Charleston, South Carolina, Buildings as Education - Examining Image Change by Participating in a Historic House and Garden Tour

Ref.: 65
Área temática: 01 Integridad física de los paisajes urbanos históricos
Fecha de recepción: 16/11/2008

AUTORES (* Autor principal)

SCANTLEBURY, Michael * (Estados Unidos de América) - University of Central Florida
W. SMITH, Wayne (Estados Unidos de América) - Hospitality and Tourism Management School of Business and Economics College of Charleston

ABSTRACT

Introduction: Charleston, South Carolina is one of the oldest US cities. Many of the buildings date from the city's founding in 1670. According to the US National Park Service, Charleston has "one of the most complete and intact historic districts in the USA" (US National Park Service, n.d.). Well known for its history and pioneering efforts in preservation which focus on the religious and community history, Charleston's historic districts contain some 3,000 historic buildings.

This study objective is to determine how participation in a heritage tour of Charleston affects the visitors' image of the destination and the role of structural and interaction factors in changes of image and destination recommendation.

Literature Review: Heritage and destination image literature is divided into 2 areas; one focuses on destination marketing and portraying image (Cameron & Gatewood (2008); Frost (2006); Oakley (2005); Hu and Wall (2005)); and the second focuses on the demand side that is literature on the consumers' perception of the destination (Carden, (2006); Huh, Uysal, and McCleary, (2006); Hung, T-T, Schneider, and Gartner, (2006); MacKay and Couldwell, (2004); Poria, Reichel, and Biran, (2006); and ÜKRÜ YARCAN - KIVANÇ NELMEN (2006)). Additionally there is literature on the depth of the experience of the consumer (McKercher and duCros, 2002). There is no available literature on which specific aspect of the heritage experience; the architecture, and beauty of the city; the nature of the tour; or the interaction with the guides, stimulates the positive consumer experience.

Methodology: In 2006 the Preservation Society of Charleston with the College of Charleston conducted a study of visitors that participated in the Fall Home and Garden Tour. Email addresses were collected from visitors who purchased tours in advance. Deleting duplicate addresses produced 1,514 valid email addresses. An online survey was designed and administered. Questions included demographic data, tour characteristics, information source usage, trip characteristics, and tour perceptions. The 640 completed surveys provided a satisfactory response rate of 42.3%.

Analysis: Binary logistical regression was conducted. The dependent variables were: 1. Willingness to recommend; 2. By taking these tours, my image of Charleston as a destination has changed for the positive; and 3. Enhanced image of Charleston.

Ten independent variables were assessed. These ranged from the tours showed; 1. a great variety of Charleston Culture; 2. interesting architecture; 3. that Charleston is a beautiful city; 4. the way of life in Charleston; 5. provide many opportunities for learning; 6. were well organized; 7. guides were reflective of the population of Charleston; 8. supported Charleston's reputation as a cultural/historical destination; 9. demonstrated that Charlestonians have a good quality of life; 10; guides were hospitable and friendly people.

Findings-Discussion: The regression analysis produced 3 factors which demonstrate; the interrelated nature of the architecture, the qualities of place, and the articulation of the story; and the factors in destination recommendation.

Conclusion: It is important to understand how heritage tours affect destination image and the factors which affect willingness to recommend as they are different from those which precipitate image change.

BIBLIOGRAFÍA

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