Jenny Cave

Structuring Destination Image: A Qualitative Approach

This article analyzes data derived from conversations with varying groups of residents and visitors in New Zealand with reference to Auckland as a visitor destination. What emerges is a complex, hierarchical pattern of imagery of place, and it is suggested that underlying dimensions are two continua, friendly versus tense/frustrating/threatening and exciting versus relaxing. It is suggested that cognition is a factor influencing image complexity and affective response; hence, images may be both specific to place and characteristics of respondents. This article discusses a number of issues, including the role of visitor familiarity with a site, the modes of analysis used in such studies as these, and the nature of the image construct.

Residents’ perceptions, migrant groups and culture as an attraction—the case of a proposed Pacific Island cultural centre in New Zealand

Abstract This study is based on a sample of 281 who responded to a questionnaire about the possibility of establishing a Pacific Island Business and Cultural Centre, and their perception of Auckland as a Polynesian City. It is thought that for the Centre to be viable it must become established as a tourist attraction. In doing so, it would reinforce the notion of Auckland as the worlds largest Polynesian city. The sample comprised Auckland residents, partly because of the high rate of VFR tourism in the city and a need for the Centre to generate repeat visitation. Methods of analysis use a combination of conventional statistical techniques and textual analysis software. The findings show that European New Zealanders appear to be at best, indifferent to the concept. The study reports the results and discusses the implications for both stakeholders and theoretical concepts.

Island tourism: destinations: an editorial introduction to the special issue

Purpose – This editorial aims to situate the papers chosen for this special issue within academic literature and identify their contributions to new knowledge.Design/methodology/approach – The editorial first discusses tourism research literature pertinent to the idiosyncrasies of destination management in island contexts. Second, the paper identifies the contributions made to this field by the authors and the implications of their innovative research for island tourism and destination management.Findings – Each paper contributes, in its way, to the field of island tourism, either by integration of explorations of theory, shifting paradigms or revealing new knowledge. This special issue contains two seminal papers by top academic leaders of the fields of islandness and HRM in island destinations. It also presents papers that comment on destination management issues at macro and micro levels.Originality/value – Collectively this collection of papers offers new perspectives concerning the challenges of crea...

Evaluating heritage: tourists and holiday visits to heritage sites

This paper analyses ‘top of the mind’ evaluations of respondents who had visited three cultural heritage sites in New Zealand. Unlike many studies, this paper reports data derived from answers written to open-ended questions. The research sought to assess to what extent respondents are purposeful seekers of knowledge, or alternatively are simply seeking experiences that contribute to an overall satisfying visit and to their holiday experiences. While it may be suggested that the needs for relaxation, social bonding and knowledge lead to an evaluation of sites via the importance tourists attributed to factors such as uniqueness, it is found that, for the majority of tourists, uniqueness is either given little importance or is engaged with in shallow ways. The visit to the site is hence evaluated by the contribution it makes to enjoyable holiday-taking, rather than holidaymaking.

Souvenirs in Dark Tourism: Emotions and Symbols

This chapter explores the proposition that the act of ‘souveniring’ recent and/or ancient places of death, disaster, or atrocities is a more emotionally immersive experience—and thus less cognitively controlled—than in other tourism contexts. We introduce and explore the notion of ‘dark souvenirs’ which encompass unlikely forms, redolent of darkness, emotions, and affective experiences in the dark tourism context of places connected to death, disaster, or atrocities.