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Ar ie l Ha r tm an , Resea rch Ass is tan t
Eas t Ca ro l ina Un iv e rs i t y
Pa ige V iren , PhD
Eas t Ca ro l ina Un iv e rs i t y
And
Derek A lde rm an, PhD
Un iv e rs i t y o f Tennessee
OPENING THE ROAD TO TOURISM:
FRAMING MEDIA TO INFLUENCE
TRAVEL PARTICIPATION AMONG
MINORITIES
Minorities are an important growing market in recreation and tourism, yet they are not properly represented.
Travel promotions often cater to the white majority while completely ignoring minorities and presenting them as almost invisible.
Tourism providers have the power to determine who participates in travel.
INTRODUCTION
Despite the rapid emergence of travel
information technology, the brochure
remains a popular and frequently used
information source for tourists
(Andereck, 2005).
Tourism marketing is dependent upon
photographs because they attract
visitors and frame expectations of what
and whom people will see when
travelling (Hunter, 2008).
These images are not just about
displaying products and attractions;
they also include representations of
social groups and societies (Pritchard
& Morgan, 2000).
BROCHURES
It has been found that past tourism promotions often cater to a
white male gaze while ignoring the experiences of minorit ies.
When minorit ies are shown in tourism brochures and
advertisements they are often shown as entertainers or locals,
and in some cases they are even shown as racial stereotypes
(Buzinde et al. 2006; Burton & Klemm 2011).
This invalidates the experiences of minorit ies and neglects
their importance as travelers (Alderman & Modlin, 2013).
MINORITY REPRESENTATION IN
TOURISM BROCHURES
African Americans are one of the
fastest growing segments of the
tourism industry and have been shown
to be more l ikely to travel to the
American south (Travel Industry
Associat ion of America 2003).
Yet, they have historical ly lacked
proper representat ion in southern
tourism promotions.
Mel l inger (1994) studied photographic
postcards f rom the American south and
found that they did not even attempt to
capture the complexity of Afr ican
Americans l ives, and instead only
attempted to engage the white travelers
fantasies of the south.
MINORITIES AND TRAVEL
African Americans make up almost 22% of the population in
North Carolina, yet previous research of North Carolina
travel brochures found that African Americans made up only
8% of the analyzed photographs (Alderman & Modlin, 2013).
These f indings are extremely important because consumers
use brochures to choose their travel destinations and obtain
additional information about their selected vacation site
(Burton & Klemm, 2011).
If we continue to make African Americans invisible in
southern tourism promotions, we are displaying the message
that African Americans do not belong in the South.
MINORITIES AND TRAVEL IN NORTH
CAROLINA
Has representation of African American’s increased since
Alderman and Modlin’s (2013) study?
Does the amount of representation have a relationship with
the minority population in North Carolina?
RESEARCH QUESTIONS
The study examined the degree and manner in which
minorit ies are represented in North Carolina tourism
brochures.
Local information sources were identif ied from the 2015
North Carolina Travel Guide (visitNC.com):
List determined to be the most comprehensive resource since not
all convention and visitor bureaus (CVBs) are members of the
North Carolina Destination Marketing Association International
(NCDMAI)
Some smaller destinations simply use their chamber or municipality
for tourism marketing.
METHOD
In February 2015, print media/brochures were ordered from
30 of North Carolina’s 100 counties based on documented
visitor expenditure in 2013 (North Carolina Department of
Commerce).
The sample was stratified by total visitor expenditure for small,
medium, and large categories.
Larger destinations have more funding to produce brochures than
smaller, more rural destinations, which can make a difference in
content.
Next, 10 counties for each category were randomly selected
The stratif ied random sample method ensured that the
sample contained the proper number of each visitor
expenditure category.
METHODS
Using content analysis, the brochures were analyzed and
coded according to the images
Number of photographs
Number of photographs with people included
Number of photographs with minorities included
Gender
Passive/Active Recreation
METHODS
Although 30 counties were selected, brochures were only received from 25 counties. Five counties in the low expenditure category did not have brochures available.
73% of the pictures included people.
21% of the pictures of people included minorities.
Low: 46% of pictures included people
1% of those pictures included minorities
Middle: 32% of pictures included people
12% of those pictures included minorities
Top: 42% of the pictures included people
26% of those pictures included minorities
RESULTS
NEXT STEPS
Our preliminary f indings suggest that minority representation
in North Carolina travel brochures is still lacking.
Our next steps are to:
Refine the coding system
Analyze state travel guides from the 50 U.S. states
The counties with the lowest visitor expenditures had the
least representation of minorit ies, yet these counties have a
higher percentage of minorit ies living in the county.
Looking at visitNC (North Carolina’s Destination Marketing
Organization) 2015 travel guide, it appeared to be more
representative than most of the county brochures.
How can information about minority representation educate
the travel industry?
DISCUSSION