WestminsterResearch http://www.westminster.ac.uk/research/westminsterresearch Tourist experiences of urban historic areas: Valletta as a case study John Ebejer Faculty of Architecture and the Built Environment This is an electronic version of a PhD thesis awarded by the University of Westminster. © The Author, 2015. This is an exact reproduction of the paper copy held by the University of Westminster library. The WestminsterResearch online digital archive at the University of Westminster aims to make the research output of the University available to a wider audience. Copyright and Moral Rights remain with the authors and/or copyright owners. Users are permitted to download and/or print one copy for non-commercial private study or research. Further distribution and any use of material from within this archive for profit-making enterprises or for commercial gain is strictly forbidden. Whilst further distribution of specific materials from within this archive is forbidden, you may freely distribute the URL of WestminsterResearch: (http://westminsterresearch.wmin.ac.uk/). In case of abuse or copyright appearing without permission e-mail [email protected] TOURIST EXPERIENCES OF URBAN HISTORIC AREAS VALLETTA AS A CASE STUDY J.EBEJER PhD 2015 TOURIST EXPERIENCES OF URBAN HISTORIC AREAS Page | ii TOURIST EXPERIENCES OF URBAN HISTORIC AREAS VALLETTA AS A CASE STUDY JOHN EBEJER A thesis submitted in partial fulfilment of the requirements of the University of Westminster for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy. January 2015 TOURIST EXPERIENCES OF URBAN HISTORIC AREAS Page | ii CONTENTS Chapter page INTRODUCTION 1 1 1.1 How this research came about 1.2 Interest in tourism use of urban spaces 1.3 Objectives of the research and choice of case study 1.4 Chapters Overview VALLETTA 8 2 2.1 Introduction and background 2.2 Valletta history and development 2.3 Malta’s tourism development policy – a brief history 2.4 Tourism and culture in Valletta 2.5 Valletta’s narrative 2.6 Valletta: urban design considerations 2.6.1 Characteristic features 2.6.2 Urban morphology study 2.6.3 Further comment on urban design aspects of Valletta 2.7 Public sector investments in Valletta 2.8 Underlying forces and recurrent issues 2.8.1 Parking and access 2.8.2 Liveability 2.8.3 Commercial activity 2.8.4 Management of urban spaces 2.9 Conclusion 3 THE EXPERIENCE OF URBAN SPACE AND THE TOURIST 36 EXPERIENCE 3.1 Making convivial places 3.2 The Experience of Place 3.2.1 Place and sense of place 3.2.2 Experience of place 3.2.3 ‘Character’ and ‘atmosphere’ of of towns and urban spaces 3.3 The tourist experience 3.3.1 Defining the tourist experience 3.2.2 Tourists as performers 3.3.3 Tourist motivations 3.3.4 Typologies of tourist practice 3.4 The experience of historic urban spaces 3.5 Conclusion TOURIST EXPERIENCES OF URBAN HISTORIC AREAS Page | i 4 SENSE OF PLACE: FORM, ACTIVITY, MEANING 4.1 Sense of Place 54 4.1.1 Form-Activity-Meaning model (F-A-M) 4.1.2 Variants to the F-A-M model 4.2 Physical Setting – Form 4.3 Activity and the people element of the experience 4.4 Conclusion 5 THE RELEVANCE OF MEANING FOR THE TOURIST 68 EXPERIENCE 5.1 The subjectivity of meaning 5.1.1 How places acquire meaning 5.1.2 The role of person background in meaning of place 5.2 Tourist experience and the search for meaning 5.2.1 The search for meaning 5.2.2 Self-identity and the tourist experience 5.3 Authenticity in the tourist experience 5.3.1 Understanding authenticity 5.3.2 Seeking the difference 5.4 Linkages between heritage values and sense of place 5.5 Spirituality and sense of place 5.6 Narratives in the creation of place 5.7 Conclusion 6 PHOTOGRAPHY AND THE USE OF VISUAL METHODS FOR 86 TOURISM RESEARCH 6.1 The changing nature of photography 6.2 The role of photography in the tourism experience 6.3 The use of visual methods for tourism research 6.3.1 Different approaches of visual methods 6.3.2 Using photos in research interviewing 6.3.3 The advantages of participant-driven photo-elicitation (PDPE) 6.3.4 Some examples of the use of photos in research interviewing 6.3.5 Investigating landscape through PDPE TOURIST EXPERIENCES OF URBAN HISTORIC AREAS Page | ii 7 METHODOLOGY 102 7.1 Qualitative Research 7.2 Phenomenology 7.3 Other similar research approaches 7.4 Researching the Tourist Experience 7.5 Qualitative Interviewing 7.6 Coding of research data 8 METHODS 116 8.1 Introduction 8.2 Pilot Survey 8.3 Data collection procedures 8.3.1 Recruitment of participants 8.3.2 Factors impinging on success rate in recruitment 8.3.3 Interviewing 8.3.4 Observations on interviews 8.4 Transcription 8.5 Coding and analysis 9 REFLECTIONS ON RESEARCH METHOD 138 9.1 Is there a ‘typical Valletta tourist’? 