The Use of Persuasive Appeals and Public Relations in
the Travel and Tourism Industry Post-9/11
Ann R. Carden
State University of New York College at Fredonia
P: 716.673.3544 F: 716.673.3414
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Author's Note: The author thanks her faculty colleagues, Dr. Linda Brigance and
Dr. Joseph Chilberg, for their review of and input to this paper.
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Abstract
This paper examines the effect of 9/11 on the types of persuasive appeals
travel destinations are using to adjust to changing travel patterns and on
the amount of public relations used in promotion. An exploratory study of
46 public relations practitioners in the travel and tourism industry found
that entertainment and humor, rather than factual appeals, were being used
by more destinations, and that public relations efforts had increased,
while marketing and advertising efforts decreased.
The Use of Persuasive Appeals and Public Relations in
the Travel and Tourism Industry Post-9/11
Whether it is fear of terrorism, worry over the economy, or security-minded
airline policies, people are not flying as much as they did before
September 11, 2001. Consumers have changed their travel patterns, resulting
in significant financial losses for the travel and tourism industry.
According to a Travel Industry Association of America (TIA) report on
changing travel patterns, three-fourths of its members are seeing an
increase in closer-to-home travel and last-minute travel among their
customers. As a result, 87% of its member organizations have changed their
marketing and/or promotion programs, with 77% focusing their efforts on
closer, drive-in markets during the last 12 months (Keefe, 2002b).
With the changing tourism climate and the shift in market, three questions
were raised:
1) Were travel destinations adjusting their persuasive appeals to reach out
to consumers with changing travel preferences?
2) Was public relations being used more in promotional efforts to attract
visitors to travel destinations?
3) How much impact, if any, did 9/11 have on 1) and 2)?
Tilson & Stacks (1997) noted that little has been written regarding public
relations theory and research in the travel and tourism industry; a similar
observation was made in 2003 by Fall:
Related to suggestions for future studies, the travel industry is full of
opportunity for social science researchers in the communication field.
Within the public relations arena in particular, much research still needs
to be conducted to test for the success of various components of the public
relations process, including research, evaluation and two-way feedback
techniques. (p. 14)
The travel and tourism industry has traditionally relied on mass media
advertising and special events to target consumers. Tilson & Stacks (1997)
suggest that this type of promotion, which traditionally serves the sole
purpose of attracting attention, may not be "particularly effective if
relied upon exclusively during moments of growing tension or crisis within
the travel/tourism destination" (p. 97).
Public relations, on the other hand, deals with image and perceptions on an
ongoing basis by employing various persuasive techniques. Grunig's & Hunt's
(1984) two-way asymmetrical model of public relations uses research to
understand and persuade publics, and focuses on specific message appeals to
modify or change opinions. At the heart of the public relations process are
the decisions practitioners make about their organization's target publics,
the groups of people upon which the success of the organization depends.
Practitioners must not only correctly identify their target publics, but
also analyze their wants, interests and needs in order to construct
effective messages for them.
This strategic function corresponds with Klenosky's (2002) examination of
the means-end theory as a framework to identify push-pull factors
underlying tourist behavior:
Push factors refer to the specific forces in our lives that lead to the
decision to take a vacation . . . while pull factors refer to those that
lead an individual to select one destination over another once the decision
to travel has been made. Push factors are viewed as relating to the needs
and wants of the traveler . . . . Pull factors, on the other hand, have
been characterized in terms of the features, attractions, or attributes of
the destination itself . . . (p. 385)
In the emotional landscape of post-9/11 travel, the push factors relating
to the needs and wants of the traveler are worthy of special consideration.
Sherif's and Hovland's social judgment theory states that "individuals
accept or reject messages to the extent that they perceive the messages as
corresponding to their internal anchors and as being ego involved" (as
cited in Smith, 2002, p. 115). Therefore, the content of the message should
play an important role in addressing the push factors of traveler needs and
wants. Of particular interest is how the persuasive appeals of ethos,
pathos and logos might be used in these messages to address shifting travel
patterns and the psychological aftermath of 9/11 -- the fear, anger and
anxiety that have prompted most Americans to reach out to friends and family.
