Description
The purpose of this paper is to introduce measures of the motivation of tourists who travel to
their ancestral homes. A set of learning exercises is presented for students and managers to apply
understanding of these motives to tourism strategies
International Journal of Culture, Tourism and Hospitality Research
Guiding tourists to their ancestral homes
Nina M. Ray Gary McCain
Article information:
To cite this document:
Nina M. Ray Gary McCain, (2009),"Guiding tourists to their ancestral homes", International J ournal of Culture, Tourism and Hospitality
Research, Vol. 3 Iss 4 pp. 296 - 305
Permanent link to this document:http://dx.doi.org/10.1108/17506180910994514
Downloaded on: 24 January 2016, At: 22:08 (PT)
References: this document contains references to 31 other documents.
To copy this document: [email protected]
The fulltext of this document has been downloaded 1028 times since 2009*
Users who downloaded this article also downloaded:
Songshan (Sam) Huang, Cathy H.C. Hsu, (2009),"Travel motivation: linking theory to practice", International J ournal of Culture, Tourism
and Hospitality Research, Vol. 3 Iss 4 pp. 287-295http://dx.doi.org/10.1108/17506180910994505
Natan Uriely, (2009),"Deconstructing tourist typologies: the case of backpacking", International J ournal of Culture, Tourism and Hospitality
Research, Vol. 3 Iss 4 pp. 306-312http://dx.doi.org/10.1108/17506180910994523
Antónia Correia, Metin Kozak, J oão Ferradeira, (2013),"From tourist motivations to tourist satisfaction", International J ournal of Culture,
Tourism and Hospitality Research, Vol. 7 Iss 4 pp. 411-424http://dx.doi.org/10.1108/IJ CTHR-05-2012-0022
Access to this document was granted through an Emerald subscription provided by emerald-srm:115632 []
For Authors
If you would like to write for this, or any other Emerald publication, then please use our Emerald for Authors service
information about how to choose which publication to write for and submission guidelines are available for all. Please visit
www.emeraldinsight.com/authors for more information.
About Emerald www.emeraldinsight.com
Emerald is a global publisher linking research and practice to the benefit of society. The company manages a portfolio of more than
290 journals and over 2,350 books and book series volumes, as well as providing an extensive range of online products and additional
customer resources and services.
Emerald is both COUNTER 4 and TRANSFER compliant. The organization is a partner of the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE)
and also works with Portico and the LOCKSS initiative for digital archive preservation.
*Related content and download information correct at time of download.
D
o
w
n
l
o
a
d
e
d
b
y
P
O
N
D
I
C
H
E
R
R
Y
U
N
I
V
E
R
S
I
T
Y
A
t
2
2
:
0
8
2
4
J
a
n
u
a
r
y
2
0
1
6
(
P
T
)
Guiding tourists to their ancestral homes
Nina M. Ray and Gary McCain
Abstract
Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to introduce measures of the motivation of tourists who travel to
their ancestral homes. A set of learning exercises is presented for students and managers to apply
understanding of these motives to tourism strategies.
Design/methodology/approach – The paper provides a brief reviewof the literature of heritage tourism
and the special segment concerning travel with genealogical objectives. Survey data on motives to seek
out ancestors are provided with learning exercises to link motives to tourism planning.
Findings – Data on the importance of multiple motives are presented with analytical measures of their
overall importance levels and of differences between US and UK samples.
Research limitations/implications – The motivational variables and data collection are primarily
exploratory, focusing on samples that are interested in genealogy and heritage tourism. Further research
could certainly be expanded to cover broader populations of tourists and genealogists.
Practical implications – By combining primary research with trade association research included in
the paper students and tourism managers have the opportunity to apply research ?ndings to tourism
and hospitality decision making to attract and satisfy tourists who have genealogical goals in their travel
agendas.
Originality/value – Data based on the important and growing domain of motivational research in
ancestral/genealogical-related tourism have not been presented for analysis and application until now.
Strength of motives and differences between nationalities of tourists present a unique analytical
opportunity in learning exercises.
Keywords Tourism, Heritage, Genealogy, International travel, Scotland
Paper type Case study
‘‘What’s your story?’’ is an advertising campaign by CITICARD that aired 2007/2008 in the
USA (Father and Son, 2007):
So I asked my dad where he wanted to go for his 60th birthday.
‘‘Norway,’’ he said, ‘‘the land of our ancestors.’’
We drank a pint at Ibsen’s favorite pub. We sampled the local fare.
We saw fjords; we got new sweaters.
We bonded. ‘‘It was the trip of a lifetime,’’ Dad said.
And so, we went to the Hall of Records to trace our family tree and discovered that we were
actually Swedish!
‘‘Two tickets to Stockholm, please. Let’s go.’’
From visiting old words to making new discoveries, whatever your story is, CITICARD can help
you write it.
CITI CARD; let’s get it done.
Even though this report does not include data from Norwegian-Americans, note the reaction
from interviews at Sons of Norway Lodge gatherings, in exposing respondents to the
CITICARD ad. Many comment on the lack of authenticity of scenes in the ad (such as
PAGE 296
j
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF CULTURE, TOURISM AND HOSPITALITY RESEARCH
j
VOL. 3 NO. 4 2009, pp. 296-305, Q Emerald Group Publishing Limited, ISSN 1750-6182 DOI 10.1108/17506180910994514
Nina M. Ray is Professor of
Marketing and International
Business and Gary McCain
is Professor of Marketing,
both based at the College
of Business and
Economics, Boise State
University, Boise, Idaho,
USA.
D
o
w
n
l
o
a
d
e
d
b
y
P
O
N
D
I
C
H
E
R
R
Y
U
N
I
V
E
R
S
I
T
Y
A
t
2
2
:
0
8
2
4
J
a
n
u
a
r
y
2
0
1
6
(
P
T
)
yodeling, the ‘‘Hall of Records,’’ buying ferry tickets to Stockholm.). Authenticity plays a role
in perceptions of ancestral tourism sites. However, many were content that Norwegian
scenes were shown and that they had recognized (and often, personally visited) those
scenes. A few representatives of Swedish organizations were a bit irritated because they
thought the characters in the ad looked disappointed to ?nd out that they were Swedish,
instead of Norwegian. Many with no Norwegian or Swedish background still remember the
commercial and speci?cally remember the fact that the father and son thought they were
Norwegian, but turned out to be Swedish, emphasizing the complexity of tracing one’s roots.
While the purpose of this ad clearly was not to encourage tourism to Norway or Sweden, the
message highlights the emerging reality that many North Americans engage in ‘‘ancestral’’
(or ‘‘legacy,’’ ‘‘roots,’’ or ‘‘family heritage’’) travel. They cheerfully and enthusiastically spend
money to travel to distant lands, sometimes with minimal information, to seek out and verify
what they know or want to know about their heritage.
Garrod and Fyall (2000) report that heritage tourismis a major growth area and ?nd that typical
heritage tourists are older, with an interest in nostalgia. They are often wealthy. Interest and
research on heritage/culture tourismhas generated numerous equally interesting de?nitions of
such tourism (Balcar and Pearce, 1996). Garrod and Fyall (p. 683) quoted Yale (1991, p. 21),
‘‘tourismcentred on what we have inherited, which can mean anything from historic buildings,
to art works, to beautiful scenery’’. For the purpose of this research the de?nition for
heritage/culture tourism is ‘‘visits by persons from outside the host community motivated
wholly or in part by interest in the historical, artistic, scienti?c or lifestyle/heritage offerings of a
community, region, group or institution’’, (Silberberg, 1995, p. 361).
Palmer (2005, p. 7) explores ‘‘Englishness’’ as ‘‘identity through tourism’’ and ?nds that
many visitors to important national sites are interested in ‘‘our way of life’’ and ‘‘our ancestral
line’’ (p. 22). Sometimes the two are blurred as Churchill seems to be perceived as ‘‘our
honorary relative.’’ This felt history ‘‘is illustrated by the intermingling of phrases and images
of home, family, kinship, ancestors and common blood, with expressions of emotion and
feeling. It is this intermingling that enables the internal, intimate function of national identity to
promote a sense of belonging, a sense of place’’ (p. 22). A sense of Englishness (or
Scottishness, or Irishness), whether by citizenry or ancestry, can connect one’s personal
identity to a sense of place.
Nicholls et al. (2004) identify speci?c types of heritage tourism including ‘‘legacy’’ tourism –
-travel related to genealogical endeavors (McCain and Ray, 2003):
What is remarkable about heritage, however, is its power of working in the present in a way that
has recourse to the past, in a way that interprets the past into something that we learn to
understand as ‘‘history.’’ (Caˆ mpeanu, 2003, p. 357).
Many tourists learn ‘‘to understand as history’’ through their own family history.
Nicholls et al. (2004) cites the Travel Industry Association of America (2003) estimate that
around 81 percent of US adults taking a trip in 2002 are classi?able as heritage or cultural
tourists. This tourist classi?cation represents a 13 percent increase since 1996. The Wall
Street Journal also reports, that a ‘‘widespread interest in genealogy is sweeping America’’
(Dickerson, 2006, p. W15). Therefore, determining ancestral tourists’ motivations takes on
even more importance because this speci?c sub-segment of heritage tourists is growing.
Look to Salt Lake City’s Family History Library to discover the importance of genealogical
tourists to a community. Many of the Library’s daily 1,900 visitors (only a minority are
Mormons) come fromother countries (Eastman’s Online Genealogy Newsletter, 2006). Many
people also viewweb sites (e.g. www.visitsaltlake.com/what_to_do) that prominently display
genealogy information.
Genealogy is a ‘‘signi?cant part of Northern Ireland’s tourism industry’’ (Evans, 1998, p14),
and contributes to part of approximately 200 million pounds revenue per annumfrom foreign
visitors (Collins and Beggs, 2000). In the North of Ireland, the Department of Culture, Arts
and Leisure sponsors a ‘‘comprehensive examination of genealogy-related services’’
recognizing the ‘‘role of family history in promoting tourism’’ (Mackenzie et al., 2004). Yet, as
VOL. 3 NO. 4 2009
j
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF CULTURE, TOURISM AND HOSPITALITY RESEARCH
j
PAGE 297
D
o
w
n
l
o
a
d
e
d
b
y
P
O
N
D
I
C
H
E
R
R
Y
U
N
I
V
E
R
S
I
T
Y
A
t
2
2
:
0
8
2
4
J
a
n
u
a
r
y
2
0
1
6
(
P
T
)
Garrod and Fyall (2000) report, many heritage managers do not really consider themselves
to ‘‘be in the tourism business’’ (p. 684). Regarding genealogy tourism, many heritage
managers notice the negative economic impact when ancestral-seeking tourist numbers
decline. According to Heinlen (2007), increases in online genealogy searches have ‘‘been
an economic boost for online companies that specialize in genealogy’’, however, ‘‘it has had
the unintended consequence on Ireland of decreasing the incoming revenue of the
genealogy tourism industry.’’ Therefore, tourism managers need to thoroughly understand
the motives of tourists who travel to their ancestral homes. While ancestral research may be a
key motivator for these tourists, Garrod and Fyall (2000) found that heritage tourists also
want a general leisure experience. Tourism managers need to be careful to incorporate
ancestral tourism activities into broader entertaining leisure experiences.
