I would like to
thank to Frederick van Ouwerkerk.
Senior
lecturer culture and tourism,
NHTV International University Breda, Netherlands
NHTV International University Breda, Netherlands
She gave me the idea
Edutainment for Tourism Marketing about with her lectures while I was in BISS (
Baltic International Summer School ) by
Vidzemes University , Latvia.
Abstract
In this work, I will mention about the effects of
Edutainment and Visitor Management to Tourism Marketing.
There are plenty of
given examples about Edutainment, Visitor Management and Tourism
Management. Additionally there is a given case study connection to Tourism
Marketing using the Edutainment which
made in BISS ( Baltic International Summer School ) , Latvia, by Vidzemes
University.
I am giving this case study with no change, because
I was in this summer school and I am using this topic having some ideas from BISS when I was in
this summer school.
Introduction
In this world it is hard to come up with an
original gift now that prosperity has increased to the extent that the
population’s primary needs are met. The only thing people generally lack is
time.
Time is a scarce commodity, so it makes a
great gift.
Instead of a book token, people give each
other a voucher for a wellness weekend, a high tea,a package holiday or for
instance a balloon ride.
The voucher in the box gives the time and
also the authentic, unique, social experience to slow down and get inspiration
and fun, the consumer is looking for. It is time you have to spend on yourself-
because after all, it’s a gift.
From the point of tourism, this development
appears interesting as a method to manage and spread visitor flows. This idea
can be a good idea for tourist marketing also to make people having
holiday,even in winter time.
From the point of culture, it appears to be a
change to generate more and different visitors especially at the smaller
regional museums. It can also be a way to expand the tourist season, attract
visitors for instance in wintertime.
Last but not least it is also a change to
stimulate cooperation between tourism and culture, a way of filling the gap.
1.Characteristics of tourists
By definition a tourist has to spend the
night somewhere. He comes voluntary in his free time, which is a scarce item as
is shown above. Most of the time it is a social activity, people want to share
their experiences and memories.
Tourism is about attracting people and
earning money. It’s an economy.
In the first place a tourist comes for the 7
Segmentations: sun, sea, sand, snorkeling or snow, sex, sangria, slow.
In the second place a tourist comes for
specific nature or culture.
Culture has always been an important
motivation for tourists to go to a special destination.
Culture can make the difference in a global
village, it is unique, authentic and aesthetic and distinct.
For the last 10 years or so cultural tourism
is booming.
2.What is Visitor Management?
Visitor management
is;
- To
maintain and preserve authenticity of cultural and natural heritage for
future generations, whilst appealing to the suppliers, the regulators and
the consumers.
- To
create environmental awareness,communication and interpretation.
- To
manage and spread visitor flows.
- To
attract more and new visitors.
- To
spread them in time as well.
- To
create mindful visitors.
Tourist
are looking for challenging, unique, authentic, distinct place to go.They want
to have a unique experience.They want to have pleasure.They want to have their
dream become true.
They
also want;
- Feeling
of being welcome
- Good
accessibility
- Parking
facilities
- Functional
public transport
- Attractive
shops
- Appealing
landscape
- Outstanding
catering
- Excellent
facilities
- Inviting interpretation
At
this point visitor management is an important segment for marketing. Because,
Tourism is about selling dreams.
Visitor
management focus on;
- Focus
on authenticity and quality
- Preserve
and protect resources
- Make
sites come alive
- Find
a fit between the community and tourism
- Collaborate
2.1.How Can Visitor Management Use as a
Marketing Tool?
To
take people attantion to the place and not to damage from the crises,these
questions can help to companies for their marketing strategy.
The
questions are;
- What
is the spirit of the place?
- Why
is this place so unique?
- How
do we get this across to our visitors?
- Who
are our visitors?
- How
can we challenge them to come?
- What
experience we have to offer?…vs.
2.1.a.Key word is : UNIQUE
U=The visit should
challenge the visitors to look at the world around them from a new perspective,
make them wonder about marvels of the world around them
N=The visit should make the
visitors curious, the visit should stimulate the visitor’s imagination
I=The visit should be
inspiring; should stimulate and provoke visitors
Q=The visit should be a
qualitative experience, a strong emphasis on service and customer care
U=The visit should lead to
a better understanding of the relevance of the site,visitors should leave the
site with new insights and experiences.
E=The visit should touch
the visitors emotionally, it should touch their hearts.
Some
examples:
2.1.a.1.Cappadocia,Turkey
This place has an old and interesting story
which takes people’s attantion to go there.
All houses in Cappadocia were built cowering
the stones.
It means that each of the houses are a
cave,even the hotels in Capadocia.
There are also balloon tours for tourist.And
this is really unique.
2.1.a.2.Pamukkale,
Turkey
Pamukkale, which
means ‘’cotton castle’’, is totally made by nature.No human affect.
Tourists also have
chance to learn the culture.
3.Educational tourism
Nowadays
also educational tourism has become a trend. People are looking for experiences
to move the spirit, to develop the mind and to get inspiration and to have fun.
Within
the cultural sector, people want to share and spread their knowledge of that
culture to generate understanding for its importance and significance.
