Welcome!
Welcoming international visitors…. what does this entail?
Already you should have a feeling about this as it relates to words like 'relationship', 'culture' and 'inter-culturality' which we have been discussing in the unit on Tourism, Culture and Communication.
To set the scene, some pretty obvious points:
- a visitor from another nation is one not at home, not surrounded by the 'security blanket' of his/her own culture, he/she is, at worst a fish out of water' . (see image half way down this linked page). Think about Maslow and his famous 'Heirarchy of Needs': take a person away from their home culture and they are potentially cut off from their normal sources of supply of things that can meet even base physiological, and security needs, let alone needs of belonging and other 'higher' needs and wants. This is potentially de-stabilising and is potentially behind the needs of certain international tourists for a standard product that they recognise and trust: a Hilton hotel… a Mc Donalds meal etc.
- We in the Tourism industry have 'institutionalised' and commoditised the act of 'hospitality' towards the stranger. It was, from time immemorial, almost an 'unwritten law' that one sheltered, fed and aided strangers without charge on the basis that we ourselves, or members of our family might one day be strangers somewhere else and be grateful for such hospitality. In many cultures this became a matter of honour and the guest received the very best, even at the expense of the family members themselves ("FHB"). Can a commercialised 'service', provided by profit-making industries and institutions EVER replace this welcome of the stranger into our homes and lives? A moot point. Can the cultural exchange ever be as direct, as heartfelt, as valuable to the host and the guest in the modern, commercial version of 'hospitality'?
Naomi James reading: Samoa
TASK 1.
So, what exactly is 'welcome'?
What is it that makes us feel 'welcome' (and is this the same for everyone?)
How can the modern Tourism / Hospitality industry translate the traditional form of 'welcome', freely given as a matter of personal and family honour, into a commercial 'service' to be bought and sold? Is it indeed possible or will our modern equivalent be forever a pale shadow of the welcome of yesteryear?
TASK 2.
If the above answers to T1 represent 'Welcome', then how can we make sure that all international visitors receive what they consider to be a good, or preferably 'excellent',welcome? Think Who, What, When , Where and How….. Is this something that every individual knows how to do automatically or is there more to it than that?
TASK 3.
Do certain different cultures or different types of people (those with 'special needs' for example) require a different type of 'welcome'? Does Geert Hofstede's work (on cultural differentiation) help us in this respect perhaps?
TASK 4.
How can one measure the quality of welcome for international visitors? How is France doing? ….. and Alsace?
Use clickalsace.com? to identify the principal markets for Alsace and establish whether there are any market profiles for them.
Thinking of the British market for a moment (given you speak English rather than, say, Dutch), how can you 'get to know' the character of British people and how might that help you to improve Alsace's 'welcome' to its British clientele? Does the British Government's Office of National Statistics offer information from which you could come to better understands British people?
See:
Social Trends 41: Lifestyles (see this link and look on list)
Social Trends 41. Households and Families also Population Study
UK Overseas travel and tourism monthly
[ASIDE: given our work on Definitions of Tourism, you should also be interested in this short report (very helpful)]
FINALLY: does Alsace have anything like 'Welcome Host' to improve l'acceuil?
LINKS. UK: Welcome Host – a case study
Welcome Host range of professional development / training courses
About Me
Here is the link to my professional site personal profile if you are that desperate to know a bit about me, my career and life and thoughts in general! Surprising how many actually read it!