According to the sponsors of the 2008 Who Do You Think You Are? National History Show in
London in May, ‘‘As the largest event of its kind, the entire event will attract up to 20,000
visitors from across the UK. This innovative, national event is set to become the premium
event for anyone with an interest in the history market: an unbeatable opportunity to meet
new customers and develop your business.’’ Exhibitors will ‘‘have the chance to meet an
articulate, and highly educated . . . consumer – each with money to spend on a subject that
is important to them’’ (Exhibition, 2008). Therefore, not only is there a large population of
history-seeking visitors, but these consumers have demographics favorable to marketers.
Ancestral tourism data
While tracing her own family tree, the lead author began to wonder whether or not other
tourists’ interests include traveling (and spending money) to seek information about their
ancestry. She investigated genealogy tourism records in countries of personal interest. While
learning more about her family’s ancestry, the number of countries expanded due to personal
and increasingly professional interest. Directors of heritage institutions in Northern Ireland (the
location of her own ancestral interest) encouraged further digging. To her surprise, a
signi?cant amount of some nations’ tourism revenues derives from ancestral tourism.
The preceding served as a catalyst to initiate a long-term research project investigating
North Americans’ motivations to rediscover their ancestral roots. At the beginning of the
research, surveys were administered at heritage group meetings. To identify other heritage
groups, snowball sampling was employed. Eventually, the data collection process extended
to European events. For example, one family history society in Scotland recommended a
larger group in a nearby city.
Survey respondents for the legacy tourism project were recruited from meetings and
activities of cultural and historical societies. Each potential respondent was asked to
complete a one-page (two-sided) survey either at the gathering or at one’s convenience to
be mailed back later. Gathering data in situ allows the researcher to engage in conversations
and often to conduct fairly long interviews with respondents. As Martin (2007) describes, the
long interview is valuable in examining in?uences and consequences of leisure decisions.
Sometimes, consequences are potentially risky and less than desirable when ‘‘skeletons in
the closet’’ are found. By conversing in person, the researcher can learn about the range of
outcomes, both good and bad.
Questions about motivations to rediscover family history derived from Basu (2004) and
feedback from early interviews. Questions concerning typical travel behavior originate from
Eagles’ (1992) investigations with Canadian heritage (ecotourism) travelers. Response rates
are often 50 percent of people attending heritage-related gatherings. The total sample in this
study came from twenty US events and nine Scottish events and other events in Northern
Ireland, Nova Scotia and Wales (n ¼ 684).
The set of motivations often were reinforced by comments made to researchers. For example,
one tour guide in Scotland is amazed that the ?rst words out of North Americans’ mouths
arriving in Scotland are often, ‘‘I feel like I’ve come home.’’ Nine of 17 motivations to learn about
family heritage differed signi?cantly between UK citizens (primarily of Scottish descent) and
US citizens (around 30 percent of Scottish descent). Results are shown in Table I.
PAGE 298
j
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF CULTURE, TOURISM AND HOSPITALITY RESEARCH
j
VOL. 3 NO. 4 2009
D
o
w
n
l
o
a
d
e
d
b
y
P
O
N
D
I
C
H
E
R
R
Y
U
N
I
V
E
R
S
I
T
Y
A
t
2
2
:
0
8
2
4
J
a
n
u
a
r
y
2
0
1
6
(
P
T
)
Table II shows the average age of the two groups and response to general travel behavior.
In a separate regression run (not shown here), the independent variables of age, percent of
foreign travel, and percent of leisure travel are regressed on the dependent variable of the
importance of visiting ‘‘place where family is from.’’ The model is not signi?cant, showing that
demographics do not affect the importance of visiting ancestral sites. In a correlation
analysis, only age is related signi?cantly to the travel reason of creating long-standing
relationships and friendships ( p , 0.01). This relationship is inverse – older respondents
are less concerned than younger respondents. On the other hand, age is positively and
Table I Comparisons of UK and US citizens: signi?cant differences for motivations for family history interest: UK and US
citizens, Chi square: n ¼ 684
Motivation US checked US not checked UK checked UK not checked Sig. diff. P Percent checked
Personal identity 241 298 69 76 ns 45.3
Connection with place 209 330 72 73 , 0.05 41.1
Obligation to ancestors 200 339 27 118 , 0.05 33.2
Intellectual challenge 132 407 59 86 , 0.05 27.9
Discovering continuities 142 397 41 104 ns 26.8
Completing the circle 111 428 19 126 , 0.05 19
Finding oneself 69 470 24 121 ns 13.6
Quest 48 491 33 112 , 0.05 11.8
Recovery of social identity 54 485 15 130 ns 10.1
Sacred 65 474 2 143 , 0.05 9.8
Closing the gap 42 497 21 124 , 0.05 9.2
Community 58 481 2 143 , 0.05 8.8
True home 48 491 8 137 ns 8.2
Magical feeling 44 494 12 133 ns 8.2
Inward journey 40 499 5 140 ns 6.6
Homecoming 43 496 1 144 , 0.05 6.4
Pilgrimage 31 508 4 141 ns 5.1
Notes: Italics indicates the sample with the larger proportion checked. Future versions will include Medical/DNA as a motivator due to
responses to ‘‘Other’’ on research instruments
Table II Demographic comparison of means between UK and US samples US: n ¼ 539, UK: n ¼ 145, may be less for
nonresponse
Country of citizenship Mean* Signi?cance t-value
Age and background of respondents
Age United States of America 56.70 ,0.01-9.90
United Kingdom 65.94
Percent foreign travel United States of America 13.66 ,0.01-4.44
United Kingdom 25.57
Percent non-business travel United States of America 77.85 0.02-2.35
United Kingdom 84.96
Importance of reasons for typical leisure travel
People of similar interests United States of America 2.31 0.18-1.35
United Kingdom 2.43
Together as a family United States of America 1.49 ,0.01-4.88
United Kingdom 1.97
Where I feel safe United States of America 2.12 ,0.01-4.49
United Kingdom 2.63
Where my family is from United States of America 1.80 0.34-0.95
United Kingdom 1.90
Visiting friends and relatives United States of America 1.56 0.03-2.20
United Kingdom 1.74
Creating friends/relationships United States of America 2.09 ,0.01-5.38
United Kingdom 2.68
Notes: * other than for age and percent of travel (?rst three items in table), lower numbers represent higher levels of importance when
traveling (Likert-type scale of 1 ¼ very important to 5 ¼ not at all important)
VOL. 3 NO. 4 2009
j
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF CULTURE, TOURISM AND HOSPITALITY RESEARCH
j
PAGE 299
D
o
w
n
l
o
a
d
e
d
b
y
P
O
N
D
I
C
H
E
R
R
Y
U
N
I
V
E
R
S
I
T
Y
A
t
2
2
:
0
8
2
4
J
a
n
u
a
r
y
2
0
1
6
(
P
T
)
signi?cantly related to the total percent of leisure travel (versus business). Perhaps less
obvious is age’s positive relationship with foreign travel (versus domestic travel) (p , 0:05).
‘‘Highland’’ heritage
Scotland’s heritage plays an important role in ancestral tourism research. In Highland
Heritage, Celeste Ray (2001) describes how Scottish descendents living in the US identify
and follow the ‘‘traditions’’ of Scottish immigrant ancestors. Many Scottish descendents
display their association in activities (e.g. tartan wearing or highland games) invented a
century after their ancestors immigrated to North America (including many from the
lowlands, although this geographic area tends to be ignored in North American heritage
memory). Most heritage participants and attendees agree with the Scottish-Americans. They
are ‘‘looking for authentic inauthenticity’’ (Brown et al., 2000, p. 171). These people are
sometimes disappointed not having their expectations met when visiting the ‘‘old country.’’
Some researchers in Scotland analyze Scottish folksongs to investigate the ‘‘multiple ?ows’’
of authenticity for tourist spectacles (e.g. Knox, 2008). Basu’s (2004) research fromScotland
reports that these visitors to the ancestral homeland are sometimes ridiculed and
considered to be ‘‘emotional cripples’’ by the locals. One question is whether or not
differences exist between the motivations of descendents of those in the ‘‘diaspora’’ who
engage in ancestral tourism versus those who live in the ‘‘old country.’’ This re?ection is
timely because Scotland is planning for the 2009 Homecoming Scotland project to celebrate
the 250th anniversary of Robert Burns’ birth (Homecoming Scotland, 2008). According to
Basu (2007), at least 28 million people in the world have Scottish ancestry.
Recently, Donald Trump, a famous American of Scottish descent, made the news when his
plans to build a luxury golf course were turned down (then the rejection overturned) by the
Aberdeenshire Council’s Infrastructure Committee. Trump often referred to his Scottish
heritage during his battle with the Council (MacDonald, 2007; Wall Street Journal, 2007).
Trump also created controversy when his invented coat of arms for the resort had not
received heraldry approval by the Lord Lion of Scotland. However, ‘‘In an unprecedented
move, six of the country’s largest business organizations have joined forces to highlight the
risk to long-term investment if delays over Mr Trump’s development at Balmedie continue’’
(MacLarty, 2008, p. 1). Sustainable economic results must be assured, along with heritage
protection.
Basu (2007) discusses how Ancestral Scotland poses questions such as ‘‘Where do you
come from?’’ and ‘‘When will you come home?’’ These tourism messages came after
VisitScotland undertook research that found genealogy tourism, golf, and culture are ‘‘prime
importance in attracting visitors’’ (Scottish Executive: The Scottish Government, 2004). Their
research identi?ed four primary motivators for ancestral travel: to access more information
about their ancestors, to see the places where their ancestors lived, to connect with other
people, and to connect with self (Ancestral Tourism, 2006). VisitScotland used the results to
develop a training program to assist tourism professionals implement promotional activities
consistent with the study’s ?ndings. Many international tour operators conduct ancestral
tours. Table III details three itineraries of recent trips.
