Developing a sense of place toolkit: Identifying destination uniqueness

Abstract

It has long been recognised that the tangible and intangible characteristics that make a location distinctive and memorable, contribute significantly to destination image. How this destination feel is communicated, has largely been the domain of place branding and destination marketing, which have the potential to miss stakeholder voices. Recently though, practitioners are starting to carefully consider 'sense of place'; that is an emotional attachment to place, which is defined more carefully in the literature review of this article, and which corresponds with long-running academic discussions. This paper attempts to identify some of these and bridge the gap between academic theory on sense of place and practice. In the UK, many rural areas are now seeking to operationalise sense of place through toolkit documents that might inform landscape interpretation and destination branding. A scenario echoed internationally, where local distinctiveness features in both rural and urban planning. However, sense of place in a tourism context, and more specifically the development of these toolkits, has received limited academic attention. Hence, this paper presents the case of Morecambe Bay, and the development of a dedicated sense of place toolkit. The subsequent case emerges from a collaboration between academics and practitioners and draws on participant observation, semi-structured interviews and document analysis. Specifically, the paper outlines a series of workshop activities developed with destination stakeholders and identifies how these inform subsequent toolkit design. It offers a critical analysis of the benefits and potential pitfalls of employing this approach. This case is of value to academics and destination stakeholders interested in identifying and communicating the uniqueness and emotional tone of the destination.Key lessons and recommendations are identified for those engaging in similar toolkit development initiatives.

Destination labels for historic villages: The impact on perception, experience, and satisfaction

“…A strong positive relationship emerged between awareness of the label and positive ratings of the experience in connection with the place in terms of authenticity, personal involvement, and memorability. This finding, consistent with Kastenholz et al (2012) and Jarratt et al (2019), highlights the importance of the emotional dimension of the experience in rural tourism, suggesting that awareness of the quality label could significantly contribute to influencing place attachment for historic villages' tourists.…”

“…Li et al (2019) highlight the creation of an emotional bond between visitors and the destination as a pivotal factor for enhancing the quality of the experience. Consistently, Jarratt et al (2019) argue that developing a sense of place is crucial for destination branding.…”

“…The literature has highlighted two key features that make historic villages competitive in the tourism industry. The first is the perceived differentiation and quality of a destination’s attributes (Campón-Cerro et al., 2017; Cucculelli and Goffi, 2016; Lo et al., 2019; Sánchez Rivero et al., 2016), and the second is tourists’ experiences and satisfaction (Campón-Cerro et al., 2017; Devesa et al., 2010; Jarratt et al., 2019; Kastenholz et al., 2012).…”

Customer-based brand equity index of Kurukshetra

“…Chigora and Zvavahera 2015 Lund et al (2018) also suggest that the circulation of brand stories through online social networks is useful for an image of a destination. Jarratt et al (2018) analyze the sense of place to make clear distinctive selling points for tourists. Gantina and Swantari (2018) explain that destination image is helpful in increasing perceived value and trip quality.…”

‘Making Tragic Places’: dark tourism, kitsch and the commodification of atrocity

“…Until recently, placemaking has been chiefly the concern of the built or natural environment discourse (for instance, Dupre, 2019). However, a body of literature is now emerging exploring how tourists perceive and generate a sense of place (Jarratt, Phelan, Wain, & Dale, 2018). Much of placemaking within tourism relies on the co-construction of meaning between individual tourist experiences and collective official (re)presentations (Lew, 2017).…”