A strategic communication approach to resilience in tourism regions

Description

Aim This research explores how the Covid-19 pandemic has reconceptualised the relationship between the urban and rural in tourism regions. Especially, this paper discusses the relationship between media narratives and tourism flows, and the implications for resilience in tourism regions. This paper departs from theories of geography of communication (GoC). Media and communication scholars have this far been largely absent from resilience theorising and research (Houston et al., 2015). GoC explores the interconnectedness of media and space (e.g. Warf & Arias, 2009; Adams & Jansson, 2012). Methodology The data consists of interviews with stakeholders (DMO representatives, managers of nature reserves and tourist attractions) and online news media texts on the region Scania, Sweden. A paradigmatic analysis of narratives that locate common themes or conceptual manifestations was conducted (cf. Polkinghorne 1995). Analysis, conclusions, and discussion The analysis shows the intimate relation between resilience in places and media narratives, and how the latter transform both conceptions and practices about resilience in places. Rural places are contrived as places of physical distance and attractive for visitors. These are constructed as sustainable and safe even with large numbers of visitors. The GoC-approach to resilience reveals how the constitution of resilience in urban destinations is moulded by the politics of media and communication practices. References Adams, P. C. & Jansson, A. (2012) Communication Geography: A Bridge Between Disciplines. Communication Theory, 22(3), 299–318. Houston, J. B., Spialek, m. L., Cox, J., Greenwood, M. M., & First, J. (2015). The Centrality of Communication and Media in Fostering Community Resilience: A Framework for Assessment and Intervention, American Behavioural Scientist, 59(2), 270-283 Lew AA. Tourism planning and place making: place-making or placemaking? Tourism Geographies. 2017;19(3):448-466. Polkinghorne, D. (1995). Narrative configuration in qualitative analysis. Qualitative studies in education, 8(1), 5- 23. Warf, B. & Arias, S. (2009). The Reinsertion of space in social sciences and humanities. In B.Warf, & S. Arias (Eds). The spatial turn: interdisciplinary perspectives: 1-10. London: Routledge.

Period	2021 May 4
Held at	Lund University
Degree of Recognition	Local