Articles on Experiences

Articles on Experiences Edited by Mika Kylänen

Lapland Centre of Expertise for the Experience Industry (LCEEI) The Experience Institute project Cover photo by Mika Kylänen Layout by Anu Kulmala & Leena Janhila 2 nd edition ISBN 978-952-5585-39-5 University of Lapland Press Rovaniemi 2007

Articles on Experiences tarkastelee elämystaloutta kokonaisvaltaisesti. Erityisesti aihepiirit kuten elämyskäsi eistö ja määritelmät, elämystalouden eri muodot, elämykselliset elementit tuotannossa, elämystuo eet ja tulevaisuuden asiakkaat ovat keskiössä. Ensimmäinen elämysartikkelikokoelma sisältää kolmetoista tieteelliset mitat täy ävää artikkelia, joista neljä on englannin- ja yhdeksän suomenkielistä. Articles on Experiences -kokoelmat tähtäävät elämyskeskustelun laajentamiseen ja syventämiseen monitieteisellä lähestymistavallaan. Tämänkertaisessa kokoelmassa on mukana muun muassa muotoilun, matkailun, psykologian, markkinoinnin, kulutustutkimuksen, sosiologian ja liiketaloustieteen keskustelua. Articles on Experiences offers a holistic approach to experience economy. Especially discussions on experience concepts and definitions, forms of experience economy, experiential elements in production as well as experience products and customers of the future are highlighted. The first collection of experience articles introduces thirteen scholarly articles. Four of them are wri en in English and nine of the articles are in Finnish. Articles on Experiences series wishes to widen and deepen the discussion on experience economy with multidisciplinary approach. The collection includes disciplines such as design, tourism, psychology, marketing, consumer research, sociology and business economics.

Contents Ostaisin elämyksen, kiitos Pertti Aula, Jenni Romppainen, Piia Varanka... 10 Bridging the Global-Local Divide: Expectations of Indigenous Tourism Experiences in Lomanikaya Village, Fiji Islands Stephen Doorne... 16 Elämyksiä ja kul uuria kaupunkikohteessa Outi Liedes & Sanna Ketonen... 36 Flow emotionaalisena matkakokemuksena Marko Rintala... 56 Ihminen matkustaa, mu a miksi? Juha Perttula... 62 Luontoelämyksen olemus vaellusturistien kertomuksissa Seija Tuulentie... 80 Majoitus- ja ravitsemisala osana elämys- ja hyvinvointiteollisuuden pelitilaa Vesa Heikkinen... 94 Moderni suomalainen Itämeren elämysteollisuuden pelitilassa: tulkintoja Viron matkailijan asiakas- ja kulutuskäy äytymisestä Vesa Heikkinen... 102 The Structural Definition of Emotion and Experiences a Consumer Behavioural Approach Kirsi Meriläinen... 130

Tourism Experiences as A ention Products Can-Seng Ooi... 142 Tulevaisuuden matkaaja estee ömien elämysten arvostaja Riikka Juntunen... 158 Wintry Experiences in Eastern Finland: The Representations of Experiences in Travel Brochures Kati Pitkänen & Anja Tuohino... 164 Vähän mu a syvemmälle estee isen elämyksen kokemisesta Silja Nikula... 186

Johdanto Lapin elämysteollisuuden osaamiskeskus (LEO) ja Elämysinstituu i ovat keränneet kutsupohjaisesti kokoelman artikkeleita, jotka käsi elevät elämyksiä ja elämysteollisuu a. Artikkeleita lähete iin meille kaikkiaan 13. Artikkeleista osa on kirjoite u englanniksi ja osa suomeksi. Kaukaisin artikkeli tulee Fidzi-saarilta. Artikkelikokoelmalla on halu u valo aa elämyskäsi eistöä, elämystalouden periaa eita, elämyksellisyy ä sisältötekijänä sekä tulevaisuuden elämystuo eita ja -kulu ajia. Artikkelit on suoja u copyright lla ( ), ja niihin pyydetään vii aamaan seuraavasti: Kirjoi aja 2006: Artikkelin nimi. Teoksessa Kylänen, Mika (toim.): Articles on Experiences. Lapin elämysteollisuuden osaamiskeskus, Rovaniemi, ss. 7