Learning exercise
A student intern receives the assignment to assist a Scottish tourism association to develop
a training seminar. The seminar’s purpose is to take advantage of the emerging heritage and
legacy tourism market segment. The ?rst step involves visiting online sites promoting
genealogical research and tourism in Scotland (e.g. www.ancestralscotland.com or www.
homecomingscotland.com) to see how genealogy and tourism currently are promoted. The
intern notes that most of the online sites feature locations, events, and genealogical tourists
or tourism professionals with their legacy tourism concerns. As that intern, complete the
following tasks and answer the questions:
1. Consider the motivations of tourists interested in travel relating to genealogical interests.
What travel activities correspond to the motivations that are most important to them?
PAGE 300
j
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF CULTURE, TOURISM AND HOSPITALITY RESEARCH
j
VOL. 3 NO. 4 2009
D
o
w
n
l
o
a
d
e
d
b
y
P
O
N
D
I
C
H
E
R
R
Y
U
N
I
V
E
R
S
I
T
Y
A
t
2
2
:
0
8
2
4
J
a
n
u
a
r
y
2
0
1
6
(
P
T
)
2. How might tourists from the United Kingdom different from tourists from the United
States? How would you design a group tour for each group? See the VisitScotland
research (Ancestral Tourism, 2006; ‘‘Tourist Board Training’’, 2008).
3. Build a list of training session topics you would want to include for tourism managers
(agencies, destination organizations, professional genealogists) that would help them
respond to the motivations of legacy tourists.
4. Identify some speci?c activities to include when building a travel web site guide for
tourists to Scotland. Be sure to include information for tourists traveling on their own
Table III Actual summary itineraries of recent legacy group bus trips (Welsh-Americans to Scotland and Wales, and a
North American Clan to Scotland)
Mormon Welsh-Americans to Scotland and
Wales (n ¼ 29)
One North American Clan Trip to Scotland
a
(n ¼ 30)
Demographics of group:
Average age 66 61
Age range 45-79 34-79
Men/women 33%/67% 37%/63%
Average # ancestral trips in past two
years
1.3 1.4
Day 1 Stirling Castle; Glasgow. Ancestral homes of
some tour participants
Shopping
Tour of Glasgow
Kelvingrove Museum
2 Edinburgh Castle
Round of golf
Stirling Castle and Wallace Monument
Sheriffmuir Battle?eld (relevant to particular
clan)
Bannockburn Battle?eld
3 Tour of Glasgow
Ancestral homes of some tour participants
Ayrshire-Alloway, birthplace of Robert Burns
Area of Scotland particularly relevant to clan.
Local churchyard ruins of clan
Eilean Donan Castle (said to be the most
photographed castle in Scotland), relevant to
clan
4 Carlisle and Hadrian’s Wall
Preston, home of church missionary work
Plockton. The BBC series, ‘‘Hamish MacBeth’’
was ?lmed here
Couple renewing wedding vows at Eilean
Donan Castle
5 Liverpool Merseyside Maritime Museum
North Wales
Trip to Western Isles, including Callanish
standing stones on the Isle of Lewis. Western
Isles visited not particularly relevant to clan
6 Caernarvon Castle, where investiture of Prince
Charles took place
Shopping
Round of golf
Western Isles, Isle of Harris. Shopping for
Harris Tweed
7 Slate caverns
Narrow-gauge railway
Aberystwyth
Western Isles, Flora MacDonald’s birthplace
8 National Library of Wales (Aberystwyth)
Ancestral homes
Bowling green
Oban
Iveraray Castle
9 Cenarth Falls to see ancient Welsh ?shing
boats (coracles)
Laughrne (Dylan Thomas boat house)
Kintyre Peninsula
Isle of Arran
10 Llanelli, where many ancestors were baptized
Cardiff Castle
Isle of Arran
11 Sunday: day of Church meetings and visits to
areas where ancestors were baptized
Edinburgh Festival and the Military Tattoo
12 Big Pit Mining Museum Ayrshire, and birthplace of Robert Burns
(Alloway)
Note:
a
For the 2009 Homecoming clan gathering, the trip will go to Inverness and the Orkney Islands instead of the Western Isles
VOL. 3 NO. 4 2009
j
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF CULTURE, TOURISM AND HOSPITALITY RESEARCH
j
PAGE 301
D
o
w
n
l
o
a
d
e
d
b
y
P
O
N
D
I
C
H
E
R
R
Y
U
N
I
V
E
R
S
I
T
Y
A
t
2
2
:
0
8
2
4
J
a
n
u
a
r
y
2
0
1
6
(
P
T
)
based on non-legacy motivations. Which would you expect to be of greater interest to
Americans than Scots?
5. What advice would you give to managers of destination sites and events (e.g. Inverness,
Eilean Donan Castle, or Edinburgh Festival) to better serve legacy tourists?
6. Describe the types of organizations that would be interested in learning about legacy
tourism motivations and attending your training seminar in addition to tourism managers.
7. Evaluate the research methodology used in this research. Discuss the methodology’s
appropriateness for this type of marketing decisions.
8. Compare what agencies in Scotland are doing to address legacy tourism with efforts
employed by another country.
9. Based on the data presented earlier in this paper, evaluate the two itineraries in regard to
how well they might meet the needs of legacy tourists. Are there universal legacy
itineraries than can be suggested, regardless of tourist’s country of origin or the
destination?
Trainer notes
1. Data in Table I show that the range of motivators checked by respondents ranges from a
low of ?ve percent to highs over 40 percent. Topping the list are Personal Identity and
Connection with Place. How high or how many motivators the instructor wants to address
depends on the time and weight given to each exercise. Speci?c activities also should
vary with the students’ background knowledge. The personal nature of these top motives
should lead most students to recognize that travel expectations are connected to a
speci?c site, name, or document that individual travelers recognize as relevant.
Opportunities to search out individual villages and homes, parish or civil records to ?nd
ancestors names, and other uniquely personal symbols of their lineage would be
highlights of these tourists’ visits. In the case of Scotland, it is notable that the
Homecoming theme is near the list’s bottom, with UK being signi?cantly lower than USA.
2. Analyzing differences between the UK and the US requires an understanding of basic
statistical analysis (e.g. chi-square). In order of importance, UK respondents rated
Connection with Place, Intellectual Challenge, Quest, and Closing the Gap to be more
important than did US respondents. On the other hand, US respondents rated in order of
importance Obligation to Ancestors, Completing the Circle, Sacred, Community, and
Homecoming to be more important than UK respondents. Interpreting why these
differences exist would be an interesting discussion. Referring back to Homecoming, and
probably relating to other motives, the signi?cantly higher US score relative to the UK
suggests almost all Americans have an ancestral home. The British never left their home
country, so a homecoming is less meaningful. Obligation to Ancestors is more American,
particularly for Mormon (Latter-Day-Saints) respondents who consider their ancestor’s
well being to depend on religious actions by living descendents. Discussion should
address the numerous activities present in the VisitScotlande research (Ancestral
Tourism, 2006; ‘‘Tourist Board Training’’, 2008) to determine which motives offer most
satisfaction to each segment. Enhancing the preferred options should evolve from
analyzing relationships between travelers’ motives and activities.
3. Several different perspectives should guide responses. First, make sure that the top
percentage priorities (e.g. personal identity) are covered to train managers about the
necessity to provide ?exible tour schedules. Many tourists will want to separate themselves
from a group to visit individual home sites. Second, plans also may include coaching and
assistance at destination record keeping areas for those whose ancestral motivations
exceed their genealogical researching abilities. Guides and itineraries should direct
tourists to central records locations which tend to be in the major cities. Such activities can
coincide with visits to nearby tourist attractions. Topics drawn from the motivations list and
the VisitScotlande web sites provide background for discussion sessions on why the UK
and US visitors have different responses, interests and motivations.
PAGE 302
j
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF CULTURE, TOURISM AND HOSPITALITY RESEARCH
j
VOL. 3 NO. 4 2009
D
o
w
n
l
o
a
d
e
d
b
y
P
O
N
D
I
C
H
E
R
R
Y
U
N
I
V
E
R
S
I
T
Y
A
t
2
2
:
0
8
2
4
J
a
n
u
a
r
y
2
0
1
6
(
P
T
)
4. For personal identity, connection with place, as well as other historical artifacts (e.g.
speci?c events), a web site connection to online data records would be valued highly by
both UK and US tourists. The ability to ?nd public data locating or verifying a place would
strengthen the motive to visit the site that ‘‘great grandfather was born, married, lived,
died.’’ For Intellectual Challenge, the option of locating a genealogy help site addressing
local complex research issues would be desirable. The objective is to use the research to
identify what drives tourists to become interested and involved in the destination rather
than focus on a set of offerings that may already be provided by another service provider.
The signi?cant differences de?ne which activities would be most visited by UK and US
web visitors.
5. To best serve ancestral tourists, employees at destination sites should recognize that one
tourist segment (legacy tourists) is interested in more information than the location’s
history and the ‘‘star’’ historical ?gures. These tourists want to know who else was there.
Was my great-great grandfather a soldier, blacksmith, or prisoner here? Where do I go to
?nd out? What was his life like?
6. Employees of nearby hotels and restaurants could tie into the clan heritage theme.
Libraries and archives in both large cities and rural areas would bene?t fromsending their
employees to training. Rural areas might need the more training since large national
archives and libraries typically have marketing managers on staff. Historical societies are
another important source. Some historical societies should consider emphasizing legacy
tourism to members and plan speci?c genealogy tours.
Students also should think about opportunities indirectly related to legacy tourism that
leverage family history motives. Universities, especially those that recruit abroad,
sometimes recruit students with Scottish roots. Some universities also have genealogy
programs (e.g. University of Strathclyde in Glasgow). These specialized programs tend
to attract more non-traditional students. For example, retirees or people close to
retirement could form a target market.
As the Ancestral Tourism(2006) lea?et details, even organizers of golf packages can tie
into ancestral tourism. Those controlling ?shing rights in Scotland also could emphasize
their geographic connection to ancestral lands. Although businesses mainly involved in
golf and ?shing tourism do not perceive themselves to be in the ancestral tourism
business, they could bene?t from the specialized training.
