Depicting National Cultures: Comprehensiveness of 21st Century Travel Guidebooks

Travel guidebooks play an important role in tourism as an information source. They not only give practical information but also cultural information. However, this latter aspect of guidebooks has barely been researched. Guidebook authors can choose to write about any aspects of a country's national culture, but we do not seem to know which aspects they chose to write about—that is, how comprehensive the guidebooks' depictions of culture are. In order to establish the comprehensiveness of contemporary guidebooks, a framework of cultural categories is developed based on theories about culture and intercultural communication. The method is content analysis of document data. In the empirical part of the study, three guidebooks about Denmark are examined quantitatively in order to establish how comprehensive their representation of the cultural values and cultural behavior categories of Denmark is. Based on the criteria set, travel guidebooks cannot be considered comprehensive. Readers should be aware that guidebooks only give a partial view of a destination's culture. With the increased availability of online hotel and restaurant resources for tourists, the publishers of travel guidebooks could expand the sections on national culture. This will increase readers' experiential value of the guidebooks and give guidebooks a competitive edge, whether the guidebooks are printed or digital.

Visual Representations of Indigenous Tourism Places in Social Media

This article focused the analysis on social media representations of Sápmi using the hashtags #visitsápmi and #visitsapmi, which nuance official, top-down versions of the place communicated in other contexts, but simultaneously are more focused on visitors and their experiences. The results show that the making of the Sápmi region as a place and a tourism destination through social media content is an ongoing process of interpretation and reinterpretation of what indigenous Sámi culture is and how it connects to specific localities. Future research should look at the broader understanding of places that can be accessed through social media analysis. The main argument is that visual communication is a very important tool when constructing the brand of a destination. Considering the growing role of social media, the process of place-making through visual communication is explored in the case of the destination VisitSápmi, as it is coconstructed in online user generated content (UGC). From a theoretical viewpoint, we discuss the social construction of places and destinations as well as the production of meaning through coconstruction of images and brands in tourism contexts. The focus is on how places are created, branded, and made meaningful by visualizing the place in a framework of tourism experiences, in this case specifically examined through indigenous tourism. We use a content analysis of texts, photographs, and narratives communicated on social media platforms. Regardless of negotiated brand management's efforts at official marketing, branding, and tourism planning, the evolution of Sápmi as a place to visit in social media has its own logic, full of contradictions and plausible interpretations, related to the uncontrollable and bottom-up processes of UGC.

Organizational Communications in Developing Ethnic Tourism: Participatory Approaches in Southwest China

Ethnic tourism promises to solve rural development challenges, create employment, and preserve indigenous heritages. However, the development process is not always empowering. Often-cited problems are organizational communication challenges and conflicts that characterize partnerships among ethnic minority villages, tourism management companies, and government agencies. Such communication difficulties characterize ethnic tourism development processes in many parts of China. This article reports on a case study conducted in the famous Xijiang Thousand Households Miao Village (Xijiang Quianhu Miaozhai), Guizhou, China. Specifically, we investigate the determinants and nature of common organizational communication problems experienced by ethnic communities in the process of tourism development. Survey and interview data indicate that changes in local governance, clashes in tourism management, and a lack of agreement on the meaning of "community participation" created organizational communication problems manifested in conflicts among tourism managers and villagers, administrative districts/villages, and groups within the villages. Drawing from development communication and organizational communication literature, the authors assess the possibilities of applying participatory communication as a strategic approach to conflict resolution. On the basis of critical analysis, the authors offer four recommendations for adapting the participatory approach to address organizational communication problems in ethnic tourism development sites: (1) value participation, (2) develop clear understanding of what empowering participatory communication entails, (3) integrate the indigenous mode of communication/participation, and (4) hybridize the participatory communication approach to accommodate the conditions and limitations that prevail in the specific context.

