Experiencing Dracula's homeland

ABSTRACT

Transylvania has not only a geographical location as a province of Romania but also a mental meaning as Dracula's land. Dracula has become an important brand name for Romania, attracting many tourists in recent years – especially after the fall of communism. The main dimensions of Dracula's castle (i.e. Bran Castle) experiences shared online by tourists were identified to ascertain the primary reasons for satisfaction and dissatisfaction with visits and to test whether narratives and satisfaction vary according to the occasion (i.e. Halloween). Quantitative (i.e. computer-based) and qualitative (i.e. narrative) content analyses were conducted on the Web reviews written by visitors. The results reveal that the experiences are multidimensional, and they include the following themes: ‘castle’, ‘visit’, ‘Dracula’, ‘inside’, ‘tourist’, ‘outside’, ‘trip’, ‘souvenirs’, ‘stairs’ and ‘Dracula's castle’. The main reasons for dissatisfaction are overcrowding, which is connected with the outside theme, and the disappointment of tourists regarding the old furniture, which is associated with the inside theme. The results also reveal that visitors are the most satisfied with their experience around the time of Halloween. The narratives shared online emphasise tourists’ need to associate their imaginings with this region and castle, giving their experiences greater meaning through this destination's image as Transylvania.

摘要

特兰西瓦尼亚是罗马尼亚的一个省。它不仅是罗马尼亚的一个地方, 还曾经是德拉库拉伯爵的地盘, 所以它还具有某种精神的意义。德拉库拉伯爵已经成为罗马尼亚的重要品牌, 近年来吸引了很多旅游者, 尤其在罗马尼亚共产主义政权垮台之后。本文研究了旅游者在网络上分享的对德拉库拉古堡 (即布兰堡) 体验的主要维度, 目的有二༚一是确定旅游者对访问德拉库拉古堡满意与不满意的主要原因༛二是检验旅游者对该地的描述与满意是否因不同时机 (比如万圣节) 而有所不同。本文对旅游者的网络评论进行了定量 (基于电脑开展) 与定性 (对旅游者描述) 两个方面的内容分析。结果显示, 旅游的体验是多方面的, 包括༚古堡、游览、德拉库拉伯爵, 古堡内部, 旅游者, 古堡外部, 路线, 纪念品, 楼梯及德拉库拉古堡。旅游者对该地不满意的主要原因是拥挤, 并且与古堡外部这个主题相连接, 旅游者对旧家具的不满与古堡内部相连接。结果也显示, 旅游者对该地旅游体验最满意的时机是万圣节期间。旅游者分享的网络描述强调有必要把旅游者的想象与该地区与古堡联系起来, 通过特兰西瓦尼亚的地方形象给旅游者的体验以更丰富的意义。

KEYWORDS:

• Transylvania
• Dracula
• satisfaction
• experience
• content analysis
• web reviews

关键词:

• 特兰西瓦尼亚
• 德拉库拉伯爵
• 满意
• 体验
• 内容分析
• 网络评论

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Cristina Lupu

Cristina Lupu is a PhD student in Department of Geography, Alexandru Ioan Cuza University of Iasi, Romania. Her main research field is tourism management.

Ana Brochado

Ana Brochado is a professor of marketing and the vice-dean of   ISCTE Business School. Her main research interests are entrepreneurship and hospitality and tourism marketing. She worked for over a decade as a senior economist at the Portuguese Competition Authority and as an economist for the Research Department of the Portuguese Securities Commission. She has also served as an advisor to the Strategic Board of the Operational Programme for Competitiveness and Internationalisation.

Oana Mihaela Stoleriu

Oana Mihaela Stoleriu is lecturer at the Faculty of Geography and Geology, University Alexandru Ioan Cuza of Iasi, Romania. The author has a PhD in Urban Geography and nine years of teaching experience in the field of tourism geography. The main research areas are special forms of tourism, destination marketing and sustainable development. Significant papers: Romania's Country Image in Tourism TV Commercials (2015), Dracula Tourism and Dark Geographies of Romania (2014), The Romanian Tourism – a Feminine Sector Leaded by Men? (2015), Visions of the World at the Eastern European Border: Focus on Moldavian Migration to Romania (2011).