7. Research methodologies are easy to criticize. Students should recognize immediately
that a nonprobability sample is used. While the sample does seem to be one of
convenience, students also should recognize that a ‘‘snowball’’ or referral sample
describes the data collection. Snowballing helps to obtain contacts at family history and
historical groups. An electronic survey should be considered at some point. Collecting
data on-line is both ef?cient and consistent with the method used by many consumers to
obtain their family history data. After collecting nearly 700 cases of in-person data, the
researcher should have a fairly good understanding of the reasons and in-depth
motivations behind ancestral travel. Electronic surveys would allow for more objective
measures. Students could suggest some objective measures for future data gathering.
8. Answers will vary. Some countries emphasize ancestral tourism more than others and
they do a better job of promoting the message. Students should consider some general
historical immigration history in the response preparation. For example, the Baltics and
Eastern Europe experienced emigration due to communist control and might see
descendents with different motivations.
Students should make use of their internet skills to gather ancestral tourism marketing
information and to evaluate the role that electronic databases play in a country’s overall
tourism marketing campaigns. Have technological advances helped or hindered the
country’s ancestral tourism efforts?
9. The exercise emphasizes the importance of ‘‘connection with place.’’ Sometimes the
place connection is a speci?c ancestral location. The Welsh-American tour includes visits
to National Libraries; the clan tour of Scotland did not. Perhaps some introduction to
VOL. 3 NO. 4 2009
j
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF CULTURE, TOURISM AND HOSPITALITY RESEARCH
j
PAGE 303
D
o
w
n
l
o
a
d
e
d
b
y
P
O
N
D
I
C
H
E
R
R
Y
U
N
I
V
E
R
S
I
T
Y
A
t
2
2
:
0
8
2
4
J
a
n
u
a
r
y
2
0
1
6
(
P
T
)
records research while in Edinburgh could have been included for those interested.
‘‘Intellectual challenge’’ is selected by large numbers of legacy tourists. Scottish tour
operators must deal with the Clan phenomenon and might research further the difference
between legacy clan tours (who may be more interested in living members of the clan or
extended family than in deceased relatives) and those trips taken by those with an
expressed interest in genealogy.
Table III shows most legacy tours tend to be made up of women, most of them senior
citizens. However, sometimes middle-aged people are legacy tourists too. They tend to take
several legacy trips (one particular trip may not be the only legacy trip they will take). Those
travelers of a particular religious faith will want relevant religious sites included.
Conclusions
While the knowledge and theoretical foundation of understanding heritage tourists’
motivations are in the early development stages, some motives are clearly strong driving
forces. This early research stage already identi?es segments based on genealogical tourism
motivations between nations as well as some universal values. Understanding these motives
increases effectiveness of service offerings employed by travel agency and tourism
destination managers.
The learning exercise questions present students and practitioners the opportunity to
convert conceptual motivation research to product attributes. Speci?c tourist offerings can
be developed to attract and satisfy ancestral tourists. Although this research is exploratory,
the data provides strong differential signals for decision-making. Since market segmentation
decisions depend on the methodology applied, future research should cover a broader
sampling of the population. New methodological approaches will strengthen the research’s
reliability and validity.
References
Ancestral Tourism (2006), ‘‘Partnership working, ancestral tourism imitative, tourism indicatives’’, Visit
Scotland, available at:http://staging.scotexchange.net/ancestral_lea?et_2006_-_low_res-2.pdf
(accessed 10 June 2008).
Balcar, M.J.O. and Pearce, D.G. (1996), ‘‘Heritage tourism on the West Coast of New Zealand’’, Tourism
Management, Vol. 1 No. 3, pp. 203-12.
Basu, P. (2004), ‘‘My own island home: the Orkney homecoming’’, Journal of Material Culture, Vol. 9
No. 1, pp. 27-42.
Basu, P. (2007), Highland Homecomings: Genealogy and Heritage Tourism in the Scottish Diaspora,
Routledge, New York, NY.
Brown, S., Hirschman, E.C. and MacLaran, P. (2000), ‘‘Presenting the past: on marketing’s re-production
orientation’’, in Brown, S. and Patterson, A. (Eds), Imagining Marketing: Art, Aesthetics and the
Avant-Garde, Routledge Interpretive Marketing Research, New York, NY, pp. 145-91.
Caˆ mpeanu, C.N. (2003), ‘‘Tourism, modernity, and heritage production at the Alamo’’, Advances in
Consumer Research, Vol. 30, pp. 357-60.
Collins, N. and Beggs, R. (2000), ‘‘Government and tourismin Northern Ireland’’, in Buttimer, N., Rynne, C.
and Guerin, H. (Eds), The Heritage of Ireland, The Collins Press, Cork, pp. 499-505.
Dickerson, D.J. (2006), ‘‘Searching for roots’’, Wall Street Journal, 17 November, p. W15.
Eagles, P.F.J. (1992), ‘‘The travel motivations of Canadian ecotourists’’, Journal of Travel Research,
Vol. 31 No. 2, pp. 3-7.
Eastman’s Online Genealogy Newsletter (2006), ‘‘The family history library – in Salt Lake City and near
you’ ’, January 20, available at:http://blog.eogn.com/eastmans_online_genealogy/2006/01/
the_family_hist.html (accessed 17 November 2006).
Evans, R. (1998), The Visitor’s Guide to Northern Ireland, The Blackstaff Press Limited, Belfast.
Exhibition (2008), ‘‘Who do you think you are?’’, available at: www.whodoyouthinkyouarelive.co.uk
(accessed 23 January 2008).
PAGE 304
j
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF CULTURE, TOURISM AND HOSPITALITY RESEARCH
j
VOL. 3 NO. 4 2009
D
o
w
n
l
o
a
d
e
d
b
y
P
O
N
D
I
C
H
E
R
R
Y
U
N
I
V
E
R
S
I
T
Y
A
t
2
2
:
0
8
2
4
J
a
n
u
a
r
y
2
0
1
6
(
P
T
)
Father and Son (2007), CitiBank television advertisement, used with permission of Publicis, New York,
NY.
Garrod, B. and Fyall, A. (2000), ‘‘Managing heritage tourism’’, Annals of TourismResearch, Vol. 27 No. 3,
pp. 682-708.
Heinlen, E. (2007), ‘‘Genealogy and the economic drain on Ireland: unintended consequences’’, First
Monday, Vol. 12 No. 1, available at:http://?rstmonday.org/issues/issue12_1/heinlen/index.html
(accessed 3 June 2008).
Homecoming Scotland (2008), ‘‘Come home and celebrate in 2009’’, available at: www.homecoming
scotland.com (accessed 17 January 2008).
Knox, D. (2008), ‘‘Spectacular tradition: Scottish folksong and authenticity’’, Annals of Tourism
Research, Vol. 35 No. 1, pp. 255-73.
McCain, G. and Ray, N.M. (2003), ‘‘Legacy tourism: the search for personal meaning in heritage travel’’,
Tourism Management, Vol. 24 No. 6, pp. 713-17.
MacDonald, A. (2007), ‘‘Trump dealt setback on a Scottish project’’, Wall Street Journal, 30 November,
p. B6.
Mackenzie, G., Slater, G. and Roberts, H. (2004), Family History and Tourism, Listening to the Past,
Speaking to the Future: The Report of the Archives Task Force, Museums, Libraries and Archives
Council, London, March.
MacLarty, L. (2008), ‘‘Trump furore prompts call for planning changes: business groups demand radical
overhaul’’, The Aberdeen Press and Journal, 17 March, p. 1.
Martin, D. (2007), ‘‘Management learning exercise and trainer’s note for building grounded theory in
tourism behavior’’, Journal of Business Research, Vol. 60 No. 7, pp. 742-8.
Nicholls, S., Vogt, C. and Jun, S.H. (2004), ‘‘Heeding the call for heritage tourism’’, Parks & Recreation,
Vol. 39 No. 9, pp. 38-49.
Palmer, C. (2005), ‘‘An ethnography of Englishness: experiencing identity through tourism’’, Annals of
Tourism Research, Vol. 32 No. 1, pp. 7-27.
Ray, C. (2001), Scottish Highland Games, Highland Heritage, The University of North Carolina Press,
Charlotte, NC.
Scottish Executive: The Scottish Government (2004), Scottish Roots – Dig into the Past, available at:
www.scotland.gov.uk/News/News-Extras/56 (accessed 20 January 2008).
Silberberg, T. (1995), ‘‘Cultural tourism and business opportunities for museums and heritage sites’’,
Tourism Management, Vol. 16 No. 5, pp. 361-5.
Tourist Board Training (2008), ‘‘Ancestral tourism, events and training, visit Scotland’’, available at: http://
staging.scotexchange.net/ancestral_tourism-2.pdf (accessed 10 June 2008).
Travel Industry Association of America (2003), The Historic/Cultural Traveler, 2003 edition.
Wall Street Journal (2007), Trump’s golf-resort plan in play as Scottish town relents, 13 December, p. A4.
Yale, P. (1991), From Tourist Attractions to Heritage Tourism, ELM Publications, Huntingdon.
Corresponding author
Nina M. Ray can be contacted at: [email protected]
VOL. 3 NO. 4 2009
j
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF CULTURE, TOURISM AND HOSPITALITY RESEARCH
j
PAGE 305
To purchase reprints of this article please e-mail: [email protected]
Or visit our web site for further details: www.emeraldinsight.com/reprints
D
o
w
n
l
o
a
d
e
d
b
y
P
O
N
D
I
C
H
E
R
R
Y
U
N
I
V
E
R
S
I
T
Y
A
t
2
2
:
0
8
2
4
J
a
n
u
a
r
y
2
0
1
6
(
P
T
)
This article has been cited by:
1. Anna Kwek, Ying Wang, David B. Weaver. 2014. Retail tours in China for overseas Chinese: Soft power or hard sell?. Annals
of Tourism Research 44, 36-52. [CrossRef]
2. Duncan Sim, Murray Leith. 2013. Diaspora tourists and the Scottish Homecoming 2009. Journal of Heritage Tourism 8,
259-274. [CrossRef]
3. Jungeun Kim, Monika Stodolska. 2013. Impacts of diaspora travel on ethnic identity development among 1.5 generation
Korean-American college students. Journal of Tourism and Cultural Change 11, 187-207. [CrossRef]
D
o
w
n
l
o
a
d
e
d
b
y
P
O
N
D
I
C
H
E
R
R
Y
U
N
I
V
E
R
S
I
T
Y
A
t
2
2
:
0
8
2
4
J
a
n
u
a
r
y
2
0
1
6
(
P
T
)
doc_231228515.pdf
The purpose of this paper is to introduce measures of the motivation of tourists who travel to
their ancestral homes. A set of learning exercises is presented for students and managers to apply
understanding of these motives to tourism strategies
International Journal of Culture, Tourism and Hospitality Research
Guiding tourists to their ancestral homes
Nina M. Ray Gary McCain
Article information:
To cite this document:
Nina M. Ray Gary McCain, (2009),"Guiding tourists to their ancestral homes", International J ournal of Culture, Tourism and Hospitality
Research, Vol. 3 Iss 4 pp. 296 - 305
Permanent link to this document:http://dx.doi.org/10.1108/17506180910994514
Downloaded on: 24 January 2016, At: 22:08 (PT)
References: this document contains references to 31 other documents.
