Tourists as Story-Builders: Narrative Construction at a Heritage Museum

Authenticity, authentication and experiential authenticity: telling stories in museums

“…Edith's prayer book is a case in point: it suggests a certain religiosity, which in turn reminds visitors that religion was a key justification for discrimination against Jews in general and the plight of the onderduikers in particular. However, as Broek (2015) The power of curators to give stronger voice, or presence, to some objects over others is a reminder of the inevitable selectivity of storytelling and of their hand in it (Chabra, 2008;Chronis, 2012). Equally, a paucity of relevant objects can also force curators' hands and require them to choose between using facsimiles, tolerating inaccuracies, or displaying nothing at all (Mason & Sayner 2018).…”

“…When it comes to museums, understanding how the present imposes itself on the past, constructing it in ways that resonate with contemporary ideas and perspectives (e.g. Chronis, 2012;De Lyser, 1999;Lowenthal, 1985;MacCannell, 1979), is as important as understanding how stories of the past are used to inform opinions in the present; sometimes in ways which affect the future (cf. Chronis, 2006).…”

Visitors’ Experience, Place Attachment and Sustainable Behaviour at Cultural Heritage Sites: A Conceptual Framework

“…Chronis [80,81] and Rickly-Boyd [82] provide insights into the co-construction dynamics of cultural narratives at heritage sites as consumption experiences emerging through the interaction between marketers and tourists. The experiential outcome of the narrative construction process is a connection with the heritage site story that provides a deeper understanding and becomes personally relevant and meaningful [83].…”

The 2016 St. Gallen Consensus on Advances in Destination Management

“…To comprehend the link between experiences and stories retold, it is important to understand how experience-based stories morph and transform from the first impetus, to being memorized and later selectively retold in peer-to-peer settings. This may yield new insight as to how and to what extent these stories can be seeded, nourished and controlled (Chronis, 2012), given that travelers are co-producers of experiential narratives (Uriely, 2005). In addition, conditions might be different for stories with a negative connotation, but positive implications (e.g., an anecdote about a negative incident redeemed by standout service recovery with a "happy end") compared to those of exclusively positive valence (e.g., Vittersø, Vorkinn, Vistad, & Vaagland, 2000).…”