1. Attracting more tourists by taking account of their cultural background
Marinel Gerritsen
Professor of Intercultural Business Communication
Department of Business Communication Studies
Radboud University Nijmegen
The Netherlands

2. Three aspects of marketing communication of a tourist area that will be dealt with
a) Content of the information about the area (text and pictures) b) Communication media used to convey information about the tourist area c) Form of the communication

3. Outline of the paper
A model and a hypothesis that indicate that responding to the communicative conventions of the culture of a target group might be an important device in attracting tourists
A communication model
The similarity attraction hypothesis
Which elements of culture: visible and/or invisible elements?
Applying knowledge of the values of the target group in the marketing communication of a tourist area
Adapting to the communication style of the target group
Implications for tourist marketers

4. In communication at least two persons are involved
Sender
A person who sends a message in the form of symbols for example words, pictures
Receiver
A person who interpretes these symbols and deduces a message from these symbols

5. Effective communication
Communication between sender and receiver is most effective if the interpretation of the message by the receiver is similar to what the sender intended to communicate with the message

7. Targowski/Bowman Layer-based pragmatic communication model
SENDER
Message
RECEIVER
Message
Session
Link
Storage
Retrieval
Physical
Audience
Systems
Environ-
ment Link
Functions
& Role
Symbols
Behavior
Value
L10 L9 L7 L6 L5 L4 L3 L2 L8 L1 L6 L5 L4 L3 L2 L1 L7 L8 L9
L10

8. Twitter in Europe, the more colour the more twitter is used

9. Targowski/Bowman Layer-based pragmatic communication model
SENDER
Message
RECEIVER
Message
Session
Link
Storage
Retrieval
Physical
Audience
Systems
Environ-
ment Link
Functions
& Role
Symbols
Behavior
Value
L10 L9 L7 L6 L5 L4 L3 L2 L8 L1 L6 L5 L4 L3 L2 L1 L7 L8 L9
L10

10. The marketer of the tourist area has to adapt to the communicative conventions of the target group and has to realize
In intercultural marketing communication, what matters is not what you show, but how it is seen, and not what you say but how you are heard

11. Similarity attraction hypothesis
The more similar two individuals are, the higher the attraction between them …… and that is precisely what a tourist area wants: attract tourists. Ng et al (2007): Tourist marketers should taken into account cultural similarities between their tourist area and the target group in their image building of a tourist area.

12. Similarity between which elements of a culture play the major role in attracting tourist?

13. Model of culture: Hofstede's onion-diagram
values
rituals
heroes
symbols
practices 13 13

14. Symbols

16. Tea rituals in Japan 16 16

17. Model of culture: Hofstede's onion-diagram
values
rituals
heroes
symbols
practices 17 17

18. Model of culture: The floating ice berg of Edward T. Hall
Behavior, customs, language , history
1/9 visible elements
Values, perception of the world, way of thinking ,presuppositions
8/9 invisible elements 18 18

19. Similarity between which elements of the models of culture should be taken account by tourist marketers: the visible or invisible elements?
Invisible elements, values

20. Why taking account of the invisible elements?-1
Because tourists travel to see and experience new things, and they can especially observe the visible elements of a culture
Two questions that call for further research:
1. Do touristst from high uncertainty avoidance cultures (“what is different is dangerous”) and tourists from low uncertainty avoidance cultures (“what is different is interesting”) differ in the extent to which visible elements of a culture attract them?
2. Do difference between tourist area and target group in all visible aspects of a culture play the same role in attraction?