To copy this document: [email protected]
The fulltext of this document has been downloaded 1028 times since 2009*
Users who downloaded this article also downloaded:
Songshan (Sam) Huang, Cathy H.C. Hsu, (2009),"Travel motivation: linking theory to practice", International J ournal of Culture, Tourism
and Hospitality Research, Vol. 3 Iss 4 pp. 287-295http://dx.doi.org/10.1108/17506180910994505
Natan Uriely, (2009),"Deconstructing tourist typologies: the case of backpacking", International J ournal of Culture, Tourism and Hospitality
Research, Vol. 3 Iss 4 pp. 306-312http://dx.doi.org/10.1108/17506180910994523
Antónia Correia, Metin Kozak, J oão Ferradeira, (2013),"From tourist motivations to tourist satisfaction", International J ournal of Culture,
Tourism and Hospitality Research, Vol. 7 Iss 4 pp. 411-424http://dx.doi.org/10.1108/IJ CTHR-05-2012-0022
Access to this document was granted through an Emerald subscription provided by emerald-srm:115632 []
For Authors
If you would like to write for this, or any other Emerald publication, then please use our Emerald for Authors service
information about how to choose which publication to write for and submission guidelines are available for all. Please visit
www.emeraldinsight.com/authors for more information.
About Emerald www.emeraldinsight.com
Emerald is a global publisher linking research and practice to the benefit of society. The company manages a portfolio of more than
290 journals and over 2,350 books and book series volumes, as well as providing an extensive range of online products and additional
customer resources and services.
Emerald is both COUNTER 4 and TRANSFER compliant. The organization is a partner of the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE)
and also works with Portico and the LOCKSS initiative for digital archive preservation.
*Related content and download information correct at time of download.
D
o
w
n
l
o
a
d
e
d
b
y
P
O
N
D
I
C
H
E
R
R
Y
U
N
I
V
E
R
S
I
T
Y
A
t
2
2
:
0
8
2
4
J
a
n
u
a
r
y
2
0
1
6
(
P
T
)
Guiding tourists to their ancestral homes
Nina M. Ray and Gary McCain
Abstract
Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to introduce measures of the motivation of tourists who travel to
their ancestral homes. A set of learning exercises is presented for students and managers to apply
understanding of these motives to tourism strategies.
Design/methodology/approach – The paper provides a brief reviewof the literature of heritage tourism
and the special segment concerning travel with genealogical objectives. Survey data on motives to seek
out ancestors are provided with learning exercises to link motives to tourism planning.
Findings – Data on the importance of multiple motives are presented with analytical measures of their
overall importance levels and of differences between US and UK samples.
Research limitations/implications – The motivational variables and data collection are primarily
exploratory, focusing on samples that are interested in genealogy and heritage tourism. Further research
could certainly be expanded to cover broader populations of tourists and genealogists.
Practical implications – By combining primary research with trade association research included in
the paper students and tourism managers have the opportunity to apply research ?ndings to tourism
and hospitality decision making to attract and satisfy tourists who have genealogical goals in their travel
agendas.
Originality/value – Data based on the important and growing domain of motivational research in
ancestral/genealogical-related tourism have not been presented for analysis and application until now.
Strength of motives and differences between nationalities of tourists present a unique analytical
opportunity in learning exercises.
Keywords Tourism, Heritage, Genealogy, International travel, Scotland
Paper type Case study
‘‘What’s your story?’’ is an advertising campaign by CITICARD that aired 2007/2008 in the
USA (Father and Son, 2007):
So I asked my dad where he wanted to go for his 60th birthday.
‘‘Norway,’’ he said, ‘‘the land of our ancestors.’’
We drank a pint at Ibsen’s favorite pub. We sampled the local fare.
We saw fjords; we got new sweaters.
We bonded. ‘‘It was the trip of a lifetime,’’ Dad said.
And so, we went to the Hall of Records to trace our family tree and discovered that we were
actually Swedish!
‘‘Two tickets to Stockholm, please. Let’s go.’’
From visiting old words to making new discoveries, whatever your story is, CITICARD can help
you write it.
CITI CARD; let’s get it done.
Even though this report does not include data from Norwegian-Americans, note the reaction
from interviews at Sons of Norway Lodge gatherings, in exposing respondents to the
CITICARD ad. Many comment on the lack of authenticity of scenes in the ad (such as
PAGE 296
j
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF CULTURE, TOURISM AND HOSPITALITY RESEARCH
j
VOL. 3 NO. 4 2009, pp. 296-305, Q Emerald Group Publishing Limited, ISSN 1750-6182 DOI 10.1108/17506180910994514
Nina M. Ray is Professor of
Marketing and International
Business and Gary McCain
is Professor of Marketing,
both based at the College
of Business and
Economics, Boise State
University, Boise, Idaho,
USA.
D
o
w
n
l
o
a
d
e
d
b
y
P
O
N
D
I
C
H
E
R
R
Y
U
N
I
V
E
R
S
I
T
Y
A
t
2
2
:
0
8
2
4
J
a
n
u
a
r
y
2
0
1
6
(
P
T
)
yodeling, the ‘‘Hall of Records,’’ buying ferry tickets to Stockholm.). Authenticity plays a role
in perceptions of ancestral tourism sites. However, many were content that Norwegian
scenes were shown and that they had recognized (and often, personally visited) those
scenes. A few representatives of Swedish organizations were a bit irritated because they
thought the characters in the ad looked disappointed to ?nd out that they were Swedish,
instead of Norwegian. Many with no Norwegian or Swedish background still remember the
commercial and speci?cally remember the fact that the father and son thought they were
Norwegian, but turned out to be Swedish, emphasizing the complexity of tracing one’s roots.
While the purpose of this ad clearly was not to encourage tourism to Norway or Sweden, the
message highlights the emerging reality that many North Americans engage in ‘‘ancestral’’
(or ‘‘legacy,’’ ‘‘roots,’’ or ‘‘family heritage’’) travel. They cheerfully and enthusiastically spend
money to travel to distant lands, sometimes with minimal information, to seek out and verify
what they know or want to know about their heritage.
Garrod and Fyall (2000) report that heritage tourismis a major growth area and ?nd that typical
heritage tourists are older, with an interest in nostalgia. They are often wealthy. Interest and
research on heritage/culture tourismhas generated numerous equally interesting de?nitions of
such tourism (Balcar and Pearce, 1996). Garrod and Fyall (p. 683) quoted Yale (1991, p. 21),
‘‘tourismcentred on what we have inherited, which can mean anything from historic buildings,
to art works, to beautiful scenery’’. For the purpose of this research the de?nition for
heritage/culture tourism is ‘‘visits by persons from outside the host community motivated
wholly or in part by interest in the historical, artistic, scienti?c or lifestyle/heritage offerings of a
community, region, group or institution’’, (Silberberg, 1995, p. 361).
Palmer (2005, p. 7) explores ‘‘Englishness’’ as ‘‘identity through tourism’’ and ?nds that
many visitors to important national sites are interested in ‘‘our way of life’’ and ‘‘our ancestral
line’’ (p. 22). Sometimes the two are blurred as Churchill seems to be perceived as ‘‘our
honorary relative.’’ This felt history ‘‘is illustrated by the intermingling of phrases and images
of home, family, kinship, ancestors and common blood, with expressions of emotion and
feeling. It is this intermingling that enables the internal, intimate function of national identity to
promote a sense of belonging, a sense of place’’ (p. 22). A sense of Englishness (or
Scottishness, or Irishness), whether by citizenry or ancestry, can connect one’s personal
identity to a sense of place.
Nicholls et al. (2004) identify speci?c types of heritage tourism including ‘‘legacy’’ tourism –
-travel related to genealogical endeavors (McCain and Ray, 2003):
What is remarkable about heritage, however, is its power of working in the present in a way that
has recourse to the past, in a way that interprets the past into something that we learn to
understand as ‘‘history.’’ (Caˆ mpeanu, 2003, p. 357).
Many tourists learn ‘‘to understand as history’’ through their own family history.
Nicholls et al. (2004) cites the Travel Industry Association of America (2003) estimate that
around 81 percent of US adults taking a trip in 2002 are classi?able as heritage or cultural
tourists. This tourist classi?cation represents a 13 percent increase since 1996. The Wall
Street Journal also reports, that a ‘‘widespread interest in genealogy is sweeping America’’
(Dickerson, 2006, p. W15). Therefore, determining ancestral tourists’ motivations takes on
even more importance because this speci?c sub-segment of heritage tourists is growing.
Look to Salt Lake City’s Family History Library to discover the importance of genealogical
tourists to a community. Many of the Library’s daily 1,900 visitors (only a minority are
Mormons) come fromother countries (Eastman’s Online Genealogy Newsletter, 2006). Many
people also viewweb sites (e.g. www.visitsaltlake.com/what_to_do) that prominently display
genealogy information.
Genealogy is a ‘‘signi?cant part of Northern Ireland’s tourism industry’’ (Evans, 1998, p14),
and contributes to part of approximately 200 million pounds revenue per annumfrom foreign
visitors (Collins and Beggs, 2000). In the North of Ireland, the Department of Culture, Arts
and Leisure sponsors a ‘‘comprehensive examination of genealogy-related services’’
recognizing the ‘‘role of family history in promoting tourism’’ (Mackenzie et al., 2004). Yet, as
VOL. 3 NO. 4 2009
j
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF CULTURE, TOURISM AND HOSPITALITY RESEARCH
j
PAGE 297
D
o
w
n
l
o
a
d
e
d
b
y
P
O
N
D
I
C
H
E
R
R
Y
U
N
I
V
E
R
S
I
T
Y
A
t
2
2
:
0
8
2
4
J
a
n
u
a
r
y
2
0
1
6
(
P
T
)
Garrod and Fyall (2000) report, many heritage managers do not really consider themselves
to ‘‘be in the tourism business’’ (p. 684). Regarding genealogy tourism, many heritage
managers notice the negative economic impact when ancestral-seeking tourist numbers
decline. According to Heinlen (2007), increases in online genealogy searches have ‘‘been
an economic boost for online companies that specialize in genealogy’’, however, ‘‘it has had
the unintended consequence on Ireland of decreasing the incoming revenue of the
genealogy tourism industry.’’ Therefore, tourism managers need to thoroughly understand
the motives of tourists who travel to their ancestral homes. While ancestral research may be a
key motivator for these tourists, Garrod and Fyall (2000) found that heritage tourists also
want a general leisure experience. Tourism managers need to be careful to incorporate
ancestral tourism activities into broader entertaining leisure experiences.