8

Introduction Lapland Centre of Expertise for the Experience Industry and the Experience Institute have gathered up a collection of experience articles. The texts are collected on the basis of invitations, and there were 13 articles submi ed. Some of the texts are wri en in English and some in Finnish. The farthermost was sent from Fiji Islands. The articles submi ed relate to themes of experience concepts and images, experience economy, experiential elements in production and experience products and customers of the future. All articles are copyrighted ( ). References are asked to make as following: Author 2006: The name of the article. In Kylänen, Mika (ed.): Articles on Experiences. Lapland Centre of Expertise for the Experience Industry, Rovaniemi, pp. 9

Ostaisin elämyksen, kiitos Pertti Aula, Jenni Romppainen, Piia Varanka O Johdanto Tulevaisuuden elämystuo eet ja niiden kulu ajat, mitä ja keitä ne ovat? Voimme rahalla ostaa itsellemme lähes mitä tahansa tavaroita, palveluja ja elämyksiä? Mu a mikä on elämyksen luonne? Voidaanko puhua elämystuo eista? Voimmeko tulevaisuudessa marssia kauppaan ja lastata ostoskärryn täyteen elämyksiä? Elämys on tunnetason ju u, ei enää mikään epämääräinen huuhaa-käsite, sanovat B. J. Pine II ja J. H. Gilmore (1998, 38). Heidän mukaansa elämys on itsessään erote avissa oleva oma yksi äinen hyödyke, joka eroaa palveluksista yhtä selvästi kuin palvelukset eroavat tavaroista. Tässä artikkelissa pohditaan elämyksen olemusta tuo een kau a ja sitä, miten teollisessa muotoilussa voitaisiin huomioida elämysten tuo aminen. 10

Käyttäjälähtöinen näkökulma muotoiluun Perinteisesti muotoilu nähdään suunni eluna, jossa välineinä ovat värit, materiaalien käy ö, sommi elu ja muodon käy ö. Teollisen muotoilun tehtävänä on ollut olla osa tuotekehitysprosessia, jossa keskitytään tuo een käy öominaisuuksien ja ulkonäön suunni eluun. (Aula 2003, 11.) Viime aikoina tuotekehityksessä on noste u pinnalle myös ajatus käy äjälähtöisyydestä. Tämän näkökulman etuna on, e ä se näkee fyysisen tuo een lisäksi myös sen ympärillä vaiku avan yksilöllisen, sosiaalisen ja kul uurisen ympäristön tekijät, jotka mahdollistavat elämyksen syntymisen. Patrick Jordan (2000) näkee onnistuneen tuo een edellytyksenä sen kyvyn tuo aa omistajalleen ja käy äjälleen mielihyvää. Mielihyvää ja nautintoa tuo avia tuo eita voisikin sanoa elämystuo eiksi. Toiminnallisten ominaisuuksiensa lisäksi myyvä tuote onnistuu täy ämään myös ostajan tuo eelle ase amat sosiaaliset, psykologiset ja ideologiset vaatimukset. (Jordan 2000, 16 18.) Elämysten hallinta Jo pelkästään tuotemaailmasta löytyy esimerkkejä siitä, miten vaikeaa on hallita suunnitellun tuo een ja vastaano avan kulu ajan välistä vuorovaikutusta. Tuote voidaan suunnitella jollekin nimenomaiselle kohderyhmälle ja johonkin tie yyn käy öön. Kuitenkin saa aa käydä niin, e ä jokin toinen kulu ajaryhmä omaksuu tuo een ja vieläpä aivan toisenlaiseen käy öön. Matkapuhelinmaailmasta ote u esimerkki kertoo Benefonin valmistamasta ESC-nimisestä GPS-puhelimesta, jota nyt pari vuo a myöhemmin myydään metsästäjille koiratutkana. Laite ei menestynyt matkapuhelinmarkkinoilla, mu a saavu i GPS-paikantimensa ansiosta suuren suosion 11