But
be aware of the tourist gaze: “it’s so postcard!.
Educational
tourism is a guided, social activity in quality time. This voyage of discovery
to another time must then, provide an experience.
This
is what the visitor wants and will gladly pay for. Quality is very important.
The guest pays primarily for memorable experiences.
A
memorable experience is generally also a unique experience.
Unique
can be described as
Uncommon,
it should be entertaining, keep in mind they visit the place in their leisure.
Novelty,
it should raise curiosity; provide a new experience, a new insight.
Inspiring,
it should be provocative and stimulating
Quality,
it should be customer- and service oriented.
Understanding,
it should lead to a profound understanding of the collection.
Emotions,
it should evoke emotions and be a moving experience.
In
addition to a memorable experience, the visitor wants to learn something about
himself in relation to the destination. He wants a personal development
experience. In the experience economy this is called transformation.
This
is something the visitor is even more prepared to invest in than a memorable
experience. From the perspective of culture, where by definition there is a
strong emphasis on education, and from the perspective of visitor management
this is an interesting fact. It gives edutainment
a very important role.
Louvre Museum, Paris
Louvre museum is one of most visited in the world.This
museum give the challenge to learn when they are looking at Mona Lisa or while
getting around in the museum.
4.Edutainment
Entertainment
= entertaining, having fun
Education
= reducer to lead someone from one point to the next.
Edutainment
= to learn something in your free time in a funny leisure way. Because
people
want to learn, not because they are obliged to do it.
Educational
Tourism is ;
- To
move the spirit
- To
develop the mind
- To
get inspiration
- To
have fun
Educational
Tourism means;
- Social
activity
- Quality
time
- Guided:
it doesn't matter in what way
4.1.Edutainment Tools for Tourism;
Water Ball
Step
Aerobic
Dance
courses for Customers in holiday destinations.
Dart
Game
Beach
Volleyball….vs. and lots of others.
In
tourism industry, the most important thing is marketing and of course customer
satisfaction.
While
using edutainment in tourism market, most used tools are;
- Destination
- Sea
- Sun
- Sand
- Entertainment
Some
example advertisements are given below;
An
other perspective of Edutainment of using
well known people for Tourism marketing.
While
people are having their holidays, they can also leave the culture and
history.They can have a unique and unforgettable experience. More than
‘’Sea,Sun, and Sand ‘’ concept.
Also
an other viewpoint for Tourism.
As
example;
4.1.a.Salzburg
, Germany
Mozart had lived in this city.It’s famous for Mozart
and history.
Unfortunately
this city isn’t known by most of people.Because tourist marketing is not used
fort his city.However the city has the potential for tourism.Because there are
thousands of people in the world who is fan of Mozart.
4.2.b.Firenze
, Italia
Firenze
was the capital of rebirth in old days.This city was a good example for the all
others for the value of ART.Art and culture were really important for people in
Firenze.
The leaders of rebirth
- Leonardo da Vinci
- Michelangelo
- Raphaello
Famous Gothic masters
- Arnolfo
di Cambio
- Giotto
Famous sculptors
- Ghiberti
- Donatello
- Luca
della Robbia
- Benvenuto
Celini
- Giovanni
da Bologna
- Dante Alighieri, had lived in Firenze.
A
visit to Firenze is a good opportunity to have holiday and learn history.
4.2.Companies Used Edutainment in their
Business and Marketing
4.2.a.White
Hutchinson
Kansas City, Missouri, USA / Doha,
Qatar
Middle
East Leisure Project Experience
Their company has been working in
the Middle East and Arab world since 1998 when their first conducted a
feasibility study and prepared preliminary designs for a children's edutainment
center in Doha, Qatar.
Since then, they designed and
produced LouLou Al Dugong's, a children's play & discovery center in Dubai,
United Arab Emirates, and have worked on the feasibility and design of other
projects in the Middle East in Al Ain and Abu Dhabi, U.A.E.; Sana'a, Yemen;
Manama, Bahrain; Kuwait City, Kuwait; Amman, Jordan; Kuwait, and Riyadh and
Jeddah, Saudi Arabia; as well as in the Islamic country of Morocco in its
capital city Rabat and in Beirut, Lebanon.
Some of their projects about
edutainment are;
·
Jeddah,
Dhahran & Riyadh, Saudi Arabia – Smart Kids (Abcarino) children's
edutainment and enrichment center.
·
Manama,
Bahrain – feasibility and preliminary design of a 3.700 square meter
children's edutainment, entertainment and enrichment (play & discovery)
center that includes a discovery play garden and rooftop zero-depth spray
grounds (spray pads).
·
Doha,
Qatar – mixed-use mall type project with retail, restaurants, cinemas,
children's edutainment and enrichment, family entertainment, amusement,
bowling, ice skating, a party and celebration center, hotel and indoor
water park.
·
Doha,
Qatar – market and financial feasibility and concept plan for a children's
edutainment center.
According to the company,The
Middle East, and especially the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries of the
United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Bahrain, Qatar and Oman, is
undergoing rapid growth and expansion with many new entertainment and leisure
projects. Different than projects in Dubai that target the tourist market, most
of their projects are designed to target the local Arab population.