According to the sponsors of the 2008 Who Do You Think You Are? National History Show in
London in May, ‘‘As the largest event of its kind, the entire event will attract up to 20,000
visitors from across the UK. This innovative, national event is set to become the premium
event for anyone with an interest in the history market: an unbeatable opportunity to meet
new customers and develop your business.’’ Exhibitors will ‘‘have the chance to meet an
articulate, and highly educated . . . consumer – each with money to spend on a subject that
is important to them’’ (Exhibition, 2008). Therefore, not only is there a large population of
history-seeking visitors, but these consumers have demographics favorable to marketers.
Ancestral tourism data
While tracing her own family tree, the lead author began to wonder whether or not other
tourists’ interests include traveling (and spending money) to seek information about their
ancestry. She investigated genealogy tourism records in countries of personal interest. While
learning more about her family’s ancestry, the number of countries expanded due to personal
and increasingly professional interest. Directors of heritage institutions in Northern Ireland (the
location of her own ancestral interest) encouraged further digging. To her surprise, a
signi?cant amount of some nations’ tourism revenues derives from ancestral tourism.
The preceding served as a catalyst to initiate a long-term research project investigating
North Americans’ motivations to rediscover their ancestral roots. At the beginning of the
research, surveys were administered at heritage group meetings. To identify other heritage
groups, snowball sampling was employed. Eventually, the data collection process extended
to European events. For example, one family history society in Scotland recommended a
larger group in a nearby city.
Survey respondents for the legacy tourism project were recruited from meetings and
activities of cultural and historical societies. Each potential respondent was asked to
complete a one-page (two-sided) survey either at the gathering or at one’s convenience to
be mailed back later. Gathering data in situ allows the researcher to engage in conversations
and often to conduct fairly long interviews with respondents. As Martin (2007) describes, the
long interview is valuable in examining in?uences and consequences of leisure decisions.
Sometimes, consequences are potentially risky and less than desirable when ‘‘skeletons in
the closet’’ are found. By conversing in person, the researcher can learn about the range of
outcomes, both good and bad.
Questions about motivations to rediscover family history derived from Basu (2004) and
feedback from early interviews. Questions concerning typical travel behavior originate from
Eagles’ (1992) investigations with Canadian heritage (ecotourism) travelers. Response rates
are often 50 percent of people attending heritage-related gatherings. The total sample in this
study came from twenty US events and nine Scottish events and other events in Northern
Ireland, Nova Scotia and Wales (n ¼ 684).
The set of motivations often were reinforced by comments made to researchers. For example,
one tour guide in Scotland is amazed that the ?rst words out of North Americans’ mouths
arriving in Scotland are often, ‘‘I feel like I’ve come home.’’ Nine of 17 motivations to learn about
family heritage differed signi?cantly between UK citizens (primarily of Scottish descent) and
US citizens (around 30 percent of Scottish descent). Results are shown in Table I.
PAGE 298
j
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF CULTURE, TOURISM AND HOSPITALITY RESEARCH
j
VOL. 3 NO. 4 2009
D
o
w
n
l
o
a
d
e
d
b
y
P
O
N
D
I
C
H
E
R
R
Y
U
N
I
V
E
R
S
I
T
Y
A
t
2
2
:
0
8
2
4
J
a
n
u
a
r
y
2
0
1
6
(
P
T
)
Table II shows the average age of the two groups and response to general travel behavior.
In a separate regression run (not shown here), the independent variables of age, percent of
foreign travel, and percent of leisure travel are regressed on the dependent variable of the
importance of visiting ‘‘place where family is from.’’ The model is not signi?cant, showing that
demographics do not affect the importance of visiting ancestral sites. In a correlation
analysis, only age is related signi?cantly to the travel reason of creating long-standing
relationships and friendships ( p , 0.01). This relationship is inverse – older respondents
are less concerned than younger respondents. On the other hand, age is positively and
Table I Comparisons of UK and US citizens: signi?cant differences for motivations for family history interest: UK and US
citizens, Chi square: n ¼ 684
Motivation US checked US not checked UK checked UK not checked Sig. diff. P Percent checked
Personal identity 241 298 69 76 ns 45.3
Connection with place 209 330 72 73 , 0.05 41.1
Obligation to ancestors 200 339 27 118 , 0.05 33.2
Intellectual challenge 132 407 59 86 , 0.05 27.9
Discovering continuities 142 397 41 104 ns 26.8
Completing the circle 111 428 19 126 , 0.05 19
Finding oneself 69 470 24 121 ns 13.6
Quest 48 491 33 112 , 0.05 11.8
Recovery of social identity 54 485 15 130 ns 10.1
Sacred 65 474 2 143 , 0.05 9.8
Closing the gap 42 497 21 124 , 0.05 9.2
Community 58 481 2 143 , 0.05 8.8
True home 48 491 8 137 ns 8.2
Magical feeling 44 494 12 133 ns 8.2
Inward journey 40 499 5 140 ns 6.6
Homecoming 43 496 1 144 , 0.05 6.4
Pilgrimage 31 508 4 141 ns 5.1
Notes: Italics indicates the sample with the larger proportion checked. Future versions will include Medical/DNA as a motivator due to
responses to ‘‘Other’’ on research instruments
Table II Demographic comparison of means between UK and US samples US: n ¼ 539, UK: n ¼ 145, may be less for
nonresponse
Country of citizenship Mean* Signi?cance t-value
Age and background of respondents
Age United States of America 56.70 ,0.01-9.90
United Kingdom 65.94
Percent foreign travel United States of America 13.66 ,0.01-4.44
United Kingdom 25.57
Percent non-business travel United States of America 77.85 0.02-2.35
United Kingdom 84.96
Importance of reasons for typical leisure travel
People of similar interests United States of America 2.31 0.18-1.35
United Kingdom 2.43
Together as a family United States of America 1.49 ,0.01-4.88
United Kingdom 1.97
Where I feel safe United States of America 2.12 ,0.01-4.49
United Kingdom 2.63
Where my family is from United States of America 1.80 0.34-0.95
United Kingdom 1.90
Visiting friends and relatives United States of America 1.56 0.03-2.20
United Kingdom 1.74
Creating friends/relationships United States of America 2.09 ,0.01-5.38
United Kingdom 2.68
Notes: * other than for age and percent of travel (?rst three items in table), lower numbers represent higher levels of importance when
traveling (Likert-type scale of 1 ¼ very important to 5 ¼ not at all important)
VOL. 3 NO. 4 2009
j
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF CULTURE, TOURISM AND HOSPITALITY RESEARCH
j
PAGE 299
D
o
w
n
l
o
a
d
e
d
b
y
P
O
N
D
I
C
H
E
R
R
Y
U
N
I
V
E
R
S
I
T
Y
A
t
2
2
:
0
8
2
4
J
a
n
u
a
r
y
2
0
1
6
(
P
T
)
signi?cantly related to the total percent of leisure travel (versus business). Perhaps less
obvious is age’s positive relationship with foreign travel (versus domestic travel) (p , 0:05).
‘‘Highland’’ heritage
Scotland’s heritage plays an important role in ancestral tourism research. In Highland
Heritage, Celeste Ray (2001) describes how Scottish descendents living in the US identify
and follow the ‘‘traditions’’ of Scottish immigrant ancestors. Many Scottish descendents
display their association in activities (e.g. tartan wearing or highland games) invented a
century after their ancestors immigrated to North America (including many from the
lowlands, although this geographic area tends to be ignored in North American heritage
memory). Most heritage participants and attendees agree with the Scottish-Americans. They
are ‘‘looking for authentic inauthenticity’’ (Brown et al., 2000, p. 171). These people are
sometimes disappointed not having their expectations met when visiting the ‘‘old country.’’
Some researchers in Scotland analyze Scottish folksongs to investigate the ‘‘multiple ?ows’’
of authenticity for tourist spectacles (e.g. Knox, 2008). Basu’s (2004) research fromScotland
reports that these visitors to the ancestral homeland are sometimes ridiculed and
considered to be ‘‘emotional cripples’’ by the locals. One question is whether or not
differences exist between the motivations of descendents of those in the ‘‘diaspora’’ who
engage in ancestral tourism versus those who live in the ‘‘old country.’’ This re?ection is
timely because Scotland is planning for the 2009 Homecoming Scotland project to celebrate
the 250th anniversary of Robert Burns’ birth (Homecoming Scotland, 2008). According to
Basu (2007), at least 28 million people in the world have Scottish ancestry.
Recently, Donald Trump, a famous American of Scottish descent, made the news when his
plans to build a luxury golf course were turned down (then the rejection overturned) by the
Aberdeenshire Council’s Infrastructure Committee. Trump often referred to his Scottish
heritage during his battle with the Council (MacDonald, 2007; Wall Street Journal, 2007).
Trump also created controversy when his invented coat of arms for the resort had not
received heraldry approval by the Lord Lion of Scotland. However, ‘‘In an unprecedented
move, six of the country’s largest business organizations have joined forces to highlight the
risk to long-term investment if delays over Mr Trump’s development at Balmedie continue’’
(MacLarty, 2008, p. 1). Sustainable economic results must be assured, along with heritage
protection.
Basu (2007) discusses how Ancestral Scotland poses questions such as ‘‘Where do you
come from?’’ and ‘‘When will you come home?’’ These tourism messages came after
VisitScotland undertook research that found genealogy tourism, golf, and culture are ‘‘prime
importance in attracting visitors’’ (Scottish Executive: The Scottish Government, 2004). Their
research identi?ed four primary motivators for ancestral travel: to access more information
about their ancestors, to see the places where their ancestors lived, to connect with other
people, and to connect with self (Ancestral Tourism, 2006). VisitScotland used the results to
develop a training program to assist tourism professionals implement promotional activities
consistent with the study’s ?ndings. Many international tour operators conduct ancestral
tours. Table III details three itineraries of recent trips.
