Brian Garrod

Managing heritage tourism

Abstract This article discusses the findings of a Delphi survey of owners and managers of historic properties, officers of heritage-based organizations, consultants, and academics from across the United Kingdom. The purpose of the study was to investigate the major constraints and imperatives relating to the long-term management of built heritage attractions. Three related issues were assessed: the fundamental mission of heritage attractions; the factors which impact upon decisions relating to charging for tourist entry; and the perceptions of heritage managers as to the respective roles of such attractions and public agencies in funding tourism management and heritage conservation programs. The paper then considers the significance of these issues in assessing potential strategies for moving heritage tourism toward sustainability.

Beyond the rhetoric of sustainable tourism

Abstract Recent years have witnessed an upsurge of interest in the concept of sustainable tourism. For the most part, attention has focused on defining the concept. Authors have reasoned that in order to achieve sustainable tourism, a sound understanding must first be gained of what the concept means. This article does not take issue with this general approach, but nevertheless argues that the time has now come to move on from defining sustainable tourism, to begin to consider how it may best be implemented in practice. An approach based on the methodology of environmental economics is suggested as a possible way forward.

Tourism marketing: a collaborative approach.

Fyall, A., Garrod, B. (2004). Tourism Marketing: A Collaborative approach Aspects of Tourism, Channel View Publications, 383 pp. ISBN:187315089X.

Environmental management and business strategy: Towards a new strategic paradigm

Abstract There has been considerable debate in recent years regarding the direction in which environmental business strategy can be expected to develop in the future. This article seeks to investigate the extent to which firms have sought to change the basis of their strategic decision making, from a shareholder value paradigm to one reflecting an environmental focus. The results of a 1994 survey are reported and evaluated in the light of previous survey findings. Despite an increasing coverage in the literature of how individual firms have been responding to the environmental challenge, the findings of the present survey do not lend support to the view that there has been an underlying transformation in the process of strategic management. The findings tend to support the view that such a paradigm shift is more likely to take place in a legislative rather than a voluntary context.

Heritage tourism: at what price?

Heritage and sustainability share a common theme of inheritance. Heritage tourism is, as an economic activity, predicated on the use of inherited environmental and socio-cultural assets in order to attract visitors. Sustainability requires that those assets are carefully managed to ensure that future generations inherit a resource base that is sufficient to support their needs and wants. The purpose of this paper is to consider how sustainability principles might best be applied in the context of heritage tourism, with particular reference to the management of historic properties and gardens. In doing so, the paper considers the findings of a postal survey in the UK of owners of historic properties, heritage consultants, visitor attraction managers and heritage industry representatives. The survey results suggest that while overcrowding, wear and tear, pilfering, graffiti and traffic problems were all significant and widespread causes for concern, the principal dilemma for heritage attractions is how to s...

Scottish visitor attractions: managing visitor impacts

The visitor attraction sector in Scotland plays a vital, if often overlooked, role in the wider Scottish tourism industry. Yet the sector presently faces a host of internal and external threats. In terms of external threats, the sector is currently experiencing heightened competition not only from overseas tourism markets but also from domestic leisure activities such as sport and shopping. Meanwhile the sector is widely acknowledged to have an oversupply of visitor attractions. In terms of internal threats, it is increasingly being recognised that the sector is susceptible to a range of negative visitor impacts. Even at current visitor levels such impacts could seriously compromise the resources upon which the sector draws and ultimately depends. This paper presents the findings of a postal survey of all of Scotlands 510 paid admission attractions in 1999. The survey explored perceptions of the range and severity of visitor impacts, relating these impacts to factors such as attraction type, admission prices, visitor numbers and ownership status. The paper concludes that predictions of future external trends do not bode well for the Scottish industry in its current form, and that an internally focused, quality-oriented strategy is required if the majority of attractions are to survive and prosper in the coming decade. This, in turn, means developing more effective ways of managing visitor impacts. While the focus of this study is on Scotland, some important lessons are identified for visitor attractions more generally.

A Snapshot into the Past: The Utility of Volunteer-Employed Photography in Planning and Managing Heritage Tourism

Visual imagery is a critical constituent in the production and consumption of heritage tourism; yet researchers have been relatively slow to capitalise on the potential of visual data analysis techniques to assist its effective planning and management. While there is some research that uses industry generated images found in holiday brochures and on postcards, few studies have made use of photographic data that has been collected by tourists themselves in a self-directed manner. This technique, generally known as volunteer-employed photography (VEP), can be seen to hold a number of potential advantages over more traditional methods of visual data analysis; yet at the same time there are a number of potential drawbacks with the approach. This paper reviews the VEP technique and sets out its major strengths and potential weaknesses. A case study of resident and tourist perceptions of the image of a Welsh seaside town is then presented in order to illustrate the potential for VEP in the planning and management of tourism in the built-historic environment. The paper then presents some suggestions for potential applications of the technique in the planning and management of heritage tourism.

Destination marketing: a framework for future research

Fyall, A., Garrod, B., Tosun, C. (2006). Destination marketing: a framework for future research. In: Progress in Tourism Marketing, Kozak, M., Andreu, L., (Eds). Part II, pp. 75-86.

From competition to collaboration in the tourism industry

Fyall, A., Garrod, B. (2005). From competition to collaboration in the tourism industry. Pages 52-73 in: Theobald, W. F. (Ed.). Global Tourism.

Managing Visitor Impacts at Visitor Attractions: An International Assessment

This paper presents the findings of a study designed to extend and develop a previous study conducted by the authors on the management of visitor impacts at visitor attractions in Scotland. This follow-up study sets out to discover the extent to which attractions in other countries experience similar impacts, with comparable management challenges to those already identified in the Scottish visitor attraction sector. In order to provide a direct comparison to the Scottish study, a replication of the research methodology employed in that study was considered necessary. A self-completion survey was thus mailed to managers of paid-admission attractions in Canada, Australia and New Zealand: three ‘leading-edge’ destinations selected for comparison. Findings suggest that although many impacts are perceived to be similar across the four countries, a number of important differences are evident. Given that the reasons for such differences vary, the paper concludes that the development of a generic strategy for the management of visitor impacts internationally remains something for the future. In the meantime, the sector should rely on the identification and adoption of best practice on a case-by-case basis. The sector’s diversity and fragmentation suggest that qualitative research holds the key to identifying appropriate techniques for managing visitor impacts.