Background: The Effects of 9/11 on the
Travel and Tourism Industry
The $584 billion travel and tourism business is the nation's third largest
retail sales industry, the largest services export industry and one of the
country's largest employers ("Economic Research," 2002). 9/11 dealt a huge
blow to the travel and tourism economy, which was already experiencing
financial difficulties.
The negative effects on tourism as a result of acts of terrorism is not
new. The 1980s saw several terrorist acts that decreased the demand for
tourism: the 1985 Palestinian attacks in airports in Rome and Vienna, the
1986 hijacking of TWA Flight 847 in Athens, and the capture of the cruise
ship Achille Lauro (Pizam & Fleischer, 2002).
Still it was the 9/11 terrorist attacks on American soil that have caused
"significant losses in sales and revenues" in the travel and tourism
industry, especially for airlines and hotels, resulting in a huge shift in
consumer patterns (Keefe, 2002a, ¶ 4). TIA has reported that domestic and
international travel expenditures for 2001 dropped $33.3 billion, or 5.8%,
and business travel declined 3% (Keefe, 2002d). The industry has suffered a
29.7% loss in jobs (Keefe, 2003). Bob Stewart, commissioner of the Kentucky
Department of Travel, observed, "Usually, we're an industry that's taken
for granted. It's terrible that it took a catastrophe like that to show
tourism's importance" (as cited in Hammond, 2002, ¶ 4).
The Immediate Effects of 9/11
In the week following the 9/11 terrorist attacks, it's estimated that U.S.
airlines lost between $1 million and $2 billion. In the first month, the
airlines were in such poor financial shape that many were making plans to
cut back personnel. In addition, the stricken airline industry caused a
ripple effect, prompting layoffs in related businesses, such as airline
food services, cleaning crews and mechanics (Goodrich, 2002).
Within three months, popular destinations experienced significant drops in
tourism; for example, tourism in the state of Florida decreased 19%
("Tourism Officials," 2002). Restaurant sales declined $6 billion and
55,000 jobs were lost at eateries nationwide ("Sept. 11," 2002). During the
same time frame, hotel occupancy throughout the country dropped 52.3%,
resulting in a loss of at least $2 billion (Goodrich, 2002).
9/11: One Year Later
The travel and tourism industry continued to struggle in the year following
the 9/11 terrorist attacks. Airline passenger traffic declined 30%,
resulting in a $5 billion loss for the airline industry. By August 2002,
two major airlines, United (the nation's second largest) and US Airways
(the fifth largest) had declared bankruptcy ("FAA Challenged," 2002). The
dismal outlook for the airline industry was confirmed when TIA issued a
report forecasting travel and tourism figures for the end of 2002. The
report stated that domestic and international travel expenditures were
expected to drop $1.9 billion, and business travel was expected to
experience its fourth year of decline, dropping 4.3% (Keefe, 2002d).
A study sponsored by the U.S. Conference of Mayors, Travel Business
Roundtable, and International Association of Convention and Visitors
Bureaus found that the top 100 metropolitan areas had lost 536,000 jobs and
$22.6 billion since the end of 2000, with more than half of that loss
attributed to 9/11. According to the survey conducted in 2002 by DRI-WEFA,
an economic research firm, travel to New York City was down 17% from 2000
figures while travel to the nation's capital was down 11.3%. Phoenix, San
Diego, Houston and Orlando experienced especially high job losses ("$22
Billion," 2002).
The decrease in travel to Orlando was observed by Harris Rosen, owner of
six hotels on Orlando's busiest tourist corridor:
There is a pretty fair degree of anxiety among the population, which tends
to depress one's enthusiasm for travel. It [low hotel occupancy] has kind
of continued from 9/11 and really hasn't changed, although there have been
momentary signs of life followed by longer periods of gloom and doom. (as
cited in Schnieder, 2002, ¶ 3)
The lack of enthusiasm for traveling also was evident in the Traveler
Sentiment Index, issued by TIA for the fourth quarter of 2002, which
dropped 4.5% to all-time low of 93.7. All five components measured in the
index declined, with consumers' ability to take pleasure trips because of
demands on their time experiencing the biggest drop (8.7%). The sluggish
economy also appeared to be a factor; the component measuring travel based
on personal finances declined 4.2%. Also included in the Traveler Sentiment
Index was a question regarding consumer perceptions of travel safety that
had been added to the index one year earlier. At the end of 2002, 41% of
adult travelers said they felt travel was safer than a year ago; however,
this reflected a 9% drop from the previous quarter's index. Twenty-five
percent of the respondents said they felt travel safety was worse than a
year ago, compared to 17% in the third quarter (Keefe, 2002c).
