Place, People and Interpretation: Issues of Migrant Labour and Tourism Imagery in Ireland

Abstract

This paper addresses the contribution of tourism's workforce to destination image and branding and considers the role that employees play in visitors' interpretation of their experience of place. The focus of this paper is on the contribution of working people to the image of place and the potential for contradiction in imagery as the people who inhabit and work within a place change over time. At the same time, those consuming the place as visitors may well have expectations that are fixed in traditional and outdated imagery. The location of this paper is Ireland where the traditional marketing of the tourism brand has given core roles to images of people and the friendliness of Irish hospitality, represented by traditional and homogeneous images. Interpretation of Ireland as a destination, in the tourist literature, by tour guides and within the cultural heritage sector generally, has widely perpetuated these traditional and, arguably, cliched images. Recent growth in the "Celtic tiger" economy has induced unprecedented and large scale migration from countries across the globe to Ireland, particularly into the tourism sector. This paper raises questions with regard to interpretation and branding of a country as a tourist destination in the light of major changes within the demography and ethnicity of its tourism workforce.

Job involvement, commitment, satisfaction and turnover: Evidence from hotel employees in Cyprus

“…The seasonal nature of the industry has been accompanied by a decrease in core, and the increase and greater reliance on peripheral staff. Consequently, employees are less loyal, while employers' obsession with cost reduction and short-termism reduces their motivation to invest in training and development of the workforce, whether core or peripheral in nature (see for example, Adler & Adler, 2004;Baum & Lundtorp, 2000;Baum et al, 2007;Conlin & Baum, 2003;Shakeela & Cooper, 2009). …”

“…However, on a global scale, human resource management practices have a tendency to be characterized as ambiguous and inflexible (Conlin & Baum, 2003), often unplanned and unstructured, lacking a cohesive strategy. This approach, labeled 'adhocism' (Baum, 2012, p. 125), has profound repercussions for island destinations with regard to recruitment, retention, training and career progression (Adler & Adler, 2004;Baum, Hearns, & Devine, 2007;Baum & Lundtorp, 2000;Shakeela & Cooper, 2009).…”

Tour Guides as Creators of Empathy: The Role of Affective Inequality in Marginalizing the Enslaved at Plantation House Museums

“…Dahles (2002: 783) agrees, saying 'tour guiding constitutes a strategic factor in the representation of a destination area'. Tourists certainly can form their own independent impressions of destinations (Banyai, 2010), but guides exert great influence on tourist interpretation and experience of place (Baum et al, 2007). Tour guides act as 'gatekeepers of the destination, not only to provide interesting information and an enjoyable experience but also a physical and cultural familiarity with destinations.…”

Exploring the hospitality-tourism nexus: Directions and questions for past and future research

“…Moreover, such disruption raises wider questions concerning the place of culture and identity within tourist experiences. Specifically, the presence of temporary residents and migrant workers limit opportunities for tourists and ‘embedded’ locals to meet, which thus challenges the objective authenticity of hospitality-based encounters or cultural experiences (Baum et al, 2007; Halvaksz, 2006).…”