21. Why taking account of the invisible elements? -2
Values are learned at one’s mother knee
By the age of twelve a child has acquired values and because this learning process has taken place so early and unconsciouslousy, a person believes that persons all over the world have the same values

22. Six basic values (Kluckhohn & Strodtbeck 1961)
1. Human nature
2. Underlying motives for acting
3. Human Relations
4. Time
5. Space
6. Person-Nature 22 22

23. 16 values anno 2012 and the six basic values of (Kluckhohn & Strodtbeck 1961)
1. Human nature
2. Underlying motives for acting
Indulgence-Restraint (Hofstede)
Uncertainty Avoidance (Hofstede)
Masculinity-Feminity (Hofstede)
3. Human Relations
Collectivism-Individualism (Hofstede)
Power distance (Hofstede)
Particularism-Universalism (Trompenaars)
Achieved-scribed status (Trompenaars)
Neutral-Affective (Trompenaars)
4. Time
Past, present, future (Trompenaars)
Polychrony-monochrony (Hall)
Confucian Dynamism (Hofstede)
5. Space
Personal space (Hall)
Private-Public (Hall)
Specific-Diffuse (Trompenaars
6. Person-Nature 23 23

24. 16 values anno 2012 and the six basic values of (Kluckhohn & Strodtbeck 1961)
1. Human nature
2. Underlying motives for acting
Indulgence-Restraint (Hofstede)
Uncertainty Avoidance (Hofstede)
Masculinity-Feminity (Hofstede)
3. Human Relations
Collectivism-Individualism (Hofstede)
Power distance (Hofstede)
Particularism-Universalism (Trompenaars)
Achieved-scribed status (Trompenaars)
Neutral-Affective (Trompenaars)
4. Time
Past, present, future (Trompenaars)
Polychrony-monochrony (Hall)
Confucian Dynamism (Hofstede)
5. Space
Personal space (Hall)
Private-Public (Hall)
Specific-Diffuse (Trompenaars
6. Person-Nature 24 24

25. Indulgence versus restraint ( the 6th value of Hofstede (Hofstede, Hofstede, Minkov 2010, p. 281))
A tendency to allow relatively free gratification of basic and natural human desires related to enjoying life and having fun
Restraint
A conviction that such gratification needs to be curbed and regulated by strict social norms

26. Indulgence versus restraint and attracting tourists
Content
Indulgence: aspects of a tourist area that show that one can have fun, enjoy life and pamper oneself
Restraint: aspects of a tourist area that are related to learn something (history, geography, art)
Communication media
Indulgence: glossy, glamorous
Restraint: serious books, flyers

27. Uncertainty avoidance
The extent to which the members of a culture feel threatened by ambiguous or unknown situations
High uncertainty avoidance : “What is different is dangerous”
Low uncertainty avoidance: “What is different is interesting”

28. Uncertainty avoidance and attracting tourists
Content
High uncertainty avoidance: package tours, all inclusive, travelling in groups, well known hotel chains, well known destinations, booking long before the journey, risk free activities, transparency of information (facts and figures), strengthen de confidence of travelers by assuring stability, free insurance, guarantee of personal safety and security
Low uncertainty avoidance: new things, adventures, last minutes, bed and breakfast
Communication media
High uncertainty avoidance: travel agency
Low uncertainty avoidance: internet, word of mouth
Form of the communication
High uncertainty avoidance: precise, facts and figures, information long before the journey will take place
Low uncertainty avoidance: last minute information

29. Masculinity versus Femininity
Masculine
Emotional gender roles are clearly distinct: men are supposed to be assertive, tough and focussed on material success, whereas women are supposed to be more modest, tender and concerned with the quality of life
Feminine
Emotional gender roles overlap: both men and women are supposed to be modest, tender, and concerned with the quality of life

30. Masculinity versus femininity and attracting tourists
Content
Masculine: division of gender roles, one can show achievement in personal life and in for example sport and financial soundness during the holiday
Feminine: no division of gender roles, environment friendly, sustainability, one helps the population by visiting the area as a tourist , social responsibility, development assistance
Communication media
Masculine: media that show achievement (glossy magazines)
Feminine: simple environment friendly media

31. Collectivism versus Individualism
Ties between individuals are loose: everyone is expected to look after him- or herself and his or her immediate family
Collectivism
People are from birth onward integrated into strong, cohesive in-groups, which throughout people’s lifetime, continue to protect then in exchange for unquestioning loyalty