A Changing Market
According to a survey conducted in 2002 by the American Automobile
Association (AAA,) 47% of Americans said they planned to take their longest
vacation trip in 2003 by car. AAA executive vice president Mark Brown:
"Americans are taking shorter trips, traveling closer to home and looking
for ways to economize whenever they can. And, they are likely to continue
these behaviors for some time due to our economic and political
uncertainties" (as cited in Cheske, 2002b, ¶ 4).
The increased preference for travel destinations closer to home was
supported in a TIA report that showed in-region trips had increased 8%
during the first half of 2002 (Keefe, 2002d). Dr. Suzanne Cook, TIA's
senior vice president for research, explained, "The current economic
situation, combined with a sluggish travel recovery and a decrease in
traveler spending has forced the industry to employ a number of strategies,
such as focusing on in-state or in-region markets" (as cited in Keefe,
2002b, ¶ 3). According to TIA research conducted in 2002, 38% of U.S.
travel consisted of one or two night trips, with three to six night trips
making up 31% ("Domestic Research: Trip," 2002). TIA also reported that day
and weekend trips were up 38% from five years ago with cities and small
towns the favored destinations ("Domestic Research: Travel," 2002).
With a shift in consumer travel patterns, a forum featuring key industry
figures was held in New York City in January 2002 to look at marketing
strategies that had been successfully implemented by the travel and tourism
industry following 9/11; one of the focuses was "how regional tourism is
evolving and offering opportunities, and how destinations are taking
advantage of it" ("Forum to Showcase," 2002, ¶ 11).
Brown observed: "Those of us in the travel industry need to organize our
products and our marketing to appeal to consumers who have changed their
behaviors because of the events of September 11 as well as an economy that
continues to struggle" (as cited in Cheske, 2002a, ¶ 3).
According to a TIA report on changing travel patterns, 87% of its member
organizations have made changes to their marketing and/or promotion
programs, with 77% focusing their efforts on closer, drive-in markets
during the last 12 months (Keefe, 2002b).
With the changing tourism climate and the shift in market, three questions
were posed for research:
RQ1. Are travel destinations adjusting their persuasive appeals to reach
out to consumers with changing travel preferences?
RQ2. Is public relations being used more in promotional efforts to attract
visitors to travel destinations?
RQ3. How much impact, if any, did 9/11 have on RQ1 and RQ2?
An Exploratory Study
Participants
The population targeted for this exploratory study consisted of public
relations practitioners who worked in the following industries:
accommodations, convention and tourism bureaus (CVB), tourist attractions
and transportation. The source of the sample, which represented all regions
of the United States and small travel destinations as well as metropolitan
areas, was taken from the 2002 membership directory of the Public Relations
Society of America. A census of all practitioners fitting the population
characteristics (N = 387) was attempted.
Instrument
A two-page survey comprised of close- and open-ended questions was
developed; the instrument was divided into four sections correlating with
the presented research questions:
RQ1. In order to discover whether travel destinations were adjusting their
persuasive appeals to reach out to consumers with changing travel
preferences, participants were asked to identify the persuasive approaches
they used in 2001 and 2002 and were planning to use in 2003 to reach their
target publics. A checklist offered the following choices of persuasive
tactics based on ethos, logos and pathos: audience self-interest,
bandwagon, emotional, factual, fear, guilt, humor, plain folks, sex appeal,
source credibility, stereotypes, testimonials, and transference.