metsästäjien keskuudessa. Koiran kaulassa oleva laite hakee paikkansa GPS-satellii ien perusteella ja lähe ää tiedot metsästäjällä olevaan lai eeseen tekstiviestin avulla. Metsästäjän lai eessa näytetään mm. koiran paikka kartalla, koiran etäisyys ja suunta metsästäjästä, koiralai een akun tila, koiran liikenopeus ja juoksusuunta sekä paikkatiedon ikä. Kuva 1. Pointer Koira-GPS/GSM-lähetin. Keinot elämysten hallintaan ovat vieläkin vähäisemmät jos niitä osa aisiin hallita, osa aisiin ihmisiä rahastaa elämyksillä muutenkin kuin pelkkien pääsymaksujen muodossa. Pine ja Gilmore (1998, 46) ovat pohtineet elämyksen hallinnan mahdollisuuksia ja eritelleet viisi tärkeää elämysten suunni elun periaate a. Lähtökohtana on, e ä elämys teemoitellaan. Vali ua teemaa on sen jälkeen tue ava myönteisillä vii eillä ja pyri ävä suojaamaan kielteisiltä vii eiltä. Lisäksi elämyksen on myytävä muistoja. Kaiken kruunaa lopulta se, 12

jos elämys kykenee työllistämään kaikki aistit. (Pine ja Gilmore 1998, 46 49.) Elämysten kontekstisidonnaisuus Tuo eilla on oma asemansa arjessa ja sosiaalisessa vuorovaikutuksessa. Niillä on oma merkityksensä elämysten syntymisessä. Tuo eet eivät ole ainoastaan työkaluja, sillä ihmiset ilmaisevat niiden avulla identitee iään, tuovat julki halunsa kuulua tie yyn ryhmään tai osoi avat niillä sosiaalista asemaansa. (Romppainen 2003, 25.) Tuo eiden elämyksellisyys onkin riippuvainen siitä sosiaalisesta ja kul uurisesta kontekstista, jossa tuote a käytetään. Hyvä esimerkki tästä on Alessin sitruspuserrin Juicy Salif. Se ei ole kovinkaan käy ökelpoinen esine, sillä varsinkin aloi elijalta puriste avan hedelmän mehu leviää helposti ympäri kei iötä. Silti se on joillekin ihmisille hyvin tärkeä ja toimii eräänlaisena statusta symboloivana esineenä. Sitruspusertimeksi se on melko kallis, mu a sitä pidetään designesineenä, koska se on Philippe Starckin suunni elema ja Alessin valmistama. Kontekstisidonnaisuus tulee kuitenkin ilmi siinä, e ä Juicy Salifin statusmerkitys katoaa, jollei noita tekijöitä tunneta. Jollekulle toiselle se on vain kummallinen kapistus, jolle ei näytä olevan mitään järkevää käy öä, puhuma akaan, e ä sen viitsisi lai aa esimerkiksi kirjahyllyyn esille. Kuitenkin Juicy Salif on saanut uudenlaisia elämyksiä aikaan esimerkiksi lasten keskuudessa. Kokonsa puolesta se on nimi äin juuri sopiva Barbie-nukkejen naulakkona ja siinä ympäristössä varmasti huikean hieno sisustuselemen i. Teollisessa muotoilussa tuo een yhtey ä ympäristöönsä tulisi tulkita käy ökontekstia laajemmin, yhteiskunnallisesti, kul uurisesti ja sosiaalisesti (Romppainen 2003, 25). Tulevaisuuden kulu aja on yhä yksilöllisempi ja vaativampi. Tuo eiden massaräätälöinnistä, kuten esimerkiksi 13

kännyköiden personoinnista ja henkilöautojen varustelusta, siirrytään vieläkin yksilöllisempiin tuo eisiin. On tiede ävä enemmän ihmisen elämästä, elämäntavoista, asenteista ja arvoista. Muotoilijan ja koko tuotekehitystiimin on kye ävä paremmin ymmärtämään ihmisten ostopäätöksiä ja heidän tapojaan käy ää tuo eita. Tieto ihmisen iästä tai sitä, kuinka paljon hän ansaitsee, ei enää riitä. (Romppainen 2003, 32.) Kuva 2. Sitruspuserrin Juicy Salif. Lopuksi Koskaan ei tule olemaan universaaleja elämystuo eita tai elämyskoneita, joita ostamalla, käy ämällä ja omistamalla kuka tahansa saavu aa elämyksen milloin tahansa. Elämys on henkilökohtainen kokemus, joita on niin nyt kuin tulevaisuudessakin yhtä paljon kuin niiden kulu ajiakin. Elämyksiä ei voi mitata tai laskea, eikä ihmisten tunteita suunnitella tai hallita. Tuote ja kulu aja kohtaavat toisensa silloin, kun tuote onnistuu tuomaan esille käy äjälleen mieluisia merkityksiä. Tällä hetkellä pystymme tutkimuksen keinoin tarkastelemaan tämän päivän tuo eita ja kulu ajia, ja laatimaan en- 14

