Books as Souvenirs THE TOURISM AND HERITAGE BOOK MARKET
Rachel Noorda, University of Stirling The Tourism Industry “Tourism is now set to become the world’s largest industry” (Harrison, 2002) In 2012, approximately 6.49 million tourists visited Scotland (Visit Scotland, 2012) Scottish tourism sector worth £4.3bn (The Scottish Government, 2012) Importance of souvenirs
The Twenty-First Century Tourist Place reviews ◦ TripAdvisor Online interactive maps ◦ Google Earth ◦ GPS apps ◦ Place specific apps
Place Marketing “An expression of cultural features that are already part of that place’s identity” (Kavaratzis and Hatch, 2013) “Dialogue between culture, expression and the brand itself ” (Hatch and Schultz, 2002) Scotland as Brand “tourism branding has tended to be intertwined with national identity” (Hall, 2002) “powerful destination brands evoke rich emotions and associations and have a strong pulling factor” (Morgan, 2002)
Digital or Print? “The overall travel book market has declined by 41% to £73m over the past five years” (The Bookseller, May 2013) Publishers “face fierce competition from free content via TripAdvisor or Google” (The Bookseller, May 2013)
Historic Scotland “Historic Scotland is an Agency within the Scottish Government and is directly responsible to Scottish Ministers for safeguarding the nation's historic environment, and promoting its understanding and enjoyment” (Historic Scotland website). More than 300 historic sites
Visitors to Scottish Heritage Sites (2013)
National Museum Edinburgh Castle Stirling Castle
Urquhart Castle Glasgow Cathedral Wallace Monument Linlithgow Palace Battle of Bannockburn Visitor Centre Doune Castle Stirling Old Town Jail
0 20 40 60 80 100 120 140 160 180 200 Number of visitors (by 10,000)
Historic Scotland, “Historic Scotland Visitor Numbers and Annual Income”, 2013 Number of Titles at Scottish Heritage Sites
National Museum Urquhart Castle Stirling Old Town Jail Stirling Castle Edinburgh Castle Glasgow Cathedral Linlithgow Palace Wallace Monument Doune Castle Battle of Bannockburn Visitor Centre
0 100 200 300 400 500 600 700 Number of Titles Bestsellers Ancestry Tourists
Edinburgh Castle Urquhart Castle Stirling Old Town Jail Ancestry Tourists
50 million people in the world have Scottish ancestry Approximately 213,000 ancestry tourists visit Scotland per year
Visit Scotland, “Summary of Ancestral Research”, 2012 Location Specific
Urquhart Castle Bannockburn Linlithgow Palace Location Specific
Doune Castle Placement By Product By Theme
Edinburgh Castle Urquhart Castle Promotion Doune Castle ◦ “Book of the Month”: A Trail of Fire: Four Outlander Tales by Diana Gabaldon Stirling Castle ◦ Rebirth of a Palace and Mary Was Here by Historic Scotland ◦ Crime books by Craig Robertson, local author
Conclusion
“Local books, however odd, are a pleasing keepsake, and one which makes you feel less of a transitory grackle” (Latham, 2011).