Participants also were asked whether their target publics had changed
between 2001 and 2002, and 2002 and 2003 ("yes" or "no" response with
request for explanation).
RQ2. In order to measure whether public relations was being used more in
promotional efforts to attract visitors to travel destinations,
participants were asked to estimate the percentage of advertising,
marketing and public relations (totaling 100%) used in promoting their
organization in 2001, 2002 and 2003. Because the terms "advertising,"
"marketing," and "public relations" are often used interchangeably and
their definitions vary among practitioners in these fields, the following
definitions were used for consistency: "advertising" was defined as
developing and placing any paid sales message regardless of medium, with a
notation that image/issue advertising was considered public relations;
"marketing" was defined as researching and developing products/services to
satisfy consumers and creating promotions to cause a transaction; and,
"public relations" was defined as publicity; writing copy for newsletters,
brochures, Web sites, etc.; writing speeches or speaking; desktop
publishing; issues management; special events/observances; and relationship
building with employees, media and consumers.
RQ3. In order to measure the impact, if any, that 9/11 had on RQ1 and RQ2,
participants were asked to indicate on a five-point semantic differential
scale (1 = "not affected" to 5 = "greatly affected") the effect that the
terrorist attacks had on their selection of persuasive approaches; the
portions of advertising, marketing and public relations used in promoting
the travel destination; and identification of target publics. Participants
were asked to provide explanations for their ratings in this section.
Administration
During October and November 2002, the survey was attached as a separate
Word document to an e-mail message describing the intent of the study.
Participants were asked to respond via e-mail or fax. When the deadline for
the survey return neared, reminder e-mails, with the survey attached, were
sent. As a follow up to the survey, interviews were conducted with five
respondents who reported significant changes in their use of persuasive
appeals and/or public relations.
Results
The study found that 9/11 did have an impact on target publics; persuasive
appeals; and the mix of advertising, marketing and public relations used in
promotional efforts to attract visitors to travel destinations.
Response Rate
Out of the original sample (N = 387), 67 surveys were returned as
"undeliverable" and 9 surveys were returned by participants as being "not
applicable" to their particular organization, resulting in a usable sample
of 311. Forty-six replies were received, 12 as a result of the e-mail
reminder, for a response rate of 14.8%. While the suggested target for
survey responses is 50% to 70% (Babbie as cited in Smith, 2002), return
rates for e-mail surveys can be as low as 6% (Sheehan & McMillan as cited
in Fall, 2003). Twenty-five surveys were returned via fax; 21 were returned
via e-mail. Participants represented all regions of the United States and
small travel destinations as well as metropolitan areas.
RQ1
Regarding the question of whether travel destinations were adjusting their
persuasive appeals to reach out to consumers with changing travel
preferences, the responses confirmed that persuasive approaches have been
altered. Factual appeals, the most popular approach in 2001 (used by 59% of
the participants), were replaced with entertainment appeals in 2002 (used
by 69% of the participants). The number of travel destinations using humor
appeals increased 32% between 2001 and 2002 (from 25% in 2001 to 33% in
2002). Other appeals increasing in usage included source credibility and
audience self-interest. Complete results are shown in Table 1.
Nearly 31% of the respondents said their target publics changed (mostly
from "fly in" to "drive in") between 2001 and 2002 and, therefore, their
appeals had to change. The following written comments are representative of
responses to RQ1:
• "Appeals had to be carefully thought out in order not to offend or
traumatize any one. [The] tone had to be upbeat, but not overly so."
(reported by an airport in the Northeast)
• "[Our] focus shifted more to regional and drive markets due to [the] 9/11
attacks and fear of flying." (reported by a hotel in the South)
• "All programs were affected to reflect shifts in market (drive vs. fly)
and the messages used to speak to those markets." (reported by a CVB on the
Pacific Coast)
• "Immediately after 9/11, travel came to a total standstill. Leisure
family travelers, our target public, along with business travelers, stopped
traveling in the weeks following the [9/11] tragedy and the rebound has
been slow, but steady. Consequently, our persuasive approach had to
change." (reported by a CVB in the South)
• "The rubber tire travelers . . . continue to be our strongest market
since 9/11." (reported a CVB in the Pacific Northwest).
