Storytelling and Sense of Place: Visitor Experience

Dr Rebecca FinkelQueen Margaret University

rfinkel@qmu.ac.uk

Storytelling to Visitors

⚫ Scotland has a distinct national identity based on “long developed beliefs, stories, myths, songs and hero figures” (Devine, 2013).

⚫ National identity = strong sense of belonging and pride in place, heritage culture

⚫ This is known throughout world because of popular culture and diaspora

⚫ People feel 'pull' towards romanticised version & identify with idea of Scotland apart from UK

Scotland through the eyes of visitors

⚫ Castles

⚫ Harry Potter

⚫ Nessie

⚫ Festivals

⚫ Museums: V&A

⚫ Mountain biking/ hiking (WHW)

⚫ Material culture: bagpipes, kilts, tartan

Scottish identity through 'doing' gastronomy

> Iconography and ideological reference:Particular products linked to local identity connected to traditions and heritage (Burnett, 2004).

> Food spaces, such as markets, are places where people “gain national awareness, participate in a form of historic continuity(real or imagined), and also come into contact with others to foster national sentiment and belonging” (Congdon, 2015).

Food & Drink as National Icons

Food & Drink plays on common stereotypes to portray Scottish identity and

to convey traditional history to the world.

⚫ Whose history?

⚫ Whose identity?

⚫ Whose voices included/excluded?

⚫ More than stereotypes....

– But when do tourists discover this?

Fusion... Innovation... Scotland welcomes the world

Visitor Experiences / Expectations

⚫ Distilleries

– Whisky Experience

⚫ Breweries

– Sensory (e.g. smell of the city)

⚫ Farmers markets

– Bringing countryside to city centres

⚫ Farm tours, pick your own

– The best strawberries in the world! (Best kept secret in the world!)

Fine / Experiential Dining

⚫ Outside the main cities

Brings tourist spend to other areas

Non-urban experiences; coastal

Benefits to local communities

Fuels Scottish global brand

Organised Tours

⚫ Whisky / Beer

⚫ City walking tours

⚫ Seafood

⚫ Regional (Fife, Highlands)

⚫ With (e.g. golf)

⚫ Personalised (porridge, fudge)

Food Festivals

⚫ Big UK-wide: Foodies Festival in Edinburgh

⚫ Regional specialties: Golden Spurtle

⚫ Regional identities: Dumfries & Galloway; Skye

⚫ Mixed activities: Royal Highland Show

⚫ Distinctive: GIN!

Dedicated Food Tourism

⚫ How accessible is this to tourists?

– Logistics: transport, facilities, links

– Marketing: do they know about it before?

– Price: who can take up these experiences?

– Tour packages: inter-industry co-operation

– Data?

⚫ Are there ways to improve the pre-, during, after (word of mouth) visitor experiences to integrate food tourism more fully into already renowned cultural tourism?

Case example: Bilbao

Narrative of transformations

- International prestige based on culinary traditions

- Almost 40 Michelin-starred restaurants

- 7x 3* restaurants in Spain – 4x in Basque country

- 28 Michelin stars for 19 restaurants in Basque country

Food Tourism Strategies

Resisting increasing placeless-ness and global standardisation by emphasising pride in distinct

food heritage and identity

Social Media / Social Society

⚫ Instagram world – popular culture advantage

⚫ Invest in lived experience

⚫ More accessible to find out information before visitors arrive in the country

⚫ Go beyond stereotypes for increased inclusion

⚫ Increased communication/collaboration among food producers, suppliers, experiential activities and hospitality service providers

Opportunities

⚫ Islands

⚫ New routes

➢ NC500

⚫ New visitor markets, not just focus on overseas

⚫ International food brands

⚫ Diaspora

What's the next chapter in Scottish food story that we want to convey to the world?

Questions?