Remember the Alamo: A Cross-Cultural Analysis of Visitor Meanings

Hui-Nien Lin, Mark Morgan, Theresa Coble

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

Abstract

Honoring a memorialized past while being responsive to the needs of contemporary visitors is a challenge for heritage tourism managers. Visitor-employed photography (VEP) and a means–end investigation were used to identify, organize, and explain numerous descriptions of the Alamo in San Antonio, Texas. Nine images were obtained through VEP and used during 71 on-site interviews (41 Anglo and 30 Hispanic visitors). Four primary meanings about the images were articulated by visitors, including patriotism, remembering and reembracing history, multiculturalism, and identity. However, the explanations given to achieve these outcomes differed between Anglo and Hispanic respondents. Managerial implications in relation to heritage tourism sites were discussed.
Original languageAmerican English
JournalJournal of Travel Research
Volume52
DOIs
StatePublished - Jan 1 2013
Externally publishedYes

Disciplines

  • Social and Behavioral Sciences
  • Sociology

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