From the Rise of Authentic Italian Restaurants in America to the Creation of New Multicultural Food Tourism Experiences

With the emergence of culinary multiculturalism in the globalized world, ethnic restaurants have become central symbols of postmodern life, no longer relegated to a domestic and community sphere, but able to attract non-ethnic customers without necessarily destroy food cultural heritage. In line with this trend, the article aims to contribute to the literature on new food tourism experiences by examining contemporary Italian restaurants in the US to investigate how Italian food identity in ethnic restaurants is advertised and sold. Starting from the literature on Italian culinary immigration in America, from the rise of the first Italian restaurants to the invention of the Italian American culinary tradition, the article provides an ethnographic study to understand the changing business environment that is leading new entrepreneurs in foodservice to diversify their business models towards the creation of new food tourism experiences as a result of an ever-changing dialogue between tradition and innovation.

Phantom Demand and the Sake Market

This article examines sake consumption patterns in Hong Kong and reports on a study that seeks to determine if the market can be grown. Hong Kong is one of the major export markets for sake, driven largely by the popularity of Japanese restaurants. The Japanese Export and Trade Organizations (JETRO) is looking at ways to expand consumption as a means of overcoming the decline in sake sales in Japan. This study presents a cautionary tale of market research, for on the surface the study reveals the market could grow by at least 25%, and more importantly, the current price point is below what consumers are willing to pay. However, closer examination of the results suggests a much smaller growth potential for most of the people who consume sake do so once a month or less and usually in a restaurant setting. Increasing sales will require a change in overall dining and drinking behavior patterns, which will be difficult to achieve.

Mindful Eating: Reinvigorating American Culinary Diaspora in a Low-income Community

The culinary history of America is a rich melting pot of cultures from across the world, seasoned with the heritage of diasporas. This research note explores the existing culinary diaspora of American food and how the practice of mindful eating has prompted a revitalization. The author examines how American cuisine is perceived and its connections with a dark period of the nation's past in the context of the "Beloved Community." There is a need to review the diasporas that gave rise to these culinary traditions that have stemmed from slavery and are endemic in low-income communities. A better understanding can prompt a rethinking about how these communities can adopt mindful eating practices. This note extends the literature on culinary diasporas by reconsidering a beloved American culinary tradition.

Gullah Cuisine: Is It a Story of Cultural Appropriation or Cultural Appreciation?

As a chef, culinary historian, and resident of Charleston, South Carolina, USA, I have always been intrigued by the debate over the cultural appropriation , exploitation, and the appreciation of food from other cu l tures. It has always been important for me to know not only about food and ingredients, but also the associated culture. In this article I take a sociological approach to discuss cultural appropriation as it relates to food. It also offers a meeting of my two worlds—as a professional chef and as a budding scholar.

Do Korean Restaurants Influence People to Travel to Korea?

This study examines the role of dining in local ethnic restaurants as a push factor in motivating people to visit the cuisine's country of origin. A study was conducted on Hong Kong residents who ate at a local Korean restaurants. The study found that dining in restaurants stimulated a desire to visit, regardless of whether respondents had visited Korea previously. Past visitors also found that they ate more frequently in local restaurants after their trip. However, food is only part of the reason. Dining in Korean restaurants represents an embodiment of Korean culture and tradition, enabling people to gain an authentic Korean experience. In doing so, they became more motivated to visit the country.

Culture and Motives of Tourists on Food Consumption in Hong Kong

This article analyzed the motivational dimensions of tourists in Hong Kong. The study identified eight motivational dimensions of food consumption of Chinese tourists and Western tourists. The study revealed both groups of tourists shared similar motives, such as service and assurance, food and knowledge, authentic and culture, interpersonal and price, and familiarity and eating habit. However, the Chinese and Western tourists have different emphasis on food consumption in terms of value, variety, prestige, and ambience. The differences can be associated to cultural factor. Findings are useful to decision makers and marketers in promoting Hong Kong as a leading food tourism destination.