nusteita siitä, millaisia merkityksiä tulevaisuuden kulu aja tuo eiltaan kaipaa esimerkiksi, missä sosiaalisissa ja kulttuurisissa konteksteissa he tulevat tuo eita tulevaisuudessa käy ämään. Nämä ovat ne lähtökohdat, joista käsin lähdetään muotoilemaan tulevaisuuden elämystuo eita. Lähteet Aula, P. 2003. Koska muotoilusta tulee muotoilua? Julkaisussa Aula, Pekkala, Romppainen: Merkillistä muotoilua. Taiteiden tiedekunnan julkaisuja. Sarja C. Katsauksia ja puheenvuoroja 26, 9 16. Pine II, B. J. & Gilmore, J. H. 1998. Tervetuloa elämystalouteen. Fakta 10/1998, 38 50. Romppainen, J. 2003. Sosiokul uurinen konteksti muotoilussa. Julkaisussa Aula, Pekkala, Romppainen: Merkillistä muotoilua. Taiteiden tiedekunnan julkaisuja. Sarja C. Katsauksia ja puheenvuoroja 26, 25 33. Kuva 1. Internet-lähde: h p://www.pointersolutions.com/fi/metsastys_koiragps.htm Kuva 2. Internet-lähde: h p://www.alessi.com/catalogo/ogge o/ Juicy%20Salif/citrus-squeezer/1055/110 15

B Bridging the Global-Local Divide: Expectations of Indigenous Tourism Experiences in Lomanikaya Village, Fiji Islands Stephen Doorne Introduction In the South Pacific, nations increasingly challenged by the pressures to integrate with the global economy are embracing tourism as a vehicle for social and economic development. Experiences of governments hosting tourism development in the region have however raised questions about the long term sustainability of mainstream tourism development in terms of environment, society and economy. In recent years a empts to foster alternative models of tourism development are being embraced, mostly labelled eco-tourism or community-based tourism, to deliver development benefits more widely and more directly than mainstream mass tourism. A common misconception around alternative forms of tourism, particularly ecotourism, is that there are relatively low barriers to entry. These forms of tourism do not rely heavily on infrastructural investment or other capital 16

intensive developments but instead make use of social and cultural capital for the development of products. Ecotourism as a concept has, however, been embraced at the community level on a global scale to the extent that tourism industries are rapidly becoming saturated with products espousing alternative tourism values. This combined with the rapid segmentation and fragmentation of tourism markets effectively raises sustainable entry barriers to a very high level in terms of product development and understanding of consumer psychology. This discussion examines the case of the Lomanikaya Ecotourism Project on the island of Vatulele south of Fiji s main island of Viti Levu. The case study illustrates a cultural distance between consumers and producers of tourism experiences particularly with respect to their expectations of the other. It is argued that this distance is widening to the extent that the development of community managed, sustainable and commercially viable ecotourism products in such places presents considerable challenges. The discussion identifies key issues emerging the proposal phase of the project and discusses strategies for development of a local experience economy. Background and Context The Fiji Islands are a group of over 300 islands located in the South West Pacific Ocean, are firmly branded in the global tourism industry as a tropical paradise destination. Promotional material is saturated with the iconic imagery stereotypical of island holiday environments, notably, blue skies, palm trees, clear turquoise blue sea, idyllic islands surrounded by coral reefs, muscular warriors and submissive maidens. As Hall and Page (1996, 1) observe, Fiji lives in the 17