32. Collectivism versus individualism and attracting tourists
Content
Collectivistic: to have a holiday with the whole (extended) family and the possibility to travel in groups
Individualistic: individual activities that are tailor made to the individual desires
Communication media
Collectivistic: more reliance on family/ friends or company colleagues for travel information
Individualistic: more reliance on the internet
Form of the communication
Collectivistic: high context, indirect, flowery style, metaphors, narratives
Individualistic: low context, direct, facts and figures

33. Power distance
The extent to which the less powerful members of institutions and organizations within a country expect and accept that power is distributed unequally

34. Power distance and attracting tourists
Content
High power distance: highest quality and service, you will be treated as a queen, well known destinations (Montreux!), the most important, powerful and famous people of the world were here too.
Low power distance: population of the area is easily approachable
Communication media
High power distance: glossy, luxurious brochures
Low power distance: internet
Form of the communication
High power distance: show respect to elderly and people with power
Low power distance: you will be one of us

35. Past, present, future orientation
People differ in the way they think about the past, present and future, which of the three is most important and how they are related

36. Past, present, future orientation in a number of countries

37. Past, present, future orientation and attracting tourists
Content
Past: history, historical monuments, archeology, glorious past
Present: modern buildings, modern life, hic et nunc mentality, innovations

38. Polychrony and monochrony
In monochronic cultures time is sequentially ordered, one prefers to do one thing at the same time and one does not like to change schedules that are settled
In polychronic cultures one likes to do several things simultaneously and schedules are not important and can be changed easily

39. Polychrony and monochrony and attracting tourists
Content
Polychronic: appointments can be changed easily and time is flexible
Monochronic: everything will be organized in the way that is announced before, in time, there will be no changes in schedules
Communication media
Polychronic: many different media and information about an area has not to be univocal
Monochronic: univocal, same information everywhere
Form of the communication
Polychronic: communication way be woolly
Monochronic: facts and figures, direct, logically structured, sound communication

40. 16 values anno 2012 and the six basic values of (Kluckhohn & Strodtbeck 1961)
1. Human nature
2. Underlying motives for acting
Indulgence-Restraint (Hofstede)
Uncertainty Avoidance (Hofstede)
Masculinity-Feminity (Hofstede)
3. Human Relations
Collectivism-Individualism (Hofstede)
Power distance (Hofstede)
Particularism-Universalism (Trompenaars)
Achieved-scribed status (Trompenaars)
Neutral-Affective (Trompenaars)
4. Time
Past, present, future (Trompenaars)
Polychrony-monochrony (Hall)
Confucian Dynamism (Hofstede)
5. Space
Personal space (Hall)
Private-Public (Hall)
Specific-Diffuse (Trompenaars
6. Person-Nature 40 40

41. Communication style

42. The Context theory of Edward T. Hall
Cultures differ in the extent to which they use context and situation for the interpretation of a message
In high-context cultures, most of the meaning of a message is deduced from the context in which the words occur, for example non-verbal communication, and the setting of the communication
In low-context cultures, the meaning of a message is primarily deduced from the words

43. Context and attracting tourists
Form of the communication
High context: implicit, indirect, flowery, narrative, poetry-like, non-verbal
Low context: explicit, direct, to the point, no waste of words
Communication media
High context: media with a high information richness ( face-to-face communication, travel agencies)
Low context: media with a low information richness (travel guides, , letter, text message, twitter )

44. Implications for tourist marketers
Determine target markets
Adapt the communication about a tourist destination to the communicative conventions of the culture of the target group regarding:
content (text ánd pictures),
communicaiton media used to convey the message
form of the message
This implies market segmentation and different marketing approaches for different target groups (Reisinger and Turner 2002, Frias et al 2011)
Suggestion: web sites tailor made for each target group. Just as tourist areas have web sites in different language they could have web sites for different cultures (reduction of costs by asking students from the target group cultures to help with content and design)

45. Consequences for education of tourist marketers
Future tourist managers should have knowledge about the cultural background of their customers (Tsang and al 2007).

46. More information: M.Gerritsen@let.ru.nl
Thank you for your attention. If you have any questions, I will try to answer them now.