Learning exercise
A student intern receives the assignment to assist a Scottish tourism association to develop
a training seminar. The seminar’s purpose is to take advantage of the emerging heritage and
legacy tourism market segment. The ?rst step involves visiting online sites promoting
genealogical research and tourism in Scotland (e.g. www.ancestralscotland.com or www.
homecomingscotland.com) to see how genealogy and tourism currently are promoted. The
intern notes that most of the online sites feature locations, events, and genealogical tourists
or tourism professionals with their legacy tourism concerns. As that intern, complete the
following tasks and answer the questions:
1. Consider the motivations of tourists interested in travel relating to genealogical interests.
What travel activities correspond to the motivations that are most important to them?
PAGE 300
j
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF CULTURE, TOURISM AND HOSPITALITY RESEARCH
j
VOL. 3 NO. 4 2009
D
o
w
n
l
o
a
d
e
d
b
y
P
O
N
D
I
C
H
E
R
R
Y
U
N
I
V
E
R
S
I
T
Y
A
t
2
2
:
0
8
2
4
J
a
n
u
a
r
y
2
0
1
6
(
P
T
)
2. How might tourists from the United Kingdom different from tourists from the United
States? How would you design a group tour for each group? See the VisitScotland
research (Ancestral Tourism, 2006; ‘‘Tourist Board Training’’, 2008).
3. Build a list of training session topics you would want to include for tourism managers
(agencies, destination organizations, professional genealogists) that would help them
respond to the motivations of legacy tourists.
4. Identify some speci?c activities to include when building a travel web site guide for
tourists to Scotland. Be sure to include information for tourists traveling on their own
Table III Actual summary itineraries of recent legacy group bus trips (Welsh-Americans to Scotland and Wales, and a
North American Clan to Scotland)
Mormon Welsh-Americans to Scotland and
Wales (n ¼ 29)
One North American Clan Trip to Scotland
a
(n ¼ 30)
Demographics of group:
Average age 66 61
Age range 45-79 34-79
Men/women 33%/67% 37%/63%
Average # ancestral trips in past two
years
1.3 1.4
Day 1 Stirling Castle; Glasgow. Ancestral homes of
some tour participants
Shopping
Tour of Glasgow
Kelvingrove Museum
2 Edinburgh Castle
Round of golf
Stirling Castle and Wallace Monument
Sheriffmuir Battle?eld (relevant to particular
clan)
Bannockburn Battle?eld
3 Tour of Glasgow
Ancestral homes of some tour participants
Ayrshire-Alloway, birthplace of Robert Burns
Area of Scotland particularly relevant to clan.
Local churchyard ruins of clan
Eilean Donan Castle (said to be the most
photographed castle in Scotland), relevant to
clan
4 Carlisle and Hadrian’s Wall
Preston, home of church missionary work
Plockton. The BBC series, ‘‘Hamish MacBeth’’
was ?lmed here
Couple renewing wedding vows at Eilean
Donan Castle
5 Liverpool Merseyside Maritime Museum
North Wales
Trip to Western Isles, including Callanish
standing stones on the Isle of Lewis. Western
Isles visited not particularly relevant to clan
6 Caernarvon Castle, where investiture of Prince
Charles took place
Shopping
Round of golf
Western Isles, Isle of Harris. Shopping for
Harris Tweed
7 Slate caverns
Narrow-gauge railway
Aberystwyth
Western Isles, Flora MacDonald’s birthplace
8 National Library of Wales (Aberystwyth)
Ancestral homes
Bowling green
Oban
Iveraray Castle
9 Cenarth Falls to see ancient Welsh ?shing
boats (coracles)
Laughrne (Dylan Thomas boat house)
Kintyre Peninsula
Isle of Arran
10 Llanelli, where many ancestors were baptized
Cardiff Castle
Isle of Arran
11 Sunday: day of Church meetings and visits to
areas where ancestors were baptized
Edinburgh Festival and the Military Tattoo
12 Big Pit Mining Museum Ayrshire, and birthplace of Robert Burns
(Alloway)
Note:
a
For the 2009 Homecoming clan gathering, the trip will go to Inverness and the Orkney Islands instead of the Western Isles
VOL. 3 NO. 4 2009
j
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF CULTURE, TOURISM AND HOSPITALITY RESEARCH
j
PAGE 301
D
o
w
n
l
o
a
d
e
d
b
y
P
O
N
D
I
C
H
E
R
R
Y
U
N
I
V
E
R
S
I
T
Y
A
t
2
2
:
0
8
2
4
J
a
n
u
a
r
y
2
0
1
6
(
P
T
)
based on non-legacy motivations. Which would you expect to be of greater interest to
Americans than Scots?
5. What advice would you give to managers of destination sites and events (e.g. Inverness,
Eilean Donan Castle, or Edinburgh Festival) to better serve legacy tourists?
6. Describe the types of organizations that would be interested in learning about legacy
tourism motivations and attending your training seminar in addition to tourism managers.
7. Evaluate the research methodology used in this research. Discuss the methodology’s
appropriateness for this type of marketing decisions.
8. Compare what agencies in Scotland are doing to address legacy tourism with efforts
employed by another country.
9. Based on the data presented earlier in this paper, evaluate the two itineraries in regard to
how well they might meet the needs of legacy tourists. Are there universal legacy
itineraries than can be suggested, regardless of tourist’s country of origin or the
destination?
Trainer notes
1. Data in Table I show that the range of motivators checked by respondents ranges from a
low of ?ve percent to highs over 40 percent. Topping the list are Personal Identity and
Connection with Place. How high or how many motivators the instructor wants to address
depends on the time and weight given to each exercise. Speci?c activities also should
vary with the students’ background knowledge. The personal nature of these top motives
should lead most students to recognize that travel expectations are connected to a
speci?c site, name, or document that individual travelers recognize as relevant.
Opportunities to search out individual villages and homes, parish or civil records to ?nd
ancestors names, and other uniquely personal symbols of their lineage would be
highlights of these tourists’ visits. In the case of Scotland, it is notable that the
Homecoming theme is near the list’s bottom, with UK being signi?cantly lower than USA.
2. Analyzing differences between the UK and the US requires an understanding of basic
statistical analysis (e.g. chi-square). In order of importance, UK respondents rated
Connection with Place, Intellectual Challenge, Quest, and Closing the Gap to be more
important than did US respondents. On the other hand, US respondents rated in order of
importance Obligation to Ancestors, Completing the Circle, Sacred, Community, and
Homecoming to be more important than UK respondents. Interpreting why these
differences exist would be an interesting discussion. Referring back to Homecoming, and
probably relating to other motives, the signi?cantly higher US score relative to the UK
suggests almost all Americans have an ancestral home. The British never left their home
country, so a homecoming is less meaningful. Obligation to Ancestors is more American,
particularly for Mormon (Latter-Day-Saints) respondents who consider their ancestor’s
well being to depend on religious actions by living descendents. Discussion should
address the numerous activities present in the VisitScotlande research (Ancestral
Tourism, 2006; ‘‘Tourist Board Training’’, 2008) to determine which motives offer most
satisfaction to each segment. Enhancing the preferred options should evolve from
analyzing relationships between travelers’ motives and activities.
3. Several different perspectives should guide responses. First, make sure that the top
percentage priorities (e.g. personal identity) are covered to train managers about the
necessity to provide ?exible tour schedules. Many tourists will want to separate themselves
from a group to visit individual home sites. Second, plans also may include coaching and
assistance at destination record keeping areas for those whose ancestral motivations
exceed their genealogical researching abilities. Guides and itineraries should direct
tourists to central records locations which tend to be in the major cities. Such activities can
coincide with visits to nearby tourist attractions. Topics drawn from the motivations list and
the VisitScotlande web sites provide background for discussion sessions on why the UK
and US visitors have different responses, interests and motivations.
PAGE 302
j
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF CULTURE, TOURISM AND HOSPITALITY RESEARCH
j
VOL. 3 NO. 4 2009
D
o
w
n
l
o
a
d
e
d
b
y
P
O
N
D
I
C
H
E
R
R
Y
U
N
I
V
E
R
S
I
T
Y
A
t
2
2
:
0
8
2
4
J
a
n
u
a
r
y
2
0
1
6
(
P
T
)
4. For personal identity, connection with place, as well as other historical artifacts (e.g.
speci?c events), a web site connection to online data records would be valued highly by
both UK and US tourists. The ability to ?nd public data locating or verifying a place would
strengthen the motive to visit the site that ‘‘great grandfather was born, married, lived,
died.’’ For Intellectual Challenge, the option of locating a genealogy help site addressing
local complex research issues would be desirable. The objective is to use the research to
identify what drives tourists to become interested and involved in the destination rather
than focus on a set of offerings that may already be provided by another service provider.
The signi?cant differences de?ne which activities would be most visited by UK and US
web visitors.
5. To best serve ancestral tourists, employees at destination sites should recognize that one
tourist segment (legacy tourists) is interested in more information than the location’s
history and the ‘‘star’’ historical ?gures. These tourists want to know who else was there.
Was my great-great grandfather a soldier, blacksmith, or prisoner here? Where do I go to
?nd out? What was his life like?
6. Employees of nearby hotels and restaurants could tie into the clan heritage theme.
Libraries and archives in both large cities and rural areas would bene?t fromsending their
employees to training. Rural areas might need the more training since large national
archives and libraries typically have marketing managers on staff. Historical societies are
another important source. Some historical societies should consider emphasizing legacy
tourism to members and plan speci?c genealogy tours.
Students also should think about opportunities indirectly related to legacy tourism that
leverage family history motives. Universities, especially those that recruit abroad,
sometimes recruit students with Scottish roots. Some universities also have genealogy
programs (e.g. University of Strathclyde in Glasgow). These specialized programs tend
to attract more non-traditional students. For example, retirees or people close to
retirement could form a target market.
As the Ancestral Tourism(2006) lea?et details, even organizers of golf packages can tie
into ancestral tourism. Those controlling ?shing rights in Scotland also could emphasize
their geographic connection to ancestral lands. Although businesses mainly involved in
golf and ?shing tourism do not perceive themselves to be in the ancestral tourism
business, they could bene?t from the specialized training.