18 minds of prospective tourists as the quintessential tourism image of sun, sea, surf and sand. Since the 1960 s, Fiji s tourism development has been largely dominated by transnational capital investment in the hotels and resorts sectors for the most part targeting families, couples and honeymooners. As such Fiji is regarded by many as a classic example of tourism dependency, leakage and enclave tourism (e.g. Bri on and Clarke, 1987; Bri on, 1991; Plange 1996; Stanley 1996). In recent years, however, with political unrest and changing tourism market structures, the emergence of alternative tourism markets are being encouraged as a mechanism for overcoming the inherent problems produced by the structure of the tourism industry in Fiji. In recent years, financial support mechanisms have become crucial components of the Government s tourism policy largely due to its perceived contribution to Fiji s triple bo om line development goals integrating economy, employment and the conservation of culture and tradition (Fiji Taskforce 2001). For the most part however the mainstream tourism industry dominated by multinational investment and foreign ownership continues to shape the profile of tourism in Fiji. The 2000 military coup effectively collapsed tourism in Fiji. Currently, however, annual visitor arrivals have been restored in excess of numbers preceding the unrest (Fiji Visitors Bureau, 2003). The largest two visitor markets are Australia and New Zealand closely followed by United States and United Kingdom. As noted earlier virtually all visitor markets to Fiji seek rest and relaxation experiences. Even rapidly growing backpacker markets, traditionally noted for seeking alternative and more adventurous experiences, mirror the experiential demands of other segments (Fifer, 2003). For Australian and New Zealand visitors, the bulk of the tourist arrivals, Fiji similarly represents a traditional hol-

iday destination and is commonly regarded as something of a playground in the backyard of these two countries. The tourism plant catering to these markets is typified by largescale resort complexes providing all-inclusive holiday deals to family groups and the broader age spectrum. The largest of these resorts are located along the southern Coral Coast running between Nadi in the west and Suva in the east. Although many of these resorts are mature, such as the Shangri-La s Fijian built in the 1960s, demand for these kinds of experiences remains strong. Challenges to these markets however include niche oriented tourism products offering more interactive experiences with both the natural and cultural environments. These emerging markets elsewhere in Fiji and the region have led the mainstream resort complexes to seek differentiating products which will take guests out of the traditional bubbled environment of the resort. To this end these resorts represent fertile ground for the marketing of experiential products by neighbouring villages and communities encouraged entering the tourism economy through the previously noted subsidies and donor support. The following discussion focuses on the issues emerging from the planning process for the Lomanikaya Eco Tourism Project, a village based initiative located on Vatulele Island 25km south of the Coral Coast. The project, currently being developed towards providing cultural experiences to visitors staying at the various resort complexes, illustrates the divide between the expectations of tourists and villagers as to what constitutes a Fijian village experience. Vatulele Island located on the eastern coast. Most of these villages have some relationship with the exclusive Vatulele Resort located on the picturesque western shore. Some villagers are employed in the resort in semi skilled jobs such as security, laundry services or room servicing. The more high profile positions are filled from elsewhere. The experiences of living with the resort led the elders of Lomanikaya 19

20 FIGURE 1. Map.

village to initiate their own tourism venture to provide alternative economic opportunities for the village, particularly its young people. In 2002 a proposal was submi ed to Canada Fund to seeing support for a high speed boat to take day-trip passengers from the Coral Coast to Lomanikaya as well as some infrastructural developments within the village necessary for hosting visitors. Canada Fund subsequently contracted the services of the Department of Tourism and Hospitality at the University of the South Pacific to appraise the proposal and liaise with villagers regarding the further development of the proposal. The following discussion reflects the issues emerging from this activity. Transportation to the island is central to the development of the product. The local boats which normally ply the waters between Vatulele and the Coral Coast take over three hours to complete the journey and have limited capacity. The boats are old, marginally seaworthy, and are normally filled beyond capacity with villagers and their produce. The boat sought by the project would complete the 25km journey in approximately 40 minutes and would seat up to 17 passengers in relative comfort and safety. This then became the number of visitors for whom the experiential product was designed. Once arriving at Lomanikaya village on Vatulele Island the project proposed that visitors would be traditionally welcomed at a purpose built shelter adjacent to the beach just to the north of the village. The welcome would normally include a kava ceremony or sevusevu following which the group would be guided for a walk through the village congregating at the central bureau, a large traditionally thatched meeting house in the centre of the village. On their tour of the village visitors would be able to observe the making of masi, a cloth made from the mulberry tree bark and beaten to form large sheets which are painted in tradi- 21

