Below is an overview of Kaitlin Jupp’s research:
Silver plates - two words that have stuck with me since my first trip to France in 2011, when as a young child my mother encouraged me to memorise them on our way to a French supermarket. You may be thinking, why silver plates, what does this have to do with France? Well, to a 10 year old English child it sounds a lot like “s'il vous plaît” (please, in French). The smile that lit up on the shop attendants face when my siblings and I tried our best to say “silver plates” with a French accent is one that will never leave me. This one smile, and everyone else who held the same smile when I learnt just one or two words in their language became contagious, yet simultaneously addicting to me. Many years later, on a trip to Spain, I was equipped with much more than just two words and was able to ask questions and hold conversations. One night my family and I needed to take a taxi, we asked kindly in English, but the drivers told us they were too busy. After 30 minutes of waiting, I mustered up the courage to ask the next taxi driver in Spanish. Immediately he offered us a ride! Taking us to our
hotel, he even asked me in Spanish about our lives, where we came from and where we were going next. Was it a coincidence that he was so kind to us when we were speaking Spanish, or was he just a nice person?
When I came to study Northern Tourism at the University of Lapland, I knew that I had to continue my research into languages within tourism. Whilst my Bachelor’s Thesis investigated the motivations of language learning tourists, I just had to know more - why was that smile from the locals so contagious? Why was that taxi driver so different? What else don’t I know about languages in tourism, am I the only one who felt like this? How did that French man feel, when I tried to speak
French? All these questions led to extensive research and reading across various areas of tourism academia, and thus my thesis topic came about: Using Languages as a Tool to Promote Place Attachment Development Amongst Tourists.
My research found that within tourism, foreign languages can affect a tourists’ decision making process and their overall experience of the destination. Whilst some tourists prefer to holiday in destinations where they are familiar with the language, others perceive a correlation between foreign languages and authenticity and thus choose to visit destinations in which they have no knowledge of. Previous studies found that learning some basics of the destinations’ language can lead to various benefits to the tourist; enhanced safety, improved communication skills, cognitive benefits and an increased ability to connect with local residents. Yet, my study found that engaging with foreign languages as a tourist can also benefit the destination, as languages can be used as one method to develop a tourists’ emotional connection to the destination by encouraging communication between the tourist and local resident, leading to the formation of place attachment. Tourists who hold this connection are more likely to return, stay longer, spend more money and behave in a more environmentally responsible manner.
My study was conducted in the form of an online survey, during the peak tourist season in Rovaniemi.The survey was distributed across online travel forums as well as in the form of a QR code at popular tourist agencies across Rovaniemi. The questions were split into multiple sections, to collect tourists’ demographic data, as well as engagement with the Finnish language before asking participants to report their own personal perceived connection to Rovaniemi. Languages within tourism is a significantly understudied area, and thus it was important to consider the most efficient way to collect
the data.
The results found that engagement with the Finnish language can influence a tourists’ place attachment development to Rovaniemi, since those who learnt Finnish generally felt more connected with Rovaniemi and its local residents. They also felt a higher sense of identity and belonging, compared to participants who did not learn any of the Finnish language. My study also found that whilst many tourists learnt before coming to Rovaniemi, most of them continued to learn some of the
Finnish language during their holiday here. In fact, participants reported that they decided to learn some Finnish prior to their trip, because they wanted to be more respectful, more polite and have an easier time connecting with local residents. Prior to their trip, most participants learnt Finnish through online methods, such as mobile applications and websites, yet during their stay they mostly learnt through local residents, highlighting the role that local residents hold in influencing the tourists experience. Additionally, several participants shared positive stories of their experiences in Rovaniemi, including how they had heartwarming experiences with local residents due to their engagement with the Finnish language.
Whilst my study was conducted on tourists to Rovaniemi, the results corresponded with previous studies conducted on language tourists' motivation to learn and the impact of learning, as well as theories regarding place attachment. Therefore, it could be suggested that learning a foreign language in general can influence place attachment development amongst tourists as well as provide benefits to the individual tourist and thus the destination. Considering the importance of climate change and environmental impacts on the Arctic region, Considering that engagement with the local language deepens the tourists emotional connection to the destination, it could be possible that tourists take a deeper interest in issues affecting the destination - if they feel connected to Rovaniemi, are they more likely to care about how climate change affects Lapland and its surrounding areas? If other Arctic countries encouraged their tourists to engage with the local language, what influence would this have on Arctic issues? Do tourists
Whilst it is hoped that more research would be carried out on the topics of languages within tourism, from this study it is evident that local residents and languages both play a significant role within tourism, shaping the tourists experience and developing their emotional connection to the destination. It is hoped that this research can provide inspiration to the tourism industry, offering creative, innovative and accessible ideas to develop sustainable tourism frameworks by encouraging locals to become more involved within tourism, whilst simultaneously encouraging tourists to learn foreign
languages and encouraging environmentally responsible behaviour.
Master’s Degree Programme in Northern Tourism – based on a joint 30 credits component organised by the University of the Arctic (UArctic) Thematic Network on Northern Tourism – offers a comprehensive and international approach to tourism and reflects on the growing global influence and relevance of change in the north. It brings together researchers and students from the northern universities, with an interest to develop responsible tourism futures. The joint component is organised by Nipissing University, UiT – the Arctic University of Norway, Umeå University, University of Iceland, University of Lapland, University of Oulu and Vancouver Island University and it is hosted by UArctic Thematic Network on Northern Tourism.