established restaurants to see their way of cooking, especially gumbo, Creole and Cajun food because that is their main attraction’. ~Participant 1

There was a lot of happiness on the street, because of the friendly culture. ~Participant 3

Most participants link food and taste to the NO culture and it is a huge factor that shapes the culture. This is a highly sensory element when eating the food and smelling the spices, even interacting with locals. Having a shared understanding of identity leads to a feeling of togetherness (Andrews, 2005).

‘I will never forget one night when we were all together and walked down the French quarter and it was busy in the street and I just got all of this positive energy in me and excitement and when we went to the bar and had some drinks and we were mingling with the locals which was definitely happiness’. ~Participant 10

Memories From the research in this study some participants identified links between the smells and making memories from their experience in New Orleans, it was a strong reference point within the interviews.

‘It is the city of senses, some places you go it is very enjoyable but you could be anywhere whereas New Orleans isn’t like that, it is full of smells, tastes and characters that you interact with and all of that stimulates the senses but also stimulates great memories. I have been to the city five or six times now and I can remember a lot from each time whereas I don’t feel the same about a city like Chicago. I like it but it doesn’t grab you in the same way’. ~Participant 9

‘I think when you think about it overall the smell is really important because it is something that lasts and a memory that you keep and adds to the whole picture of a destination. It might be the factor of whether you return, I think it’s a quite a major factor. I would return to New Orleans but I definitely wouldn’t go back in peak summer months’. ~Participant 3

‘If you have a bad smell it is just not enjoyable because it puts you off completely, the same with a nice smell, it can make you feel a certain way, often nostalgic in some ways or it adds a new memory’. ~Participant 6

‘Where is does play a big role is when I leave that place and for some reason it gives me flashbacks and memories from when I was there, that’s where smells play the biggest role, it gives me memories’. ~Participant 10

These statements reveal how the smells and other senses have a direct link with creating and recalling memories for a tourist experience when visiting a destination. Odours are very powerful when connecting past experiences and events (Obrist, Tuch and Hornbaek, 2014). Pine and Gilmore (1999) express the importance of memory in tourist experiences. And it’s especially important for the evaluation of tourist experiences (Fridgen, 1984). Participant 3 stated that they wouldn’t go back to NO in the summer because of the smell; this is down to the memory of the bad smell. Memories can evolve and change slightly over time, which means changing of the tourist experience (Quinlan Cutler and Carmichael, 2010). Zauberman et al (2009) examined extraordinary experiences and explained they are created through memory cues, which is true for tourist extraordinary experience. This is true for this research; in response to the question how the senses are connected to your overall tourist experience a response of

‘It can make you feel nostalgic and remind you of a different place, whether that’s happy or sad memories’. ~Participant 5.

This shows the connection this participant feels between the senses and the memories of other tourist experiences they have had. Autobiographical memories can be brought on by odour cues which is much more poignant than other sensory processes e.g. sights (Chu and Downes, 2000). Negative memories will get lost whereas positive memories can be remembered with

accuracy (Quinlan Cutler and Carmichael, 2010). Another participant has vivid memories from smells and tastes at a point in time and specific destination.

‘There are things about food that go hand in hand with smells; I have memories of BBQ’s in Canada…The smells just enrich the sensory experience. It is much harder to explain than other senses but nonetheless still very important for experiences’. ~Participant 9

Smell perceptions are a direct effect from a participant’s experience. (Wilson and Stevenson, 2003). Scent prompted memories are different and more touching than other memories (Herz, 2007). The olfactory system is connected to a person’s hedonic decision making which allows someone to decide whether an odour is pleasant or unpleasant (Royet et al., 2000). Within the research there is a combination of positive and negative smell memories identified.

EmotionsTourism can offer experiences, emotions and memories related to a place (Noy, 2004). Emotions are described as outcomes from the tourist events and experiences. (Oh et al, 2007). Emotions are highly linked to memories because of the connection with the amygdala and when odours are present emotions have higher intensity (Herz, 2007). There is a wealth of scientific research which highly suggests odours have a very strong link to emotions processed in the brain. (Soudry et al., 2011; Yamamoto et al.,1984).

‘The final night I went to a jazz club and again it was a multi-sensory experience because we had a bite to eat, shared a lot of laughs, listened to some great music and left me with a very powerful emotional experience that will stay with me, it was sort of like a moment in time that I think are most powerful.’ `Participant 9

‘My emotions were more linked to sights and hearing and what I could see around the place because it was such a pretty city, I was in ore the whole time and the nice music in the street helped.’ ~Participant 1

‘I don’t think you can learn and experience unless it is a sensory experience and I think what is so important is because it elicits an emotional response and if you go somewhere great with overwhelming architecture or amazing music, its these things that cause you to have an emotional response.’ ~Participant 9

For participant 1 and 9 emotions linked to senses and smells were particularly important. Emotions have been categorised into simple emotions; joy, sadness, fear, anger, surprise and disgust and secondary emotions such as nostalgia, love, hate. (Ekman, Sorenson and Friessen, 1969). With a mix of primary and secondary being mentioned within the research. Research shows the olfactory cortex changes emotional behaviour that can look like irregular behaviour (Zald and Pardo, 1997). The participants in this study identified links between emotions related to a combination for the senses and maybe more to sight than smell. This was true for participant 1, explaining that sight and hearing were there most important sense on the trip. Some of the participants found it difficult to explain emotions they felt linked to their

experience, which suggests this is an unconscious element experiences. The participants spoke about the trip being an ‘emotional experience’ due to many factors such as meeting inspirational people.