22 tional pa erns principally for ceremonial use. In recent years the village has become one of the major producers of masi for the tourist trade and has a standing order with the government handicra s shop in Suva. Following the village tour visitors would embark on a cross island walk with interpretation at points of interest along the way. Vatulele Island is home to the locally renowned red fresh water prawns which live in springs close to the village of Lomanikaya. The walk would take visitors through the village s subsistence plantations and through a forested area where traditional medicines are gathered. Further along the walk visitors would be taken by a cultural tabu site with fortifications from the tribal warfare period preceding the Christian era. Also nearby is an archaeological site with sca ered remnants of ancient po ery and other evidence of early human habitation. At the end of the cross island walk visitors would arrive at the spectacular western beach owned by the Lomanikaya village. The proposal suggested that visitors would have lunch provided for them here and they could take the opportunity to swim and relax before returning to the village along a more direct route. In summary the ingredients and natural resource base on which the product was designed were of very high quality and of significant interest if interpreted well. The project in its initial appraisal had the capacity to offer high quality experiences to potentially lucrative and well established markets. Each visitor would expect to pay around $120 per head for the experience, on a par with top-end day trips operating elsewhere in Fiji - providing appropriate levels of service and plant quality could be achieved.

Challenges to Product Development Despite the promising opportunities detailed by the proposal some significant challenges remained for the development of a viable visitor experience. The first and perhaps the most intractable problem facing the villagers is that of rubbish li ering the beaches, villages and all areas where there is a human presence. The coast where visitors are expected to board the boat to the island is used by all boats going to Vatulele and at any one time has numerous people waiting around for boats to come and go. Given that there is no local authority rubbish collection along the Coral Coast the area is heavily li ered with rubbish particularly plastic bags, packaging, bo les, glass and discarded refuse from the boats (fuel cans, old rope, broken containers etc.). At the village of Lomanikaya on Vatulele the beach is similarly strewn with refuse. The last five years in particular has seen the scale of this pollution rise dramatically. During this time virtually all shops in Fiji use plastic bags to package customer purchases. There has been a dramatic rise in the level of plastic packaging with food goods but most significantly there has been FIGURE 2. Rubbish on Lomanikaya beach. 23

24 li le local awareness of how to manage and deal with waste of this kind. In the traditional village environment packaging for food is normally made from natural resources such as woven Pandanus, coconut fronds or banana leaves. The normal way of disposing of such packaging is simply to discard it into the undergrowth where it breaks down as part of natural decomposition. Unfortunately in the present day non-biodegradable packaging is disposed of in the traditional way. For approximately two kilometres either side of Lomanikaya village the beach is heavily li ered with rubbish reaching 5 10 meters inland from the high tide mark. For any visitor from Australia or New Zealand where environmental education is a well entrenched facet of society this fact alone renders the product unviable as a visitor experience let alone an ecotourism experience. The mainstream visitor markets from Australasia are also relatively experienced travellers and are experienced day trip consumers. The concept of environmental integrity is regarded as central to the visitor experience particularly when the concept of ecotourism is evoked. These expectations are fuelled by the ubiquitous use of promotional imagery by the Fiji Visitor s Bureau featuring pristine beaches and high quality natural environments. Ultimately success for the product means providing experiences which will match these expectations. The villagers at Lomanikaya complain that the rubbish comes from boats or dri s across from villages on the Coral Coast. Only a brief visit to the village however is sufficient to illustrate that it is the villagers themselves who need to change their waste management practices as much as any others. The problem of rubbish pollution is widespread throughout the Fiji Islands and particularly along the Coral Coast. So apparent is the problem that in 2002 an association of tourism industry initiated the Fiji Anti Li er Campaign specifically directed at cleaning up li er regularly and education programs with schools and villages