Only 19.6% said they expect further changes in their target publics in
2003, although some practitioners say "unforeseen circumstances," such as
war with Iraq, could alter further travel patterns.
RQ2
Regarding the question of whether public relations was being used more in
promotional efforts to attract visitors to travel destinations,
participants responded that they had increased the public relations portion
of their promotional mix (with portions of advertising, marketing and
public relations totaling 100%), on average, by 8% between 2001 and 2002.
The increase is based on the average of responses in the public relations
category:
• In 2001, responses ranged from 0% to 100% (M = 38.2%).
• In 2002, responses ranged from 10% to 90% (M = 41.2%).
• In 2003, responses ranged from 7% to 90% (M = 41.2%).
The portions of advertising and marketing in the promotional mix
declined,on average, 6% and 3% respectively during the same time period.
Complete results are shown in Table 2.
RQ3
Regarding the question of how 9/11 impacted RQ1 (target publics and
persuasive appeals) and RQ2 (the use of advertising, marketing and public
relations in promotional efforts), an effect was reported in all areas,
with the greatest effects reported in the use of persuasive appeals and
public relations. The following responses were based on a scale of 1 to 5
("not affected" to "greatly affected"):
• selection of persuasive approaches (M = 3.2).
• the portion of advertising in the promotional mix (M = 3).
• the portion of marketing in the promotional mix (M = 2.8).
• the portion of public relations in the promotional mix (M = 3.2).
• identification of target publics (M = 2.8).
In looking specifically at the 9/11 effect on public relations, 25%
reported "not affected" while 20% reported "greatly affected." However,
even several organizations that reported no affect increased their use of
public relations in promotional efforts. The following written comments are
representative of the responses to RQ3:
• "We implemented an emergency fourth quarter [2001] marketing campaign
with additional advertising and regional public relations efforts."
(reported by a CVB in the West)
• "Advertising budgets were decreased extensively and reinstated to some
extent at the end of the tourism season. PR became more of a local and
regional focus." (reported by a CVB in the Northeast)
• "Budget decreases and needs shifted as did strategies and tactics."
(reported by a CVB in the South)
• "Advertising and promotion budgets were cut as a result of lower bed tax
receipts following 9/11. More focus on drive markets for tourism."
(reported by a CVB in the Mideast)
Discussion
The results of this exploratory study show that 9/11 did have an effect on
the use of persuasive appeals and public relations used by travel
destinations to attract visitors.
Change in Persuasive Appeals
Market shift. While persuasive appeals were altered as a result of 9/11, it
appears that the primary reason the appeals changed was because target
publics changed from "fly-in" to "drive-in." A CVB in the Southwest
reported: "Our research confirmed that our primary market was our own
backyard so resources were shifted from out-of-state initiatives to county
programs." Another CVB reported that the events of 9/11 prompted it to
increase the size of its drive market: "People were staying closer to home
and we tried to capture some of that market." These findings of the shift
from "drive in" to "fly in" target publics are consistent with current
trends in the industry, as cited earlier in this paper.
Psychological aspects. A second reason for altering persuasive appeals may
relate to post-9/11 psychological changes in the existing target publics,
although this question was not specifically asked. In a follow-up interview
to the survey, Lacy Beasley, tourism director of the Dickson County Chamber
of Commerce in Tennessee, said, "People want to get back to what is real. I
plan to not focus on entertainment as much as the way people feel while
they are in Dickson County." Human interest and "feel good" stories also
are being used by a major tourist attraction in the Southeast, and an
attraction in the West reported that it is "using more visual imagery – our
animals, bright colors, happy people – to better relay [a] sense of fun and
wonder" (both attractions asked to remain anonymous).
A CVB in the East, which also requested anonymity in a follow-up interview,
is switching to audience self-interest and humor appeals to differentiate
its city: "We feel that this approach says something about [our city], its
attitude and orientation, that doesn't necessarily come through 'just the
facts.'" Others are focusing on source credibility. Ann Carlon, the
executive director of Eagan Convention & Visitors Bureau in Minnesota, said
she decided to add testimonials to the bureau's message strategy this year
"to distinguish our area as a safe, helpful and clean part of the country."
