Practices of Literary Tourism: an Australian Case Study
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This may be the author’s version of a work that was submitted/accepted for publication in the following source: Carson, Susan, Hawkes, Lesley, Gislason, Kari,& Martin, Samuel (2013) Practices of literary tourism: An Australian case study. International Journal of Culture, Tourism and Hospitality Research, 7(1), pp. 42-50. This file was downloaded from: https://eprints.qut.edu.au/76456/ c Copyright 2013 Emerald Group Publishing Limited This work is covered by copyright. Unless the document is being made available under a Creative Commons Licence, you must assume that re-use is limited to personal use and that permission from the copyright owner must be obtained for all other uses. If the docu- ment is available under a Creative Commons License (or other specified license) then refer to the Licence for details of permitted re-use. It is a condition of access that users recog- nise and abide by the legal requirements associated with these rights. If you believe that this work infringes copyright please provide details by email to [email protected] Notice: Please note that this document may not be the Version of Record (i.e. published version) of the work. Author manuscript versions (as Sub- mitted for peer review or as Accepted for publication after peer review) can be identified by an absence of publisher branding and/or typeset appear- ance. If there is any doubt, please refer to the published source. https://doi.org/10.1108/17506181311301345 This is the author’s version of a work that was submitted/accepted for pub- lication in the following source: Hawkes, Lesley, Carson, Susan J., Gislason, Kari,& Martin, Samuel James Louis (2013) Practices of Literary Tourism : an Australian Case Study. International Journal of Culture, Tourism and Hospitality Research, 7(1), pp. 42-50. This file was downloaded from: http://eprints.qut.edu.au/53989/ c Copyright 2013 Emerald Group Publishing Limited Notice: Changes introduced as a result of publishing processes such as copy-editing and formatting may not be reflected in this document. For a definitive version of this work, please refer to the published source: http://dx.doi.org/10.1108/17506181311301345 Practices of literary tourism: An Australian case study Submission: April 2010 Revision: September 2010 Susan Carson, Queensland University of Technology (Email: [email protected]) Contact: Creative Industries Faculty, QUT, z6-410, Musk Avenue, Kelvin Grove, QLD, Australia 4039, 011+61+07 31388115. Lesley Hawkes, Affiliation: Queensland University of Technology (Email: [email protected]) Contact: Creative Industries Faculty, QUT, Level 3, K Block, Kelvin Grove, QLD, Australia 4039, 011+61+07 31388227. Kari Gislason, Queensland University of Technology (Email: [email protected]) Contact: Creative Industries Faculty, QUT, Level 3, K Block, Kelvin Grove, QLD, Australia 4039, 011+61+07 31386466. Samuel Martin, Affiliation: Queensland University of Technology (Email: [email protected]) Contact: Creative Industries Faculty, QUT, Level 3, K Block, Kelvin Grove, QLD, Australia 4039, 011+61+07 31339662. 2 ABSTRACT Purpose: To present the results of tests for the development of literary trails for domestic visitors and tourists in Brisbane, Queensland, and to situate these findings in the context of recent state government policy changes in relation to culture, community engagement and the environment. Design: Broadly cultural studies: the article analyses changes in international and national cultural tourism and Queensland based issues before presenting the research findings. Findings: a gap in tourist and cultural development models exists for the implementation of a network of sustainable literary trails in Brisbane--this model can be extended to regions around the state to meet the demands of the new tourist. Limitations: Queensland weather and Australian distance which will require a regional approach that networks with transport and community hubs. Practical implications: the research has produced new software for the use of self-guided walks; the locations for two specific area trails; and the involvement of the State Library of Queensland as a “hub” for the trails. Substantial support exists for further development in advanced locative media and gaming. Social implications: the research demonstrates the importance of developing a sense of place that relates to culture, literary history and community for tourists, as well as the potential for community engagement. 3 Originality/value: Currently no paper-based or new media literary trail exists in Brisbane. The proliferation of online delivered, self-guided trails in other parts of the world reflects a demand for this type of cultural and environmental experience. Category: Case Study Keywords: Tourism; Walking; Literary Trails; Australia; Brisbane; Community. 