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national character
While complex and under threat from globalisation
and nationalism, national character can be
a valuable and stable marketing tool for tourism.
It is the stereotypical personality that most host
and guest populations hold in their mind when
they think of a particular country or community of
people. It is directly related to the culture of a
country and is reflected in how its citizens view
themselves, as well as in how they are viewed by
the rest of the world. In reality, most countries are
very complex, with national characters that have
formed over a long period of settlement and nation
building.
The overall national character of a country is
most easily seen in its international relations and
the personalities of its institutions. Thus, some
countries are aggressive in international diplomacy
while others work quietly behind the scenes. Some
are characterised as logical and business oriented,
while others are romantic and artistic. These
stereotypes are more fundamental than the daily
changes in a country's political or economic
circumstances. While tourism images of a country
as a destination may change rapidly as a result of
sudden misfortunes, the underlying character of the
nation changes very slowly. This make national
character an important part of a country's
marketing plan.
The process of accurately generalising the
complexities of a country's character is difficult,
and can be offensive to minorities who may see it
as ethnic nationalism. However, positive images
that reflect the national character of a country play
a major role in their promotion as destinations �see
also promotion, place). It is efficient to be able
to portray the character of a country in a single
image or icon, such as the maple leaf for Canada
or the Eiffel Tower for France �see ethnography;
marker). Tourism marketers hope that the more
stable national character is what will attract tourists
through changing political and economic fortunes.
There is some concern that distinct national
characteristics are being acculturated �see acculturation)
and displaced by globalisation. Tourism
is accused in this process because of its
tendency to modernise traditional societies and
Anglicise everyone else. The governments of some
countries �such as France and Indonesia) are
responding to this by requiring that elements of
the national culture, especially language, not be
displaced by foreign influences on signs and in the
media. At the same time, knowledge of a nation's
character is important for increased international
understanding and cross-cultural
management in tourism.
See also: myth; semiotics; sociology
Further reading
Crompton, J.L. �1979) Àn assessment of the image
of Mexico as a vacation destination and the
influence of geographical location upon that
image', Journal of Travel Research 17�4): 18±23.
�Uses semantic differentials to characterise
different areas in Mexico to derive an overall
image of the country.)
Lew, A.A. �1992) `Perceptions of tourists and tour