Ar ie l Ha r tm an , Resea rch Ass is tan t

Eas t Ca ro l ina Un iv e rs i t y

Pa ige V iren , PhD

Eas t Ca ro l ina Un iv e rs i t y

And

Derek A lde rm an, PhD

Un iv e rs i t y o f Tennessee

OPENING THE ROAD TO TOURISM:

FRAMING MEDIA TO INFLUENCE

TRAVEL PARTICIPATION AMONG

MINORITIES

Minorities are an important growing market in recreation and tourism, yet they are not properly represented.

Travel promotions often cater to the white majority while completely ignoring minorities and presenting them as almost invisible.

Tourism providers have the power to determine who participates in travel.

INTRODUCTION

Despite the rapid emergence of travel

information technology, the brochure

remains a popular and frequently used

information source for tourists

(Andereck, 2005).

Tourism marketing is dependent upon

photographs because they attract

visitors and frame expectations of what

and whom people will see when

travelling (Hunter, 2008).

These images are not just about

displaying products and attractions;

they also include representations of

social groups and societies (Pritchard

& Morgan, 2000).

BROCHURES

It has been found that past tourism promotions often cater to a

white male gaze while ignoring the experiences of minorit ies.

When minorit ies are shown in tourism brochures and

advertisements they are often shown as entertainers or locals,

and in some cases they are even shown as racial stereotypes

(Buzinde et al. 2006; Burton & Klemm 2011).

This invalidates the experiences of minorit ies and neglects

their importance as travelers (Alderman & Modlin, 2013).

MINORITY REPRESENTATION IN

TOURISM BROCHURES

African Americans are one of the

fastest growing segments of the

tourism industry and have been shown

to be more l ikely to travel to the

American south (Travel Industry

Associat ion of America 2003).

Yet, they have historical ly lacked

proper representat ion in southern

tourism promotions.

Mel l inger (1994) studied photographic

postcards f rom the American south and

found that they did not even attempt to

capture the complexity of Afr ican

Americans l ives, and instead only

attempted to engage the white travelers

fantasies of the south.

MINORITIES AND TRAVEL

African Americans make up almost 22% of the population in

North Carolina, yet previous research of North Carolina

travel brochures found that African Americans made up only

8% of the analyzed photographs (Alderman & Modlin, 2013).

These f indings are extremely important because consumers

use brochures to choose their travel destinations and obtain

additional information about their selected vacation site

(Burton & Klemm, 2011).

If we continue to make African Americans invisible in

southern tourism promotions, we are displaying the message

that African Americans do not belong in the South.

MINORITIES AND TRAVEL IN NORTH

CAROLINA

Has representation of African American’s increased since

Alderman and Modlin’s (2013) study?

Does the amount of representation have a relationship with

the minority population in North Carolina?

RESEARCH QUESTIONS

The study examined the degree and manner in which

minorit ies are represented in North Carolina tourism

brochures.

Local information sources were identif ied from the 2015

North Carolina Travel Guide (visitNC.com):

List determined to be the most comprehensive resource since not

all convention and visitor bureaus (CVBs) are members of the

North Carolina Destination Marketing Association International

(NCDMAI)

Some smaller destinations simply use their chamber or municipality

for tourism marketing.

METHOD

In February 2015, print media/brochures were ordered from

30 of North Carolina’s 100 counties based on documented

visitor expenditure in 2013 (North Carolina Department of

Commerce).

The sample was stratified by total visitor expenditure for small,

medium, and large categories.

Larger destinations have more funding to produce brochures than

smaller, more rural destinations, which can make a difference in

content.

Next, 10 counties for each category were randomly selected

The stratif ied random sample method ensured that the

sample contained the proper number of each visitor

expenditure category.

METHODS

Using content analysis, the brochures were analyzed and

coded according to the images

Number of photographs

Number of photographs with people included

Number of photographs with minorities included

Gender

Passive/Active Recreation

METHODS

Although 30 counties were selected, brochures were only received from 25 counties. Five counties in the low expenditure category did not have brochures available.

73% of the pictures included people.

21% of the pictures of people included minorities.

Low: 46% of pictures included people

1% of those pictures included minorities

Middle: 32% of pictures included people

12% of those pictures included minorities

Top: 42% of the pictures included people

26% of those pictures included minorities

RESULTS

NEXT STEPS

Our preliminary f indings suggest that minority representation

in North Carolina travel brochures is still lacking.

Our next steps are to:

Refine the coding system

Analyze state travel guides from the 50 U.S. states

The counties with the lowest visitor expenditures had the

least representation of minorit ies, yet these counties have a

higher percentage of minorit ies living in the county.

Looking at visitNC (North Carolina’s Destination Marketing

Organization) 2015 travel guide, it appeared to be more

representative than most of the county brochures.

How can information about minority representation educate

the travel industry?

DISCUSSION