Barbara Marciszewska AWFiS Gdansk

1
Barbara Marciszewska (AWFiS Gdansk) Piotr
Palich (AM Gdynia)

• Creating emotions and meaningful experiences in
  seaside tourism destinations a case of Gdansk
  and cultural event of Malbork

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The purpose of the study

• to examine the attributes of an integrated
  tourism product of Gdansk and Three-city, well
  known urban space of northern Poland as a source
  of tourists emotions and experiences
• special focus will be made on combination of
  Gdansk/Gdynia attractions with the annual
  cultural event in Malbork called The Siege of
  Malbork which refers to historical facts.

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The Method

• critical analysis of literature
• many sources of local authorities data as well
  as mystery shopping carried out by the two
  authors during the two-day event in Malbork in
  July 2008
•  Internet

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Introduction a critical analysis of literature
emotions and experiences in tourism

•  Emotions and experiences are stressed in
  literature as important components of tourism
  product
• Recent discussions concerning management of
  culture have very often stressed the necessity of
  research into this field in relation to tourism,
  as both play an important role in the dynamics of
  socio-economic development (Mazurek-Lopacinska,
  1999, p.7).

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Introduction cont.

• The recognition of culture as an important
  motivation for tourism has stimulated a
  significant increase in the supply of cultural
  attractions(Richards, 2001, p. 55) and supports
  other branches
• As a basic activity tourism can be a driving
  force for the economy.

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Introduction cont.

• Culture stimulates participation in tourism by
  creating new emotions and experiences, not only
  on the basis of known cultural attractions but
  also by offering new artistic or cultural events.
• Culture within framework of tourism can
  stimulate the customer to create a memorable
  event and stage an experience

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Introduction cont.

• Experience is always connected with certain goods
  or/and services
• new experience and new positive emotions could
  be seen as a new source of economic value.
• They are created and staged in every part of
  the economy and cannot be defined as a separate
  emerging experience sector (Richards, 2001, p.
  57) even if this is only a conceptual approach
  (Marciszewska, 2005,)

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Introduction - cont

• Emotions are stronger when cultural components
  become a part of tourism product
• The idea of culture as the main attraction for
  visitors is rapidly giving way to the idea that
  creativity is what counts ( Richards, 2001,
  p.64).

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Introduction cont.

• Creativity should therefore be perceived as an
  additional factor of tourism development and a
  new source of tourism experience.
• Creativity in the field of tourism and culture
  relates to the interaction between a human being
  and different attractions.

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Increasing the attractiveness of tourism
products through cultural components is
important solution because

• Tourism provides an important means of enhancing
  culture and creating income which can support and
  strengthen cultural heritage, cultural production
  and creativity (Arzeni, OECD, 2009, p.3)

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Based on the previous statement we can say

• This approach to the role of tourism for
  cultural, social and economic development
  requires more innovative concept of tourism
  destination and its products designbecause
• Traditionally accepted tourist attractions do not
  meet consumers expectations, particularly if
  they are interested in more dynamic product.
• Visiting just one place, even if it is an
  exciting city, usually is perceived as less
  attractive in comparison with a tourism package
  including surroundings .

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cont...

• Some research indicate that tourists are
  influenced in their choice of destination by a
  specific art, cultural or heritage event or
  activity (The impact, 2009, p.21).
• The Polish survey suggests that cultural
  attractions become an important factor
  influencing tourist decisions about visiting a
  given destination (Marciszewska,2006)

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Other researchers in Poland who focus on tourism
and culture describe a role of culture for
tourism as

•  an effective instrument promoting tourist
  destinations (Dudek-Mankowska Duda Gromada,
  2007 Pomykalska Bielak, 2007 Lemanczyk,
  2007)
•  a component of tourism identity of the city
  (Stanislawska, 2007)
• a strong factor of tourism development
  (Pawlusinski, 2007)
• a  component of tourism product (Stasiak, 2007)
• factor generating tourism demand (Fronczak,
  2007)

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Culture

• Complexity of both meanings of culture (in wider
  and narrow sense) makes it difficult to define
  culture as a product which can be formulated
  by marketing instruments. A cultural product
  based on the second definition can be
  characterised by specific experience created
  during consumption process.

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Experience and culture

• experience of culture does not consist of a
  number of separate and isolated elements of
  social experience (the religious as distinct
  from the moral, the aesthetic, as distinct from
  the technological), but of the dynamic
  interactions between them.

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Experience, culture and tourism

• The development of cultural tourism depends
  on the nature of the visitors experience
  in places associated with the past and/or
  present aspects of culture of a given
  community.
• According to Moscardo (2000, p. 5) cultural and
  heritage tourism can be understood as
  experience which is produced by interaction
  between the visitor and the tourist attraction,
  in the form of, e.g., place, history, event,
  tradition, idea or work of art.
• .

