The Impact of Host Community on Destination (re)branding: A Case Study of Hiroshima

Abstract

This paper investigates local groups’ opinions on interpreting a dark heritage site for the promotion of tourism and analyzes their roles in tourism activities, through a case study of Hiroshima, Japan. As the first city suffered nuclear bombing, Hiroshima is a primary tourism destination in Japan but faced the challenge of revitalization. Fieldwork investigation methods, including semi‐structured interviews, were applied. The results suggest that local people hold favorable attitudes toward tourism development. They conduct an alternative approach to rejuvenating Hiroshima by identifying the essence of the place – a cheerful and peaceful city – and incorporating it into tourism events. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Brand Equity of a Tourist Destination

“…The choice of tourism destination is determined by the brand value of each potential tourism destination, and this is a result of the consideration of the merits and attractions of the various options. The same mechanism governing consumers' general purchase decision making is applied to destination choices [6,24,[37][38][39]. Perceived quality is defined as the elements that make people visit a particular tourism destination, and is the subjective judgment of overall quality [40,41].…”

Does tourism illuminate the darkness of Hiroshima and Nagasaki?

“…The aging of survival victims (hibakusha), who are on average 79 years old, has challenged museum management to maintain an interpretation form where the hibakusha tell their tragic experiences to both visitors and students (Wu et al, 2014). Listening to the atomic bombing stories of hibakusha was an important part of the itinerary for tourists to Hiroshima (Yoneyama, 1999) and Nagasaki.…”

“…Although a number of studies have explored tourism in Hiroshima and Nagasaki (Braithwaite & Lee, 2006;Brown, 1996;Cooper, 2006;Lifton, 1967;Siegenthaler, 2002;Wight, 2006;Wilson, 2008), no study has adequately explicated the dualism of education and tourism and the interrelationship between these two purposes, which both serve for memory-making. Another shortcoming of previous studies of Hiroshima and Nagasaki relates to the discussion of tourism development in the two cities, which has often been set apart from historical and political contexts shaping their modern identities (Cooper, 2006(Cooper, , 2007Siegenthaler, 2002;Wu, Funck, & Hayashi, 2014). This paper therefore examines not only narratives presented in tourist brochures and booklets but also governmental policies, with reference to the historical context dating back to the pre-war period and the dropping of the atomic bomb in 1945.…”

Effects of Tourism on Handicrafts Industry Development During the Process of Recovering from the Earthquake in Beichuan, China

“…Over the last decade, many researchers have studies the management and interpretation of dark sites related to war, death camp, prison or slave (e.g. Strange et al, 2003;White, 2009;Biran et al, 2011, Wu et. al., 2014.…”

“…The study also explores the effects of culture elements on (re)branding or (re)building destination a lighter image. It is an important issue for host community, as the local people always view dark tourism as an unwanted disruption of their living space (Seaton, 2009) and eager to build a new image (Wu et. al., 2014).…”