"Tourism Paradox: Revitalization or Sustainability?"

What: Geography’s Colloquium
When: Friday, February 20, 2009. Talk starts promptly at 4:00 p.m. Refreshments at 3:45 p.m.
Where: Student Building 150
Who: Dr. Lynn M. Jamieson

Bio: Dr. Lynn M. Jamieson is Full Professor and former Chair in the Department of Recreation, Park, and Tourism Studies at Indiana University and was formerly Curriculum Coordinator in the Recreation Administration program at California Polytechnic State University. In addition to academic appointments, Dr. Jamieson has served in administrative capacities in three park and recreation departments: Corpus Christi, Texas; San Diego, California; and Johnson County, Kansas. She is co-author of five texts and author of numerous articles in the area of recreational sports, commercial recreation, management and tourism. In the area of research and evaluation, Dr. Jamieson has emphasized management, curriculum development in recreational sports, visitor behavior and youth development as it pertains to youth sport and leisure interest. Over 60 articles and 70 presentations have been delivered in her areas of expertise. She is a Certified Recreational and Park Professional with the National Recreation and Park Association, a member of the Resort and Commercial Recreation Association, and several other professional organizations that represent various aspects of the leisure industry. More recently, she has conducted lectures and research in China, Australia, Costa Rica, Canada, Turkey, Scotland, England, and the United States on the topics of leisure policy development, research issues, impact of tourism collateral materias, and the sport/violence social issue.

Title: “Tourism Paradox: Revitalization or Sustainability?”

Abstract: Tourism is an essential element in the economy of most communities and regions. Often, tourism is developed in order to draw visitors into the community, with great economic benefits that accrue from this additional source of income. It is the natural beauty prevalent in the resources of a given region that most often serves as a pull factor for many tourists. The geographical features inherent in a region are often used in tourism collateral materials designed to attract tourists to an area. The purpose of the studies performed in this area was to ascertain the scope and nature of the media message given in tourism collateral materials about geographical attractions, and to determine whether that message was compatible with the concept of sustainability. Tourism collateral materials were secured from state and local destination management offices of all 50 United States. Materials were related not only to an individual tourist request, but also to that of groups. Using content analysis, materials were analyzed according to the type of message received about resources, accuracy of information, helpfulness in sharing issues of sustainability, and logistical information. This analysis involved manual coding of materials and development of word groupings that could be compared with expected sustainability factors. Using an image salience diagram, word clusters were compared and contrasted. It was found that in most cases, the salience between the message to tourists and actual environmental sustainability best practices diverged in several important ways. This result could have implications with respect to the way in which tourists utilize natural sites in either positive or negative ways. It may be useful for those involved in the preservation of natural resources and geographical uniqueness to establish a unified message that educates visitors and protects environmental resources.

Please join us and see: http://www.indiana.edu/~geog/colloquium.shtml for a complete schedule.