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Emotions, culture and tourism

• Emotions usually help us to take decisions to
  visit a cultural attraction, to travel to a
  culturally attractive destination, to participate
  in a cultural event, and finally, to buy a
  cultural product.
• Emotions belong to the most powerful influences
  we have.()We use our emotions to help to
  visualise benefits from the purchase of a
  particular product or service(T. Williams, 2003,
  www.bankersonline.com/marketing/produce.html)

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Emotions.

• Even if cultural products have material
  structure they are a subject for reflection and
  we buy them because of emotions or/and experience.

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Emotions.

• We may consider emotions from the visitors
  perspective. What are the main reasons for
  inviting people to visit a museum or a gallery?
  To sell a prospective experience, to create
  highly specific emotions, to win a response from
  visitors and to produce a sale for future
  customers. (Marciszewska, 2005).

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Emotions.

• Usually buying decisions are made on emotional
  basis
• culture managers have to be selective in
  relation to their methods of presentation of
  cultural products and have to differentiate
  between them according to specific features of
  the place visited.

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Cultural components of the tourism product give
specific features

• new tourism product is based on and produces
  emotions and experiences
• cultural experiences can also be negative if
  managers do not influence them.

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Emotions.

• According to Gnoth et all (2000, p.157) The
  small number of basic emotions poses a problem
  for the needs of tourism management. In this
  context, the emotional terms mentioned so far
  hardly reflect the spectrum of experiences
  tourists felt before, during and after their
  trips .

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Tourism product

• The structure of a tourism product can
  contain many cultural components, e.g. arts,
  modes of life, fundamental human rights, beliefs,
  traditions, cultural heritage, cultural events
  and festivals and so on. .

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Malbork and its cultural heritage as a component
of Gdansk tourist package

•  
• Malbork is historically known town which is
  situated in quite short distance from Gdansk
  (around 60 km.).

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Attractiveness of Malbork

• The castle was built in the early 13th century
• Malbork Castle Museum was founded on 1 January
  1961.
• The 3 July 1965 witnessed the opening of amber
  exhibition in the partially rebuilt east wing.
  This exhibition became one of the castle's main
  visitor attractions.

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Malbork..

• The "Light and Sound" performances held here
  since 1980 have also proved very popular with the
  public.
• In December 1997 the castle complex was included
  in UNESCO's world heritage site register
• The Siege of Malbork becomes a most interesting
  tourism attraction in summer

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The siege of Malbork

•   an avarage  duration 6 days
•   the event was registered by 9 TV cameras
• the event was a reconstruction of events
  held in 1410
• 85 journalists were accredited in the event
• 300 knights took part in the night-time staging
  of the Siege of Malbork

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The Siege of Malbork

• 500 participants took part in the event
• On average 14,000 persons visited the Internet
  service of the Siege daily
• 26,400 tourists purchased tickets to the Castle
  Museum during the event
• Approx. 60,000 people watched the night-time
  staging of the Siege
• Approx. 120,000 people visited the Siege of
  Malbork in the course of 6 days.  

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Examples of re-constructions of historical facts
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Examples.
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Examples.

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Examples..

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Potential benefits from the integrated product

• The integrated product (tourism package) can
  lead to the stronger product brand enhancing the
  distinctive image of both cities Gdansk and
  Malbork.
• The package could involve local communities in
  activities such as re-creating historical events,
  developing excursions, presenting traditions and
  building bridges (interactions) between
  themselves and domestic and foreign tourists.  

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Potential benefits..

• Such a behaviour is the best way of promotion of
  the tourist destinations because the siege of
  Malbork and the castle itself can be a driving
  force for the City of Gdansk .
• On the other hand City of Gdansk combined with
  the visit to Malbork can make the tourist trip
  longer, more attractive and exciting. This
  combination of cultural attractions with standard
  tourism product becomes a demand-shaping factor.
•  

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Conclusions

• The marketing of the cultural products offered
  should take into consideration the experience of
  visitors and tourists as an important component
  of the marketing strategy
• The integrated product is a rich source of
  tourists emotions and experiences.

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Conclusions cont.

• In view of the fact that a number of new factors
  will shape tourism demand culture (Siege of
  Malbork) becomes a very sensitive component of
  the tourism supply and of customer satisfaction.
• Marketing strategies adopted with regard to
  cultural products, can increase the chances of
  success for both cultural or tourism
  organisations and for visitors.
• The experience of visitors and tourists is an
  important component of the marketing strategy.