Interpretation and tourism: holy grail or emperor’s robes?

Abstract

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.comEmerald 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. Abstract Purpose -This paper aims to address the question -is heritage interpretation an effective tool in tourism?Design/methodology/approach -The author takes a critical stance seeking to identify and evaluate key assumptions and questions about the nature and effectiveness of heritage interpretation as a tourism management tool. Findings -There are significant gaps in the available research into interpretation and in those areas that have been studied, there is only limited evidence that interpretation is effective. There are few important findings in this area and even where there are some sound and useful conclusions, they still do not address some of the more fundamental concerns about interpretation more broadly. Research limitations/implications -The paper identifies a set of topics for future research based on the outcomes of the review and consideration of the critiques of interpretation that could be used to improve and extend interpretation in tourism.Originality/value -By taking a critical perspective on interpretation and questioning the untested and implicit assumptions about the nature and role of this activity within tourism, the paper identifies issues relevant to the conduct of tourism research more generally that have been given little attention in the academic literature to date.

Exploring the implications of cultural diversity for environmental learning at an African aquarium

“…Based on these outcomes, more practical suggestions for changes to the design of activities and interpretation to improve environmental learning are provided in Section 6.5. While previous research has shown that conservation messages are an important component of a wildlife tourism experience , the effectiveness of conservation messages in interpretation has received little attention (Moscardo, 2014). More than half of the visitors in this study did not recall a single conservation message, a finding in common with previous research (Schultz & Joordens, 2014).…”

“…It can also be used to reduce the negative impacts of visitors often associated with leisure settings (banging on glass, flash photography, feeding animals or other actions that may impact on animals) and encourage voluntary compliance. However, despite widespread acceptance of the value of interpretation in tourism, there remain questions about the nature and effectiveness of interpretation as a tourism management tool (Moscardo, 2014).…”

Why Are Heritage Interpreters Voiceless at the Trowel's Edge? A Plea for Rewriting the Archaeological Workflow

“…Underlying most such applications, however, is a focus on communication of knowledge to, and education of, the nonspecialist public (Staiff 2014). Moscardo effectively captures this focus in her review of the practice: “Heritage interpretation is defined as persuasive communication activities, such as guided tours, brochures and information provided on signs and in exhibitions, aimed at presenting and explaining aspects of the natural and cultural heritage of a tourist destination to visitors” (2014:462).…”

A Review of Environmental Interpretation Research in the West in the Past Decade

“…Interpretation Australia (2014) regarded heritage interpretation as a communication between thoughts and feelings to help people know more about themselves and the environment where they live. The British Association for Heritage Interpretation (2014) viewed that interpretation enriches people's life through motivating their emotion, enhancing their experience, deepening their understanding of places, folks, and events as well as objects [7]. Based on what is mentioned above, it can be concluded that the words frequently mentioned in the definitions of interpretation are education, communication, information, interpretation, meaning, understanding et al …”