9.2 Reconciling depth of knowledge with generalizability 9.3 Use of photos for research method 9.4 Single vs. two stage approach to recruitment of participants 9.5 Positivity of interview replies 9.6 Considerations on reflexivity 9.7 Conclusion 10 LOCATIONS AND ACTIVITIES 147 10.1 Introduction to Chapters 10 to 15 10.2 Locations in Valletta 10.3 Activities engaged in by interviewees 10.3.1 Walking Around 10.3.2 Taking Photos 10.3.3 Sitting at a cafe or restaurant 10.3.4 Sitting in a garden or public space: 10.3.5 Enjoying the views 10.3.6 Going to paid attractions or museums 10.3.7 Learning new things 10.3.8 Shopping 10.3.9 Special events and unexpected encounters TOURIST EXPERIENCES OF URBAN HISTORIC AREAS Page | iii 11 TOURIST INTERACTIONS WITH SELF AND WITH MEANING 159 11.1 Introduction 11.2 The role of the tourist’s background in the tourist experience 11.3 The role of Valletta’s past in the tourist experience 11.3.1 Being in a historic context 11.3.2 Going back in time and visualising the past 11.3.3 Narratives of the past 11.3.4 The past reflected in local people’s lives 11.3.5 Search for the genuine and the authentic 11.4 Interaction with self 11.4.1 Being at peace with oneself 11.4.2 Humour 11.4.3 (a) Intellectual engagement 11.4.3 (b) Symbolic meaning 11.4.4 Memories and memorials 11.4.5 Spirituality and numinous experience 11.4.6 Emotional attachment 11.5 Conclusion 12 TOURIST INTERACTIONS WITH PEOPLE 177 12.1 Introduction 12.2 People in urban spaces 12.3 Local people, local lives 12.4 Friendliness of local people 12.5 Conclusion 13 TOURIST INTERACTIONS WITH SURROUNDINGS 185 13.1 Introduction 13.2 Walking around and exploring Valletta 13.3 A sensory experience of the environment 13.4 Physical features in Valletta’s urban environment 13.4.1 Buildings and details 13.4.2 Stepped streets 13.4.3 The sea and Valletta’s adjoining harbours 13.4.4 Gardens and greenery 13.5 Intangible qualities: Beauty and character 13.6 The role of movement in the tourist experience 13.7 Negative aspects of Valletta’s urban environment 13.8 The dogs that did not bark 13.9 Conclusion TOURIST EXPERIENCES OF URBAN HISTORIC AREAS Page | iv 14 INTERACTIONS WITH SELF, OTHERS AND SURROUNDINGS 203 14.1 Introduction 14.2 Valletta’s character 14.3 Uniqueness of Valletta and its spaces 14.4 Pjazza San Gorg 14.5 Upper Barrakka Garden 14.6 Conclusion 15 TOURIST USE OF INFORMATION 215 15.1 Information at the tourism destination 15.2 Information for Valletta tourists 15.3 Observations on tourism information 16 DISCUSSION OF FINDINGS 221 16.1 Tourist interactions with surroundings 16.1.1 The mundane vs. the monumental 16.1.2 Interactive walking 16.1.3 Beauty and visual interest 16.1.4 The surprise element in the tourist experience 16.1.5 The role of weather in the tourist experience 16.2 The role of self in the tourist experience 16.3 Comparisons of tourists 16.3.1 Comparison between first-time and repeat tourists 16.3.2 Comparison between tourist and non-tourist 16.4 Layers of experience 16.5 Evidence of layers of experience based on tourist motivation 16.6 Uniqueness of experience – commonalities between experiences 16.7 The tourist interactions model 16.7.1 The Context 16.7.2 Interactions with self and with meaning 16.7.3 Interactions with surroundings 16.7.4 Interaction with other people 16.7.5 Linkages between different elements of the model 16.7.6 Information for tourists 16.8 Discussion of tourist interactions model 16.8.1 Interpreting the model 16.8.2 Comparison of models 16.8.3 Applicability of model to non-tourists 16.8.4 Applicability of model to non-historic areas 16.8.5 Potential practical use of model 16.9 Conclusion TOURIST EXPERIENCES OF URBAN HISTORIC AREAS Page | v 17 CONCLUSION 255 17.1 A brief overview 17.2 Is Valletta a ‘typical’ historic area? 17.3 Research questions revisited 17.4 Suggestions for further research 17.5 Policy implications BIBLIOGRAPHY AND REFERENCES 268 APPENDICES A Selected quotations from interviews 280 B Information on interviews and on coding of transcripts 300 C Analysis of interviews: Themes, nodes and sub-nodes 302 D NVivo10 sample outputs 314 E Photos 318 LIST OF TABLES Table 1 Tourism arrivals to Malta by segment 15 Table 2 Summary analysis of Valletta at various scales of resolution 27 Table 3 Analysis of tourism needs in heritage areas 234 LIST OF FIGURES Figure 1 Urban design model to explain sense of place 55 Figure 2 Schematic representation of coding and analysis process 132 Figure 3 Map of Valletta 152 Figure 4 Tourist interactions model 246 TOURIST EXPERIENCES OF URBAN HISTORIC AREAS Page | vi ABSTRACT The purpose of this research is to take a closer look at the tourism experience, with special reference to the experience of historic areas.