Increase in Public Relations
Budget cuts. The increased reliance on public relations may be attributed
to the need to reduce budgets for advertising and marketing, which
traditionally use tactics and strategies that are more expensive than
public relations, rather than the expertise public relations could offer
regarding persuasive appeals and message structure. One major reason for
the budget shift appears to be less bed taxes as a result of low hotel
occupancy. A CVB in the Southwest reported that "the biggest effect of
9/11, but more importantly of the overall economy, has been the loss of
hotel room nights, which in turn caused about a 20% budget reduction for
our bureau. That naturally has resulted in a slash to the advertising
budget." Another CVB, also in the Southwest, reported that it "closed all
international offices and reorganized the entire organization." The
reorganization included a 45% increase in public relations.
"We are definitely trying to increase our efforts in the area of public
relations. Why? Mostly it is because of budget issues," said Jill Strunk,
public relations manager for the Denver Metro Convention & Visitors Bureau,
which estimated it would increase public relations from 30% in 2001 to 50%
in 2003. In a follow-up interview to the survey, Strunk explained: "We
don't have the marketing dollars that we need, so we are going to try to
publicize Denver more in the areas where we do spend our advertising dollars."
According to TIA, one-quarter of its members cut their marketing and
advertising budgets in 2002 with 9% planning to do so in 2003. One-third
of the membership increased their marketing and advertising budgets in
2002; a similar percentage say that they planned to increase them again in
2003 (Keefe, 2002b). It is unclear in the TIA study whether public
relations budgets were included or combined with either marketing or
advertising, so it is difficult to compare the TIA findings with the
results of the exploratory study.
Different tactics. A second reason for increased public relations may be
the use of a broader set of promotional techniques used to attract visitors
to travel destinations, for example, writing consumer articles. Strunk says
travel articles have been a major source of information for Denver
visitors: "According to Longwoods International, 27% of marketable visitors
(those not coming to visit friends or family) were influenced to request
more information after seeing a Denver article, versus only 5% who saw
advertising."
This shift toward public relations tactics is consistent with the findings
of Fall's examination of communication techniques employed by convention
and visitor bureaus after 9/11, which showed public relations-oriented
tactics increasing and advertising tactics decreasing:
. . . public relations techniques – media relations tactics in particular –
are, in fact, used more frequently now than before Sept. 11. Internet Web
sites, direct mail correspondence, newspaper media releases/newspaper ads,
and magazine media releases represent the top-ranked techniques. . . . paid
advertisements are being the least used now than compared to before Sept.
11. (2003, p. 8).
Focus on education. A third possible reason for the increase in public
relations efforts is a focus on educational and awareness campaigns, one of
public relations' strengths. A major tourist area in the South reported
that travel came to a total standstill immediately after 9/11: "We shifted
our budget greatly to funnel more funds into advertising and public
relations that would convince a 'scared' public that travel is safe and
appropriate." An airport in the Southwest reported that it is now focusing
almost all of its attention on public information campaigns: "[We're]
sending the message that it is safe to travel by air . . . and [that] it is
still the safest, most efficient and convenient mode of transportation."
Another example of this is Tampa International Airport's extensive "Keep
Flying America" campaign that was implemented to educate the public about
changes in airline travel since 9/11 and to help relieve the fear of flying.
Response bias. While the use of public relations by travel destinations to
attract visitors appears to be increasing, according to the study it was
already being used more than advertising and marketing, albeit to a lesser
degree (the difference between advertising and public relations was 4.4% in
2001, but widened to 9.4% in 2002). It is probable that these results are
inherently biased because participants in the study were public relations
practitioners. In smaller organizations, the roles of marketing,
advertising and public relations may be combined; however, in larger
organizations, these functions may be separate. Staff members in marketing
and advertising would most likely have a different view regarding the
promotional mix. The public relations/marketing/advertising structure of
the organizations surveyed was not discerned in the study. Non-response
bias should also be considered.