‘On my last day eating food and listening to the music, I got tears in my eyes because everything was perfect, the food, the place, the weather, so I felt quite emotional and when I left I felt really sad because I really enjoyed my time and I didn’t want to leave’. ~Participant 7

This participant felt emotional because all the environmental factors leading into the emotional state. Emotional and spatial variables can both influence tourist experience, it is possible for a tourist to form an emotional bond to the destination, which leads to the overall experience (Quinlan Cutler and Carmichael, 2010). This is a definite for some participants in this research project, the city had a strong connection with most people. By evoking the senses especially smells it brings the emotional system into play because they are closely linked (Lindstrom, 2005). ‘Smell is an important sense in that it is primarily a very basic, emotional, arousing sense, unlike vision and sound, which tends to involve cognition’ (Porteous, 2006, pp.89). When asked for emotions some participants offered a mix between physical states and emotions.

‘Drunkenness and fullness, enthusiasm and excitement were definitely there’.~ Participant 8

Emotions are vital for daily activities however due to the small categories of emotions it is hard to apply olfaction (Xiang et al, 2016). This may be why participants mentioned other things when asked about emotions because they are hard to explain due to the small categories. However a few participants did not make links between smells and the senses to emotions, they defined the secondary emotions such as inspired, respect, honoured however within the interview mentioned excitement and happiness connected to the experiential parts of the trip for example eating at Dooky Chase and meeting Leah Chase.

‘A lot of the emotions are intellectual capacity ones. Coming from higher thinking or learning, they are not on the base thinking of smell or touch.’ ~Participant 8

‘I think smell is a subconscious thing but if I was to have a meal then I would always smell my meal first to extend the pleasurable experience and sometimes you can notice things in the food which are different from smelling it properly.’ ~Participant 8

This suggests that smells connection with emotions is unconscious and the participants are not specifically aware of it. Unconscious smells can change behaviours and evoke and create emotions (Morret, Brochet and Dubourdieu, 2001). Li et al (2007) deduced from their study that when the input is inadequate for the conscious olfactory experience the unconscious processing begins and the subliminal olfaction engages. The connection between a space and the smell occurs at a subconscious level and so

conscious smells is only a little segment of the tasks the nose carries out (Rosenblum, 2010).

Smells in RestaurantsA significant part of the trip was visiting restaurants and food related outlets so here the link between taste and smell is very prevalent.

‘When we walked down a nice street with restaurants and the smell makes you want to go in. The meat market, was really great because of that smoky smell which made me want to taste everything’. ~ Participant 2

‘Smell a lot of the creole spices in the street and the restaurants, there is a strong smell coming from the paprika, which was really nice and the smoked meats’. ~Participant 3

‘Going into Galletories which I was privileged and you can just smell all the food coming from the kitchen, which was the same as Alzina’s place being in one room we could smell all the food, I then felt honoured because I could get a sense of the culture from the smell of the food’. ~Participant 7

These statements show how the food smells and tastes linked very closely during this visit because of the food being very different to the normal food smells. A multisensory interaction holds the view that every sense is determined by the others, some are more integrated than others which maintains the idea that every sense can be effected by learned states which is supported by psychologists (Biggs, Matten and Stokes, 2015). This shows how the role of smell, sight, touch and sound have on taste and if there are novel smells then this may add to the experience.

‘On my last night I went with some friends and listened to some absolutely fabulous music and ate some great food and just relaxed and I felt as if food on this trip was just a means of learning about the area about more deeply. It wasn’t just about enjoying what was on the plate but seeing beyond that’. ~Participant 9

This statement shows how food (taste) and the other senses are very interlinked, so on a food trip it was not just food that was the important aspect. It helped to understand culture and history about the city.

Negative SmellsPeople who are more odour-aware are likely to be more negatively affected by smells (Smeets et al, 2008). There is a much greater involvement of the amygdala to negative rather than positive emotions when considering odour stimulants. This suggests why negative smells are usually more memorable than positive ones (Zald and Pardo, 1997).

‘Bourbon street really stunk which you got used to over time, it was unpleasant but it didn’t effect in a negative way so much, it just became part of the city.’ ~Participant 1

‘Drainage was a slight issue on some of the streets and it wasn’t as warm as what is gets during summer so that is a slight issue for myself because I wouldn’t go back there in summer because of the bad smell. This has a negative connotation on the city.’ ~Participant 3

‘I remember that I was the only one who went on about the sick smell, smells are a big deal, for New Orleans like any city it had a horrible drain smell that permeated all the streets.’ ~Participant 8

‘Bourbon street had a very distinct sewer smell, which was unpleasant when walking through all the bars in the day and night’. ~Observations

There was a big part of New Orleans that had negative smells which most participants picked up on. It was a strong part of the observations during the research. However there were a few participants who did not mention the negative smells and that once again may be because it was only noticed in the unconscious. Andrews (2005) describes that smells allow a higher understanding of the nature of a place because they elicit the imagination of activities that that place in a place, whether they are positive or negative. Smells ‘can generate both revulsion and attraction; and as such it can play a major role in constructing and sustaining major distinctions of taste’ (Urry, 1999 pg41). The negative smells in NO all build a picture up of the place and it will have an effect when tourists think back to their trip.

Conclusion yet to be completed