An Analysis of Service Provision and Visitor Impacts Using Participant Observation and Photographic Documentation: The National Cherry Blossom Festival

Abstract

Using participant observation and photographic documentation, a study of the National Cherry Blossom Festival was conducted to evaluate service provision and impacts on National Mall and Memorial Parks (National Mall) resources. Specifically, the researchers examined the adequacies of National Park Service facilities and services to meet festival visitors' needs as well as assessed human impacts on the natural and cultural resources in the National Mall. The study results suggested that the nature of this cultural event led to intense, concentrated consumption and usage of facilities, services, and natural resources, making it difficult for management to keep up with visitor demand and risking long-term degradation of the natural resources. Detailed recommendations set forth a plan of action to protect the natural resources while not overly constraining visitor behaviors. Managers of large and small cultural festivals around the globe subject to these same carrying capacity issues can benefit from the recommendations put forth in this study. Additionally, the participant observation and photographic documentation methods applied in this study can be utilized in evaluating visitor behaviors and impacts in festival and event contexts.

Exploring visitor experience at a mountain attraction

“…The findings led to detailed recommendations regarding visitors’ perceived experience (Park et al, 2010). Some studies extended the traditional participant observation method by adding new dimensions like conversations (Barbieri et al, 2012) and photography (Park et al, 2010; Rakić and Chambers, 2010).…”

“…Some tourism and hospitality studies employed participant observation in various situations like volunteer tourism in Rwanda (Barbieri et al, 2012), British Stag tourism in Poland (Thurnell-Read, 2012), or a Cherry Blossom Festival in Washington, DC (Park et al, 2010). The findings led to detailed recommendations regarding visitors’ perceived experience (Park et al, 2010).…”

“…Some tourism and hospitality studies employed participant observation in various situations like volunteer tourism in Rwanda (Barbieri et al, 2012), British Stag tourism in Poland (Thurnell-Read, 2012), or a Cherry Blossom Festival in Washington, DC (Park et al, 2010). The findings led to detailed recommendations regarding visitors’ perceived experience (Park et al, 2010). Some studies extended the traditional participant observation method by adding new dimensions like conversations (Barbieri et al, 2012) and photography (Park et al, 2010; Rakić and Chambers, 2010).…”

A multi-stakeholder approach: using visual methodologies for the investigation of intercultural exchange at cultural events

“…Considering that writing on visual methodology refers very often to the capturing of 'experience' it is surprising that it has not been utilised more within events research. One of the few studies that can be cited from event studies is one conducted by Park, Daniels, Brayley and Harmon (2010) which looked at photographic documentation as part of participant observation at the National Cherry Blossom Festival to aid the analysis of the facilities and services at the festival to meet the needs of the visitors. Although some ideas for research design can be taken from this study (for example, selecting specific areas of the festival site to undertake visual research), it is not based within ethnographic or phenomenological paradigms and does not investigate a specific phenomenon of the event experience.…”