TRMT 396

Lecture #6

Dan McDonald

AffluentSpend more on vacation

Educated 36% with grad degrees in one

study

Mature Though Australian study

shows 55+ and 15-24 groupings

Well-travelled and on longer trip

Does prior researchSoft outdoor activity

interest

Aboriginal tourism experiences often “part of the standard tourism consumption pattern”

One component of a product - seldom explicit focus

SouvenirsA market even among

those who don’t set foot in community

Niche or ‘select’ markete.g. Prior engagement

Active Northern focusYoung

singles/Indigenous Introduction

Business meeting excursionists

Retired regional Self-Drive

Leisure OpportunistsExpand holiday to gain

memorable experience

Tourism Research Australia (2010)

Blend & intertwining of interests in nature and in culture

Some evidence of seeing aboriginal people as ‘part of the natural landscape” [echoes initial parks notions]

Rural/remote focus with less product & experience in urban settings

U.S. tourists often combine interests with mountain parks, everglades, etc.

Often more critical, piqued by lack of authenticity or overt packaging

‘Spatial distance ‘smallAre often “part of the

story” and thus more potential for perceived social critique

“Tourism reflects and impacts pre-existing tensions and conflicts” (p.78)

Land & resources tensionsNotzke (2006)

Advertising can lead to frustration if gap perceived

The notion of “market ready”

How much should move to the market or can we alter expectation

Understanding the difficulties of life in some communities

Indianism or Indian HobbyistsEuropean legacy of

Karl May’s Winnetou stories and their sympathetic portrayal

New Age TravelersSpiritual seekers and

cultural consumersPost-Modern Tourists

Impact aware and politically empathetic

Relationship with hosts often differs

Access to the ‘backstage’Attune to cultural

differences and nuancesSome come to rediscover

and re-learnPart of a long standing

separate economyOften visiting other

indigenous people is the sole focus

Tourists desire authentic, but have little knowledge to base notion on

Concerns about quality of service & reliability lingerCreates vulnerability to

single bad experiences or operators

Accentuated often by inaccessibility of experiences, uncertainty about ethics, & artifact/art focus of consumption

Notzke (2006); Tourism Research Australia (2010); Tremblay & Pitterle (2008)

The market reality is more subtle & segmented than the generally accepted picture

Should we reinforce the ‘dual track’ or move to broaden beyond?

Do we ‘entertain’ or ‘educate’ as a means to draw the domestic market ?

Intermediaries play a vital role and must reinforce the multiple community goals present

BearingPoint LP, Goss Gilroy Inc. and Associates. (2003). Aboriginal Tourism in Canada, Part II: Trends, Issues, Constraints and Opportunities. For Aboriginal Tourism Team Canada. Retrieved from http://www.tc.gov.yk.ca/pdf/ATCreportTrendsIssuesOpportunitiesConstraints.pdf

Tourism Research Australia. (2010). Indigenous Tourism in Australia: Profiling the domestic market. Retrieved from http://www.ret.gov.au/tourism/tra/Documents/Domestic%20Analysis/Indigenous_Tourism_in_Australia_FINAL.pdf

Tl’atzt’en Nation & University of Northern British Columbia (2007). The Aboriginal Tourism Market. Prince George, BC: UNBC.

PWC Consulting. (n.d.). Alberta Aboriginal Tourism Product Opportunity Analysis. [PowerPoint slides] http://tpr.alberta.ca/tourism/research/docs/aborig_pres.pdf