Narratives in tourism
One of the things I realized during our trip to Jordan is how important the role of the narratives is in tourism. When we were at the site where Jezus is supposed to be baptized, we got a tour from the manager of the site, Rustum Mkhjian. This man was so passionate about his religion, but also other religions and the site in general, that we all became very enthusiastic.
As Edward M. Bruner describes in his article ‘The role of narratives in tourism’[1], also pre-tour narratives are important for the experiences. When you have background information about places you go, you see everything in a different perspective.
I also realized this during our visit to Jerash, a city that has been saved from the Roman time. It makes a deep impression when you know that the place you are standing in at that moment was the main street of a village 2000 years ago, much more than if you would just be wandering around in the ruins.
In Jordan, there are so many important historical and religious places. It is important to know the stories behind these, so that you can fully realize the importance of the place you are standing in. This is why it is important to realize signs and such in touristic places.
Another part of this is the experience of tourists that turn into their own narratives as soon as they get back. This way, the narratives they learned about before their trips and experienced during, make their way back home for their friends and family to hear.
[1] Bruner, Edward M. 2005, University of Illinois. Berkely conference, On Voyage: New Directions in Tourism Theory
INSIGHTS INTO JORDANS PRIDES 
13 September 2015 at 21:32
There used to be a time I told stories about places we visited. It was not always appreciated, times change!
LikeLike
14 September 2015 at 14:12
However, sometimes I hear the stories about the past, and still cannot really encompass or realise that places have existed for such a long time. I strongly had that at Mount Nebo, for example. Even though I knew this was an important biblical place, in the end I could only actually focus on how beautiful the sunset was – something I felt a little stupid about..
LikeLike