Unlike many design and consulting
firms who sell Middle Eastern clients standard Western design solutions, they
prided their selves in their practice of not literally exporting Western designs
and concepts for their Middle Eastern projects. Instead, they took pride in
being culturally sensitive and custom designing projects to meet the needs,
tastes, values and customs of the Locals.
For most of their projects, they
undertook extensive ethnographic and focus group research with mothers to
understand the local area's unique culture, including its traditions, customs,
values, and traditions of leisure, so we can design the projects to maximize
their appeal to the local residents. Our staff has worked with many ethnic
groups and Islamic cultures, and is culturally competent to recognize and
respect the unique attributes of Arab and Islamic cultures and design a project
that is appropriate and respectful to that culture.
A number of their projects are
actually designed to help preserve local culture and traditions.
5.A Case Study About Using Environment
Awareness about Tourism Marketing
5.1.Case Study of Purvitis House , Latvia ,
Valmiera
For
Tourism marketing in Purvitis House, Environment Awareness used as a marketing
tool.Also edutainment is used as a tool in Purvitis House.
Purvitis
House is a house of a painter.His name is Vilhemls Purvitis. Vilhelms Purvitis
was born in 1872 on the farm Jauzi in Zaube. He is the most famous and
well-respected landscape painter, creating a school of nature painting. His
vision and his ideas about environment awareness are still alive.
His interpretation of
environment awareness is translated into his paintings.The beautiful nature
inspired him to be the foundation of the Latvian landscape art. In this way he
has created or can create environment awareness to the people of Latvia, so
that they realize how beautiful their nature is and to create the willingness
of the people to preserve the environment they live in.
5.2. How do
They Tell Their Story ?
„ From the life of W. Purvitis
you can learn how to work, but from his work you can learn how to live!” (Kurt
Fridrikhson)
Purvitis
is one of the founders of Latvian National Art Gallery, while his own recognition
was gained abroad in such art-oriented cities as:Paris, Lion, Munich,
Stockholm, Vienna, Copenhagen, London and many other famous cities.
One
of the biggest recent achievements of work of W. Purvitis is that his work „Ziema” („Winter” ) three years ago
(2007) represented Latvia between all other European Union countries in the
celebration of 50 the anniversary of signing Roman contract which took place in
Italy, and officially was opened by the president himself
The
story of Wilhelm Purvitis is being told by many people nowadays – art curators,
artists who have gained inspiration and technical skills by studying his work
and technique and cultural history experts, but one particular way how the
story of this amazing and inspiring artist is being told is through his house.
the walls literally talk in this situation!
Vilhelms
Purvitis House is located in a place called “Vecjauzi”, in Zaube and is opened
to everyone interested. The first floor is mainly left as it has been
originally, but a little bit renewed, because of a leaking roof and some other
sanitary problems.
The
house is old (more than 150 years old),so it is quite normal that it need
repairing.
The
vision of the house is, the house
is “for everyone by everyone” – everyone who visits can make their own
opinion about it, make closer or more distance relationship with this unusual
place and also leave something behind – a painting, a message, a craft work of
some kind or simply plant the new potatoes and help the owner maintain the
original atmosphere of the place.
5.3.Touristic
Value of Purvitis House
The
Purvitis House absolutely fits the concept that mention in the above subject „It is so postcard!”
The
area where Purvitis House is in a good area for Camp Tourism and Summer school
for children.Also the area can be really adorable for nature lovers.
Edutainment
used by the owner for advertisement. When people came for a visit to house, they
can learn something while they are enjoying the nature.The house is also used
as a hotel.There are 10 – 15 beds to sleep at house.
Marketing
tools used in house is;
·
Nature
·
History of the House
·
Art
·
Edutainment
·
Visitor Management , to make people come to
house.
6.Conclusion
of The Work
As I mentioned in my work,
Edutainment can be a useful tool for Tourism Marketing.
Especially, for the rural tourism
for develop tourism activities. Edutainment is also good for the growth of children.Because, if a place
use for education, like teaching the history of the places , it will not be as
boring as school.
Because, people are generally get
bored, if the things turned into a lecture.So using edutainment in tourism is a
good opportunity to teach cultures.
Culture tours can be a example
for using edutainment in Tourism industry.
The summer camps are also an
example.
As a reason, using of Edutainment , Visitor
Management and Environment Awareness are
good opportunities for advertisement. Especially, when the awareness is getting and getting more important in these days.
BIBLIOGRAPHY
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edutainment
http://www.whitehutchinson.com/leisure/articles/edutainment.shtml
http://www.whitehutchinson.com/leisure/middle_east_experience.shtml
BISS ( Baltic International
Summer School, August 2010) Lectures about Edutainment by FREDERIKE VAN
OUWERKERK
Senior lecturer culture and tourism,
NHTV International University Breda, Netherlands
Case Studies of BISS, August
2010, Vidzemes University College, Latvia
CASE STUDY ABOUT PURVITIS HOUSE BY:
Biss Case Study from candidates.
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