4 1. Introduction In September 2009, Premier Anna Bligh launched a program to foster reading and writing across Queensland. Called “A State of Writing”, the program will “pool the talents of the Queensland Writers Centre; Book Links; Queensland Poetry Festival and the Children’s Book Council of Australia” to form a “writing hub” at the State Library of Queensland.” The program follows the State Government’s $400,000 investment in relocating the Queensland Writers Centre to the State Library of Queensland building at South Bank’s Cultural Centre which will be completed in 2010. “State of Writing” marks an interesting moment in the history of cultural politics at state level. Whereas reading and writing are unlikely to ever displace sun and sport as a priority for most Queenslanders, Bligh’s announcement signals recognition of two key changes to the cultural climate. First, the need to invest in diverse community and environmentally-conscious activities for locals. Second, that “tourists,” whether domestic or international, are looking for new ways of engaging with the city or state. One way of meeting these aims in a way that reflects the specific objectives of “State of Writing” is to develop walking trails that introduce residents and visitors to the state’s literary history and current literary culture. The timing for this kind of innovation could not be better. Literary trails can now be organised and delivered via phone and GPS applications that are easily accessible and that can be provided at low cost. Digital-based literary trails can be set up in ways that provide maps and, through the delivery of text and other media, encourage walkers to engage with the community and urban space around them. 5 The early testing of this technology also suggests that literary tourism of this kind is very well placed to meet broader goals set by all levels of government relating to environmentally sustainable development that encourages people to conceive of their local environments in new and sustainable ways. 2. Literary Tourism Traditionally, “literary tourism” is located within the broader framework of cultural tourism, itself placed within the area of cultural studies. Raymond Williams defines culture as “ordinary: that is the first fact. Every human society has its own shape, its own purposes, and its own meanings. Every society expresses these, in institutions, and in arts and learning” (Williams, 1958, p.4). Williams’ observation of culture as “ordinary” is important: it indicates that culture is not simply a term used to describe the educated or artistic, but rather one which encompasses the “lives and interests of ordinary people, both urban and rural dwellers, indigenous and immigrant communities, artists and artisans” (Smith, 2003, p.10). Literary tourism, then, can be considered as the process of experiencing these cultures in a way that focuses attention on places “celebrated for associations with books or authors” (Squire, 1994, p.104). 3. The “new tourist” Erve Chambers identifies the “new tourist” as a professional and comparatively well-educated traveler. S/he is likely to demand individualized experiences that reject mass in favour of self-education and is characterized by an aspiration to actively engage with a wider range of people and places. The new tourist is diverse. S/he may be in search of a health service, a study abroad experience, volunteer work, or the opportunity to explore inaccessible places. 6 Chambers (2009, p.353) paints a picture of a dramatically different global tourist market with more tourists from economically emerging nations; a growing number of retirees travelling; and a growing number of well-educated trendsetter elites who are interested in heritage preservation, as well as environmental sustainability, and cultural diversity. Importantly, these tourists are as likely to be domestic travelers as international visitors. Chambers comments: “[m]uch as fusion restaurants have begun to blend culturally distinct foods and tastes into unique servings, so might future tourism participate in the blending of cultural attributes into the serving of new realms of experience and insight” (ibid, p.354). These trends represent a shift to tourism that focuses on the diverse life of the city rather than an over-concentration on one type of experience. In this sense, the term “new tourist” can be thought of as a post-structuralist notion that is useful in describing the often awkward balance of local and visitor interests. In Munich, for example, many visitors are looking to read the city in terms of a Nazi past that local authorities have been active to ignore or hide (Wolfel, 2008, p.66, 72). In this context of clashing visitor and official interests, the visitor experience occurs on a number of levels: the visitor is motivated to look beyond the intended cultural performance of the city to its hidden layers. Thus, post-structural approaches have come to bring with them increasing acceptance of a subtle, less focussed tourist discourse—“far from tourism being simply a one-way process as suggested by the phrase “the tourist gaze,” something far more nuanced happens” (Knudsen et al., 2008, p.5). In some cases, for example, the experience becomes uncertain or difficult to define, consisting of a “multiplicity of insider and outsider meanings” (Knudsen et al., 2008, p.