7. Research methodologies are easy to criticize. Students should recognize immediately
that a nonprobability sample is used. While the sample does seem to be one of
convenience, students also should recognize that a ‘‘snowball’’ or referral sample
describes the data collection. Snowballing helps to obtain contacts at family history and
historical groups. An electronic survey should be considered at some point. Collecting
data on-line is both ef?cient and consistent with the method used by many consumers to
obtain their family history data. After collecting nearly 700 cases of in-person data, the
researcher should have a fairly good understanding of the reasons and in-depth
motivations behind ancestral travel. Electronic surveys would allow for more objective
measures. Students could suggest some objective measures for future data gathering.
8. Answers will vary. Some countries emphasize ancestral tourism more than others and
they do a better job of promoting the message. Students should consider some general
historical immigration history in the response preparation. For example, the Baltics and
Eastern Europe experienced emigration due to communist control and might see
descendents with different motivations.
Students should make use of their internet skills to gather ancestral tourism marketing
information and to evaluate the role that electronic databases play in a country’s overall
tourism marketing campaigns. Have technological advances helped or hindered the
country’s ancestral tourism efforts?
9. The exercise emphasizes the importance of ‘‘connection with place.’’ Sometimes the
place connection is a speci?c ancestral location. The Welsh-American tour includes visits
to National Libraries; the clan tour of Scotland did not. Perhaps some introduction to
VOL. 3 NO. 4 2009
j
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF CULTURE, TOURISM AND HOSPITALITY RESEARCH
j
PAGE 303
D
o
w
n
l
o
a
d
e
d
b
y
P
O
N
D
I
C
H
E
R
R
Y
U
N
I
V
E
R
S
I
T
Y
A
t
2
2
:
0
8
2
4
J
a
n
u
a
r
y
2
0
1
6
(
P
T
)
records research while in Edinburgh could have been included for those interested.
‘‘Intellectual challenge’’ is selected by large numbers of legacy tourists. Scottish tour
operators must deal with the Clan phenomenon and might research further the difference
between legacy clan tours (who may be more interested in living members of the clan or
extended family than in deceased relatives) and those trips taken by those with an
expressed interest in genealogy.
Table III shows most legacy tours tend to be made up of women, most of them senior
citizens. However, sometimes middle-aged people are legacy tourists too. They tend to take
several legacy trips (one particular trip may not be the only legacy trip they will take). Those
travelers of a particular religious faith will want relevant religious sites included.
Conclusions
While the knowledge and theoretical foundation of understanding heritage tourists’
motivations are in the early development stages, some motives are clearly strong driving
forces. This early research stage already identi?es segments based on genealogical tourism
motivations between nations as well as some universal values. Understanding these motives
increases effectiveness of service offerings employed by travel agency and tourism
destination managers.
The learning exercise questions present students and practitioners the opportunity to
convert conceptual motivation research to product attributes. Speci?c tourist offerings can
be developed to attract and satisfy ancestral tourists. Although this research is exploratory,
the data provides strong differential signals for decision-making. Since market segmentation
decisions depend on the methodology applied, future research should cover a broader
sampling of the population. New methodological approaches will strengthen the research’s
reliability and validity.
References
Ancestral Tourism (2006), ‘‘Partnership working, ancestral tourism imitative, tourism indicatives’’, Visit
Scotland, available at:http://staging.scotexchange.net/ancestral_lea?et_2006_-_low_res-2.pdf
(accessed 10 June 2008).
Balcar, M.J.O. and Pearce, D.G. (1996), ‘‘Heritage tourism on the West Coast of New Zealand’’, Tourism
Management, Vol. 1 No. 3, pp. 203-12.
Basu, P. (2004), ‘‘My own island home: the Orkney homecoming’’, Journal of Material Culture, Vol. 9
No. 1, pp. 27-42.
Basu, P. (2007), Highland Homecomings: Genealogy and Heritage Tourism in the Scottish Diaspora,
Routledge, New York, NY.
Brown, S., Hirschman, E.C. and MacLaran, P. (2000), ‘‘Presenting the past: on marketing’s re-production
orientation’’, in Brown, S. and Patterson, A. (Eds), Imagining Marketing: Art, Aesthetics and the
Avant-Garde, Routledge Interpretive Marketing Research, New York, NY, pp. 145-91.
Caˆ mpeanu, C.N. (2003), ‘‘Tourism, modernity, and heritage production at the Alamo’’, Advances in
Consumer Research, Vol. 30, pp. 357-60.
Collins, N. and Beggs, R. (2000), ‘‘Government and tourismin Northern Ireland’’, in Buttimer, N., Rynne, C.
and Guerin, H. (Eds), The Heritage of Ireland, The Collins Press, Cork, pp. 499-505.
Dickerson, D.J. (2006), ‘‘Searching for roots’’, Wall Street Journal, 17 November, p. W15.
Eagles, P.F.J. (1992), ‘‘The travel motivations of Canadian ecotourists’’, Journal of Travel Research,
Vol. 31 No. 2, pp. 3-7.
Eastman’s Online Genealogy Newsletter (2006), ‘‘The family history library – in Salt Lake City and near
you’ ’, January 20, available at:http://blog.eogn.com/eastmans_online_genealogy/2006/01/
the_family_hist.html (accessed 17 November 2006).
Evans, R. (1998), The Visitor’s Guide to Northern Ireland, The Blackstaff Press Limited, Belfast.
Exhibition (2008), ‘‘Who do you think you are?’’, available at: www.whodoyouthinkyouarelive.co.uk
(accessed 23 January 2008).
PAGE 304
j
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF CULTURE, TOURISM AND HOSPITALITY RESEARCH
j
VOL. 3 NO. 4 2009
D
o
w
n
l
o
a
d
e
d
b
y
P
O
N
D
I
C
H
E
R
R
Y
U
N
I
V
E
R
S
I
T
Y
A
t
2
2
:
0
8
2
4
J
a
n
u
a
r
y
2
0
1
6
(
P
T
)
Father and Son (2007), CitiBank television advertisement, used with permission of Publicis, New York,
NY.
Garrod, B. and Fyall, A. (2000), ‘‘Managing heritage tourism’’, Annals of TourismResearch, Vol. 27 No. 3,
pp. 682-708.
Heinlen, E. (2007), ‘‘Genealogy and the economic drain on Ireland: unintended consequences’’, First
Monday, Vol. 12 No. 1, available at:http://?rstmonday.org/issues/issue12_1/heinlen/index.html
(accessed 3 June 2008).
Homecoming Scotland (2008), ‘‘Come home and celebrate in 2009’’, available at: www.homecoming
scotland.com (accessed 17 January 2008).
Knox, D. (2008), ‘‘Spectacular tradition: Scottish folksong and authenticity’’, Annals of Tourism
Research, Vol. 35 No. 1, pp. 255-73.
McCain, G. and Ray, N.M. (2003), ‘‘Legacy tourism: the search for personal meaning in heritage travel’’,
Tourism Management, Vol. 24 No. 6, pp. 713-17.
MacDonald, A. (2007), ‘‘Trump dealt setback on a Scottish project’’, Wall Street Journal, 30 November,
p. B6.
Mackenzie, G., Slater, G. and Roberts, H. (2004), Family History and Tourism, Listening to the Past,
Speaking to the Future: The Report of the Archives Task Force, Museums, Libraries and Archives
Council, London, March.
MacLarty, L. (2008), ‘‘Trump furore prompts call for planning changes: business groups demand radical
overhaul’’, The Aberdeen Press and Journal, 17 March, p. 1.
Martin, D. (2007), ‘‘Management learning exercise and trainer’s note for building grounded theory in
tourism behavior’’, Journal of Business Research, Vol. 60 No. 7, pp. 742-8.
Nicholls, S., Vogt, C. and Jun, S.H. (2004), ‘‘Heeding the call for heritage tourism’’, Parks & Recreation,
Vol. 39 No. 9, pp. 38-49.
Palmer, C. (2005), ‘‘An ethnography of Englishness: experiencing identity through tourism’’, Annals of
Tourism Research, Vol. 32 No. 1, pp. 7-27.
Ray, C. (2001), Scottish Highland Games, Highland Heritage, The University of North Carolina Press,
Charlotte, NC.
Scottish Executive: The Scottish Government (2004), Scottish Roots – Dig into the Past, available at:
www.scotland.gov.uk/News/News-Extras/56 (accessed 20 January 2008).
Silberberg, T. (1995), ‘‘Cultural tourism and business opportunities for museums and heritage sites’’,
Tourism Management, Vol. 16 No. 5, pp. 361-5.
Tourist Board Training (2008), ‘‘Ancestral tourism, events and training, visit Scotland’’, available at: http://
staging.scotexchange.net/ancestral_tourism-2.pdf (accessed 10 June 2008).
Travel Industry Association of America (2003), The Historic/Cultural Traveler, 2003 edition.
Wall Street Journal (2007), Trump’s golf-resort plan in play as Scottish town relents, 13 December, p. A4.
Yale, P. (1991), From Tourist Attractions to Heritage Tourism, ELM Publications, Huntingdon.
Corresponding author
Nina M. Ray can be contacted at: [email protected]
VOL. 3 NO. 4 2009
j
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF CULTURE, TOURISM AND HOSPITALITY RESEARCH
j
PAGE 305
To purchase reprints of this article please e-mail: [email protected]
Or visit our web site for further details: www.emeraldinsight.com/reprints
D
o
w
n
l
o
a
d
e
d
b
y
P
O
N
D
I
C
H
E
R
R
Y
U
N
I
V
E
R
S
I
T
Y
A
t
2
2
:
0
8
2
4
J
a
n
u
a
r
y
2
0
1
6
(
P
T
)
This article has been cited by:
1. Anna Kwek, Ying Wang, David B. Weaver. 2014. Retail tours in China for overseas Chinese: Soft power or hard sell?. Annals
of Tourism Research 44, 36-52. [CrossRef]
2. Duncan Sim, Murray Leith. 2013. Diaspora tourists and the Scottish Homecoming 2009. Journal of Heritage Tourism 8,
259-274. [CrossRef]
3. Jungeun Kim, Monika Stodolska. 2013. Impacts of diaspora travel on ethnic identity development among 1.5 generation
Korean-American college students. Journal of Tourism and Cultural Change 11, 187-207. [CrossRef]
D
o
w
n
l
o
a
d
e
d
b
y
P
O
N
D
I
C
H
E
R
R
Y
U
N
I
V
E
R
S
I
T
Y
A
t
2
2
:
0
8
2
4
J
a
n
u
a
r
y
2
0
1
6
(
P
T
)
doc_231228515.pdf