Travel Forecast
According to a TIA forecast issued in October 2002, domestic and
international travel expenditures are expected to increase 5% in 2003 and
2004. Business travel is expected to stabilize with a less than 1% gain in
2003 and 1.5% gain in 2004:
We can expect a long, slow road to recovery for the travel and tourism
industry, and even when it does come, this does not mean we will
necessarily return to the way things were before September 11. Travel
demands, patterns and expectations may have been changed for the long-term.
And despite continued slow growth in the leisure travel market, this
recovery is fragile and could be choked off by any number of new
developments. (Cook as cited in Keefe, 2002d, ¶ 2)
A survey conducted by AAA found that although 77% of Americans say they
plan to travel as much or more in 2003 than in 2002, factors that will
influence those travel plans are potential terrorist attacks, 37%; war,
33%; airfare, 33%; and, gasoline prices, 31% (Cheske, 2002b).
Given the current world climate, it is not surprising that the potential
for terrorist attacks ranks as the No. 1 influential factor in making
travel plans. However, in a study of tourism in Israel, Pizam and Fleischer
(2002) found that the frequency of terrorist attacks, not their level of
severity, was the determining factor in whether people chose to travel,
implying that "tourist destinations can recover from even severe acts of
terrorism, as long as the terrorist acts are not repeated" (¶ 339). This is
supported by a survey conducted by Travelocity that found that while 14.4%
of respondents had "concerns for personal safety" immediately after 9/11,
only 2.6% still feel that way (Bray, 2002). Many practitioners say they
plan to continue to focus on the expanded "drive" market.
Conclusion
There are many ways that this study could be expanded, such as increasing
the sample size, widening the sample population to include input from
advertising and marketing professionals, and adding survey questions to
obtain more specific data. A follow-up survey comparing the estimated use
of persuasive appeals and public relations in 2003 to actual use would also
yield useful information.
There is no question that the travel and tourism industry is currently in a
state of fluctuation. Since this exploratory study was conducted, data on
the status of the industry and projections for its future have been
released on a continual basis. Even as this conclusion is being written,
TIA has issued an updated forecast on domestic leisure travel:
While domestic leisure travel increased 1.7% in 2002, growth was much
subdued in the waning months of the year, and weakened even further this
year in the weeks leading up to the start of the war. In the short-term,
leisure travel is likely to be depressed even more . . . ("Domestic
Leisure," 2003, ¶ 2)
The challenges presented by this oscillating environment offer unique
opportunities for the practice of public relations in the travel and
tourism industry. Public relations practitioners specialize in monitoring
the environment in which an organization operates and adjusting its
behavior and messages accordingly in an effort to foster mutually
beneficial relationships between an organization and its publics. Issues
management and crisis management are other critical responsibilities of
public relations practitioners. Because of these important strategic roles,
it would seem that there is much to explore within the public relations
function of the travel and tourism industry at the dawn of the 21st century.
Table 1
Persuasive Appeals Used in Promotional Efforts by Travel Destinations
Persuasive Appeals
2001
N = 44
2002
N = 45
2003
N = 44
%
#
%
#
%
#
Audience Self-Interest
45
20
50
23
50
22
Bandwagon
14
6
11
5
14
6
Emotional
41
18
36
16
36
16
Entertainment
57
25
69
31
66
29
Factual
59
26
56
25
50
22
Fear
2
1
4
2
2
1
Guilt
2
1
2
1
2
1
Humor
25
11
33
15
20
9
Plain Folks
16
7
16
7
16
7
Sex Appeal
2
1
4
2
2
1
Source Credibility
30
13
33
15
36
16
Stereotypes
7
3
4
2
5
2
Testimonials
27
12
27
12
27
12
Transference
7
3
9
4
7
3
Note: Sample sizes vary due to non-responses in RQ1
Table 2
Promotional Mix Used by Travel Destinations *
Mix Component
2001
N = 42
2002
N = 44
2003
N = 39
Advertising
33.8
31.8
32
Marketing
27.9
27
26
Public Relations
38.2
41.2
41.2
* Numbers based on the average of responses in each category
Note: Sample sizes vary due to non-responses in RQ2
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