Abstract
This research explored the image of Wales as a nation and a potential tourism destination in relation to the 2010 Ryder Cup. Despite being promoted and positioned as the third biggest sporting event in the world remarkably little academic research has focused on the Ryder Cup. As part of some ongoing research into this mega-event the study focuses upon the images of Wales and attempts to tease out the dominant narratives shaping tourism development in the country. By undertaking a survey of students at a large state university in the USA, we wanted to explore perceived images of this small nation. Results are positioned against readings of the official documentation of key stakeholders involved in the 2010 Ryder Cup, in an attempt to further explore and unpack some of the meanings surrounding image within policy narratives. This case shows that there are many challenges facing those developing tourism in Wales and that the nation struggles to promote itself as a distinct and identifiable entity. The research considers the impact of the Ryder Cup on Wales and points to some of the issues shaping tourism policy in the country.
Highlights
The small nation of Wales represents an interesting case to explore image and tourism in relation to a mega sporting event
In offering an analysis of the 2010 Ryder Cup, and its positioning within and around wider tourism policy, we focus on the area of image as being one that offers an interesting means of developing our understanding of the significance of mega sporting events to tourism policy development
In the discussion that follows we will refer to the data from the case-study and attempt to position this in and around the official documentation of organizations such as Ryder Cup Wales and Visit Wales
Summary
The small nation of Wales represents an interesting case to explore image and tourism in relation to a mega sporting event. 38-52 from a very poor image where negative stereotypes appeared in many spheres, positioned alongside a narrative of postindustrial decline that saw the nation depicted in a largely negative fashion Pitchford (1995) looked at the positioning of Wales as an internal colony of England and noted the perceived ‘backwardness’ of the former in coreperiphery relations (see Aaron & Williams, 2005). Image plays a key role in understanding the power dynamics which influence the perceptions of any ‘marginal’ nation and in this paper we focus on image as an important facet of tourism promotion and look at the role of the Ryder Cup as a means of projecting a particular image of Wales
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