The visitor information centre (VIC) play a valuable role in the distribution of tourism-related information in most areas in South Africa that are frequented by tourists. They also provide a contact point for human interaction where trust can be built between the VIC staff and visitor, thereby making the destination a more worthwhile and valued experience. The main role of the VIC is to provide information in the form of knowledge also referred to as value-added information. Today, the VIC, as intermediary, could be left behind as the Internet (of which social media is part) has become a powerful source of information for tourists and marketing tool for hotels and tourist attractions without them having to spend millions of Rands on alternative marketing strategies. This study sought to establish whether VICs still have a role to play in the South African tourist industry with the increasing presence of social media. A mixed method research methodology was applied, combining both qualitative and quantitative techniques. In-depth interviews were conducted with the staff and managers of selected visitor information centres in Cape Town and Johannesburg, respectively. The interviews were transcribed and the findings are presented in Chapter 5. Questionnaires was distributed, online, to a sample of 200 visitors, using Qualtrics. Overall, the aim of the study is to furnish information about the value of VICs in the tourism industry, including the role played by demographics in respect of social media usage, in order to help improve the functioning of VICs as a knowledge base that adds value to the process of making South Africa one of the top 20 tourism destinations, globally, by 2020. / Dissertation (MCom)--University of Pretoria, 2016. / Tourism Management / MCom / Unrestricted

There is a limestone quarry on Öland that was active between 1888 and 2019.  Now that Cementa has ceased mining, the quarry is about to be naturally flooded with rainwater and infiltrating groundwater. In 20 years from now, the water level will be 5 meters higher than today.  As a final proposal I present a multifunctional visitor’s center placed on a peninsula that will eventually transform into an island. The quarry is popular amongst birds and the observation tower makes it possible to study them closely. The exhibition hall can show work from Öland’s many artists and the flexible square can host everything from yoga classes to dance nights. A small kiosk sells ice cream and sandwiches. The changing booths, lockers, restrooms and saunas enable you to enjoy this place in every season, protected from the sometimes very rough elements that is Öland’s signature. For each year the water level will rise and create a new experience, even for returning visitors. When the surface has reached its highest point in the 2040’s, the center will appear floating on the water surface and welcome you on a path framed with casted stone walls pushing the water aside.

In August of 2012, the Outdoor Industry Association (OIA) sent a letter to President Barack Obama asking him to designate the Greater Canyonlands National Monument (GCNM). The proposed 1.4 million acre national monument would surround the already present 337,570 acre Canyonlands National Park, and would include public lands/waterways from five Utah counties. The OIA’s goal for the GCNM is to preserve the landscape for quality outdoor recreation by decreasing the amount of off-highway vehicle use and to eliminate the possibility of oil/gas drilling and mining. Given the proposal highlights outdoor recreation use benefits as the main catalyst for justification of additional conservation/protection of lands surrounding Canyonlands National Park, this study surveyed recreationists in the Indian Creek Corridor—an area within the boundaries of the proposed GCNM—to explore their attitudes toward the GCNM and the management of the area. This study examined how environmental orientation, place dependence, place identity, residential proximity, and recreational activity type related to attitudes toward the GCNM. Environmental orientation and residential proximity were both good predictors of attitudes toward the GCNM and the management of the Greater Canyonlands area. More biocentric-oriented people, and people who lived farther away from the Greater Canyonlands area, were more likely to have favorable attitudes toward the GCNM and were more opposed to land uses such as mining and energy development. In addition, visitors were largely “unsure” if the GCNM should be designated. Visitors felt most strongly that if the GCNM is going to be designated, the process of designation, the land that would be included, and management of the GCNM should be agreed upon by stakeholders before the monument is designated. This suggests a quick designation via public proclamation under the Antiquities Act of 1906 could largely exacerbate the already present conflict over public land management in the region, which would create an even more difficult environment for federal land managers.

Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis (IUPUI) / In this era of globalization, people have more opportunities to meet many ethnic groups in their daily lives whether it is in schools, in the workplace, or even in the private sector or in government. Interacting with people from other countries can enhance our knowledge of cultural diversity and provide us with an international perspective. There are many ways of enhancing cultural understanding such as attending international festivals. While research on festivals is fast growing, study on visitors’ attitudes toward diverse cultures is relatively unexplored. This paper used a visitor attitude scale, a modified M-GUDS-S, to investigate visitors’ behavioral, cognitive, and/or affective components of diversity attitudes. The research was conducted at the 2014 Indy International Festival and focused on measuring visitation frequency, stay-time at the event, similar event participation, cultural interest, and overseas travel experience contributing to any observed differences on visitors’ attitudes. Also, the visitors’ intention to travel overseas after attending this festival was investigated. A total of 195 visitors was surveyed on site with 176 providing usable data. The findings suggest that international festivals play an important role in improving visitors’ awareness, appreciation, and acceptance of diverse cultures. Specifically, visitation frequency, the time spent at the event, and personal interest in cultures have significant influence on attitudes.