along the Coral Coast. Most significant for the villages of Lomanikaya are that their daily experience of polluted beaches is simply normal. Not only do they not notice the rubbish but they have no conception that a heavily polluted beach verges on sacrilege to even mildly discerning consumers of natural experiences. This issue is perhaps most illustrative of the global local divide which separates the unreal almost disneyfied western expectations from the day to day realities of life in the global periphery. The scale of the problem at Lomanikaya is such that, whilst a beach clean-up could be conducted at considerable cost, time and resources, changing the lifelong habits of villagers may take years. In a perverse way the ostentatious discarding of a coke bo le, for example, announces a certain status on the thrower that he or she uses western consumer goods and engages even to some extent in the cash economy. The problems of waste disposal are not only issues of rubbish collection and disposal but are bound within complex of issues surrounding changing identities in a developing world culture. The previously noted marketing imagery used by the Fiji Visitor s Bureau is instrumental in establishing expectations not only of the natural environment but of the social and cultural realm also. Traditional housing in Fiji consists of Pandanus thatched single room houses with woven walls around bamboo and timber framing. Whilst these houses are relatively sophisticated in terms of their workmanship and use of natural resources they are relatively fragile in extreme cyclone conditions. Consequently in contemporary Fijian villages only the main bureau or meeting house retains traditional architecture. For most rural Fijian families houses are built of concrete blocks and corrugated iron, sometimes with glass windows. These dwellings are subsidised by government and available to build at a cost of around $1 per block, or approximately $1200 per house. Water comes normally via a pump shared by several houses and toilets are normal- 25

FIGURE 3. Traditional and typical houses in Fiji. ly separate and connected to septic tank systems. Cooking facilities are also usually separate huts built of corrugated iron and using firewood fuel. Visitors seeking cultural experiences in Fiji normally have expectations skewed towards traditional architecture and ways of life. Thus marketing a village based cultural experience in the average Fijian village is o en found pushing against a tide of idealised imagery outside of their control. Similar issues emerge with respect to food. Tropical island holidays the world over are normally associated with 26

imagery of highly prepared tropical fruits and local delicacies. In Fiji fruit and seafood are also ubiquitously displayed in promotional imagery, an iconography which is replicated across the resort restaurant environment. In Fiji in particular there is very li le synergy between the resort industry and local food producers. Whilst fruits are commonly sourced locally by far the majority of food resources used in mainstream hotels is imported. There is correspondingly li le awareness of Pacific cuisine and local dishes. Again the reality of food preparation and hygiene in the Fijian village environment exposes a further gulf of expectations between host and guest. Day to day Fijian meals normally consist of cassava or dalo (starchy root vegetables) with boiled or fried fish and are normally relatively bland compared with the cuisines of, for example, South East Asia. The proposal submi ed by the project revealed that the villagers had li le or no appreciation of the expectations of potential guests. Product development visits to the village also identified the need for hygiene education for those involved in food preparation. Also recommended was appropriate training in food handling, service and basic hospitality catering. The reality of host guest relationships for the most part demands that FIGURE 4. Marketing images of tropical foods in Fiji. 27

28 the producer conform to the demands and expectations of the guest in order to be deemed value for money by western consumer cultures. The need to educate prospective visitors about the nature of village life was therefore identified as a critical area of a ention that is, shaping consumer expectations towards more realistic experiences. As noted above a number of practices regarding hygiene and food security emerged as significant issues needing to be addressed. The competitive environment of the tourism industry today demands that a ention to these elements is mandatory for any quality experience product. Although toilet facilities are normally adequately maintained their proximity to the food preparation and kitchen areas requires that significant infrastructural redevelopment would be required, particularly considering the number of flies common to many villages. It is these core safety concerns which feature highly on the hierarchy of needs for both visitors and the resorts. Any suggestion of food poisoning or other concerns emerging from the village would result in instant withdrawal of support and the collapse of business operations. Again the structure of relationships in this instance demands that producer standards conform to the needs and demands of visitors. Given that the changes recommended in the product development phase would result in considerable changes to lifestyle practices to cater for the targeted visitor markets the question emerges as to the extent to which the experiences created retain the integrity of a contemporary Fijian village environment. An unfortunate reality is that the daily lives of remote Fijian villages o en displays few characteristics which would make it marketable in an industry predominantly dedicated to producing fake experiences. Other issues were identified by the product development process including the need for guides to develop their language skills sufficiently to communicate adequately with