Technological University Dublin ARROW@TU Dublin Doctoral Tourism and Food 2014-5 Real Ireland- an Investigation into US Tourists' Holiday Photographs Sean T. Ruane Technological University Dublin Follow this and additional works at: https://arrow.tudublin.ie/tourdoc Part of the Tourism Commons Recommended Citation Ruane, S. T. (2014). Real Ireland:an investigation into US tourists' holiday photographs. Doctoral thesis. Technological University Dublin. doi:10.21427/D7G89Q This Theses, Ph.D is brought to you for free and open access by the Tourism and Food at ARROW@TU Dublin. It has been accepted for inclusion in Doctoral by an authorized administrator of ARROW@TU Dublin. For more information, please contact [email protected], [email protected]. This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 4.0 License REAL IRELAND – AN INVESTIGATION INTO US TOURISTS’ HOLIDAY PHOTOGRAPHS SEÁN T. RUANE, MSc. SCHOOL OF HOSPITALITY MANAGEMENT AND TOURISM DUBLIN INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY Submitted for the degree of PhD Supervisors: Dr Bernadette Quinn and Dr Sheila Flanagan Advisory Supervisor: Dr Moya Kneafsey May 2014 ABSTRACT Drawing from literature straddling tourism, marketing, geography and anthropology, this thesis investigates how US tourists consume and thereby make sense of Ireland as a place through practicing photography as part of ‘being a tourist’. The constructivist approach to this research facilitated an exchange of ideas between the researcher and the participants. This exchange between the researcher and the participants, in which knowledge is not discovered, but rather created, informs the hermeneutically-situated methodologies sometimes used by constructivists. The thesis, therefore, employs a suite of participant-focused, hermeneutically-situated methodologies, including in-depth interviews and focus groups to produce a phenomenographical account of how the participants made sense of Ireland as a place. A three-phased approach was taken to collecting the primary data. The first phase used in-depth interviews and photo-elicitation techniques to explore a selection of induced images of Ireland with US tourists prior to visiting Ireland. This phase in the research took place in JFK airport in New York, and the key themes to emerge from the photo- elicitation work categorised photographs used to market Ireland as: “indicative of Ireland”, “stereotypically Irish”, or “it could be anywhere”. Phase two of the research made use of in-depth interviews to collect and discuss photographs taken by the participants from phase one while they were on holiday in Ireland. The key themes to emerge from this phase in the research reflect the participants’ pre-visitation imagined view of Ireland as: green; rural; beautiful; Irish people; symbols of Ireland; religion. Phase three of the research involved eight focus groups with US tourists on their last night in Ireland. During the focus groups each participant was asked to submit a selection of their photographs that, in their opinion, truly represented Ireland as they experienced it. The themes which emerged from this phase of the research reflect the intensity of emotion and enchantment experienced by them with Ireland as a place during their holiday. Their photographs offer a window into their world, and how they view Ireland as an enchanting place, where enchanting people live, and where it is still possible to experience an enchanting way of life. This thesis captures the essence of the participants’ sense-making of Ireland by discussing with them the photographs taken by them on holiday. This thesis reveals that by looking at organic images of destinations, but more importantly, by taking their own photographs while on holiday, tourists play an active role in their own seduction and enchantment with places. The thesis concludes that tourists pass through a cycle of enchantment and meaning, as they make sense of places by taking photographs. It is also clear that tourists legitimise their imagined view of places by seeking out and taking photographic evidence while on holiday, to prove that their imagined view of place really exists. DECLARATION I certify that this thesis, which I now submit for examination for the award of PhD, is entirely my own work, and has not been taken from the work of others, save and to the extent that such work has been cited and acknowledged within the text of my work. This thesis was prepared according to the regulations for postgraduate study by research of the Dublin Institute of Technology and has not been submitted in whole, or in part for another award in any Institute. The work reported on in this thesis conforms to the principles and requirements of DIT’s guidelines for ethics in research. DIT has permission to keep, lend or copy this thesis in whole or in part, on condition that any such use of the material of the thesis be duly acknowledged. Signature __________________________________ Date _______________ Candidate DEDICATION For my father, Victor Gabriel Ruane 1935-1984 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS There are a number of people who have been especially helpful and supportive in the completion of this thesis, and whom I would like to now thank. Dr Bernadette Quinn and Dr Sheila Flanagan, my two supervisors, you have been a constant source of encouragement, support and guidance and limitless patience! Thank you! Dr Catherine Spencer, your help during the initial stages of the research and support is much appreciated. Dr Moya Kneafsey, my advisory supervisor, thank you for all your help. My US participants, without whose time and commitment, this research might never have happened. Brendan Vacations and Collette Vacations for allowing me access to your US clients. Also Liz Moran from Brendan Vacations and John Fitzgerald from Collette Vacations who as tour directors were invaluable in facilitating the focus groups and identifying the locations of some of the more obscure photographs. The management and staff of the Shannon College of Hotel Management, in particular Sarah Geraghty, Kristin Horan and Ailish Larkin for tirelessly proofreading innumerable drafts. My sisters Trina, Therese and Maggie for putting up with a sometimes grumpy brother, while I chased my dream of getting a doctorate, it is finally over! My mother Kathleen Ruane for all the prayers! To my wonderful sons, Cian and Cathal Ruane, you truly are amazing and have grown into two fine young men during the endless long nights and weekends that your stressed-out Dad was studying. My dearest friend Fionnuala for the many lunches, coffees and texts and the endless motivation to keep going; the darkest hours are truly always just before the light. Thank you! To sum up, this thesis has been a journey of discovery, not only in pursuit of knowledge relating to the subject matter under review, but also about myself as a man, father and lecturer. My experiences of being a PhD student can best be encapsulated in the following quote: “…it doesn't matter how you get knocked down in life because that's going to happen. All that matters is you gotta get up” (Ben Affleck, 2013) TABLE OF CONTENTS TABLE OF CONTENTS .................................................................................... i LIST OF FIGURES ............................................................................................ x LIST OF TABLES .............................................................................................. xi LIST OF PLATES .............................................................................................. xii CHAPTER ONE: INTRODUCTION TO THE RESEARCH ........................ 1 1.0 Introduction ..................................................................................................... 1 1.1 Background to the Research............................................................................ 2 1.2 Conceptual Framework ................................................................................... 4 1.3 Research Context: Ireland’s Destination Image .............................................. 6 1.4 The Research Process ...................................................................................... 9 1.5 Research Aims and Objectives........................................................................ 10 1.6 Structure of the Thesis .................................................................................... 12 CHAPTER TWO: TOURISM PLACES AS BRANDS: CONSTRUCTING DESTINATION IMAGE .................................................................................... 14 2.0 Introduction ..................................................................................................... 14 2.1 Branding .......................................................................................................... 15 2.2 Destination Branding ...................................................................................... 16 2.2.1 Emotional Branding ............................................................................... 17 2.2.2 Branding Countries – Telling a Story .................................................... 19 2.3 Image and the Visual Domain ......................................................................... 21 2.4 Destination Image – Bringing Places to Life .................................................. 22 2.4.1 Using Photographs as Visual Cues in Destination Branding ................. 23 2.4.2 Defining Destination Image ................................................................... 25