Section 30213 of California Coastal Act requires the California Coastal Commission (“CCC”) to protect, encourage, and, where feasible, provide for lower cost overnight visitor accommodations (“LCOVA”) along the State’s coast. As mitigation measure consistent with this charge, the CCC imposes a $30,000 fee for 25 percent for rooms of new hotel developments determined to be higher cost (the “$30,000/25% fee”), in-lieu of LCOVA facility provision. Generally, the CCC applies this fee in two circumstances: (1) As an ad hoc fee for developers upon CCC review of coastal development permit (“CDP”) applications, and (2) as a legislatively imposed fee to be adopted by coastal jurisdictions upon CCC review of a local coastal program (“LCP”) or related policy. This paper explores the policy and legal implications of the $30,000/25% fee. The findings of this paper show that the $30,000/25% fee likely fails the applicable Federal California legal tests governing monetary exactions.

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During the 18th and 19th centuries, the evolution of artillery has commanded the evolution of military architecture. Fortifications physically depict a representation of the history of engineering and architectural principles; including strategic site placement, materiality, construction methodology, principles of weaponry, defense and design layout. Visiting any one of these enigmatic and monumental structures offers a walk into the past, a glimpse into the ideologies, cultures and sentiments of its conception. Fortifications, particularly American fortifications, lay silent waiting for visitors to unlock their contributions to the national and local historic fabric. Fort Washington is one such structure located within Fort Washington Park, Maryland perched above the Bank of the Potomac River where it long protected the Nation's Capital. Through my research, I propose to answer the following questions: How did the evolution of artillery and its unique site influence the design layout of Fort Washington? How does one begin to revive and restore such an extraordinary site? How can the architecture of today spark the interest of visitors while encompassing the needs of local residents? My proposal for a new, multifunctional visitor center tries to embrace, respect and reflect the existing structures by inspiring wonder among tourists and attracting local residents while also allowing for their restoration and self-sustainment. / Master of Architecture

Dans les années 1980-1990, le cinéma devient une stratégie majeure dans les pratiques artistiques autant pour des raisons de changements technologiques que des effets de génération. Des questions, dès lors, se posent, notamment celle de savoir ce que le cinéma fait à l'espace d'exposition. Le cinéma et l'exposition sont des espaces différents, régis par des règles de fonctionnement distinctes. À l'appui d'un corpus international couvrant la période 1986-2016 et en revenant sur l'historiographie de ces pratiques, la thèse se propose d'étudier les effets de ce déplacement du cinéma dans les pratiques artistiques. Des modifications portées à l'espace d'exposition par l'importation du dispositif cinématographique (écran, projecteur, salle de cinéma, séance) aux changements opérés dans le passage d'un spectateur de cinéma à celui du visiteur d'exposition, on remarque qu'il ne s'agit pas de reproduire le cinéma à l'exposition, mais au contraire de s'en servir pour reconsidérer le rapport à l'œuvre. S'observe enfin, chez ces mêmes artistes, après un déplacement du cinéma vers l'exposition, un mouvement vers l'espace public : le développement d'un travail hors de l'institution culturelle, vers un public différent, posant la question de la portée sociale de l'œuvre. L'enjeu est aussi de replacer ces travaux dans une histoire interdisciplinaire de l'art au croisement des pratiques performatives, des travaux des premiers vidéastes, mais aussi du cinéma expérimental. / Due to technological changes and the rising generation of the 80s and 90s, cinema became a main strategy in visual arts, while impacting and transforming the exhibition space. Then some questions may be asked. Particularly, what cinema does to the exhibition space? Cinema and exhibition are two different spaces with distinct ways of functioning. This thesis, focusing on an international corpus from 1986 to 2016, goes back over the historiography of this subject and analyses the effects of the gradual bursting of cinema in the visual arts, such as modifications in the exhibition space (and the moving of the cinematic device - screen, projector, movie theatre, screening, etc.), changes of the viewer's outlook (from spectator to visitor), etc. These artists do not try to reproduce cinema in the exhibition, but on the contrary, intend to question its relationship to the artwork. In the end, the shift from cinema to exhibition reveals a desire to reach the public space, and, outside the cultural institutions, to enthrall a different audience. Such practices lead to consider the social impact of the artwork. This thesis also aspires to replace the works of these artists into an interdisciplinary history of art, at the junction of performing arts, the works of the first video artists and experimental cinema.

The H.R. MacMillan Space Centre is a multi-faceted organization whose mission is to educate, inspire and evoke a sense of wonder about the universe, our planet and space exploration. As a popular, Vancouver science centre, it faces the same range of challenges and issues as other major attractions: how does the Space Centre maintain a healthy public attendance in an increasingly competitive market where visitors continue to be presented with an increasingly rich range of choices for their leisure spending and entertainment dollars?This front-end study investigated visitor attitudes, thoughts and preconceptions on the topic of space and astronomy. It also examined visitors’ motivations for coming to a space science centre. Useful insights were obtained which will be applied to improve future programme content and exhibit development.