Robert Chr. Thomsen

A Semiotic Model of Destination Representations Applied to Cultural and Heritage Tourism Marketing

Abstract The article argues that semiotic analysis can be applied advantageously in tourism studies. C. S. Peirce’s representation triad is applied to destination representations by conceptualizing destinations, related activities, or entities as objects; photographs or textual descriptions as signs; and potential tourists’ comprehension of the sign as interpretants. Three formal analyses of selected photographs used by convention and visitor bureaus (VISIT FLORIDA, Destination Halifax and VisitDenmark) illustrate how the sign–object relationship is always characterized by a combination of iconic, indexical, and symbolic qualities, each of which destination marketers should consider in choosing representations because of the influence those qualities exert on reception. It is argued that the semiotic model can help marketers make informed decisions about the relevance and probable impact of the iconicity, indexicality, or symbolism of a representation, and that the semiotic model helps avoid conceiving of representations as if they were static rather than dynamic components in an ongoing process.

Towards a Semiotics-Based Typology of Authenticities in Heritage Tourism: Authenticities at Nottingham Castle, UK, and Nuuk Colonial Harbour, Greenland

Abstract It is often argued that “authenticity” has become one of the most overused terms in tourism marketing and tourism studies. Yet, most scholars readily agree that some form of authenticity is essential to the level of satisfaction experienced by tourists. Through its focus on representations and perceptions of “authenticity” at heritage tourism sites, this article argues that it makes sense to speak of authenticities (in the plural), rather than authenticity (in the singular), and proposes a semiotics-based typology for the purpose – including a new definition of “symbolic authenticity”. Finally, through practical application to two sites: Nottingham Castle and the Hans Egede monument in Nuuks Colonial Harbour, the article illustrates how such a typology of authenticities might be a valuable tool to destination developers and marketers, city planners, site managers and interpreters as they seek to address different heritage tourist segments.

Canadian Studies in the Nordic Countries

The establishment of the Nordic Association for Canadian Studies (NACS) in the 1980s coincided with a period during which the Canadian government engaged very actively in building an international Canadian Studies community. The young association received both moral and economic support from the Canadian state. Nevertheless, the first few years were an uphill struggle, convincing academic communities in Denmark, Sweden, Norway, Finland, and Iceland that Canada was worth studying in its own right. This chapter seeks to explore the crucial role that funding for Canadian cultural diplomacy played in fostering the Canadian Studies community in the Nordic region. This Canadian government support enabled fruitful co-operation between the five Nordic countries, with other Canadian Studies associations in Europe and beyond, and also offered new ways of reaching across the Atlantic for both Canadian and Nordic experts. The chapter also discusses the more recent uphill struggle that NACS has faced after Canadian funding was cancelled in 2012. While efforts to foster a new generation of Canadianists continue, the Association has observed diminishing opportunities for research on Canada both within the Nordic countries and globally as well as a decline in Canada’s visibility in the region.