The multidimensional realities of mediatized places: the transformative role of tour guides

ABSTRACT

Tour guides can transform tourist experiences. This is particularly evident in TV-series themed tours where tourists’ expectations are more likely to be met if a guide leads them into different dimensions of space and time. Here, we develop a model of the multidimensional realities of mediatized places by applying grounded theory, capturing how the transformative role of tour guides is key to the creation of memorable experiences. We illustrate how guides choreograph the shifts between multidimensional realities (past, present, fantasy world). Finally, we show that this switching between multidimensional realities has significant implications, specifically resulting in greater tourist involvement and in experiences that are remembered as having been beyond expectations. Our findings reveal the importance of detailed knowledge – of both the relevant fiction and local history – in crafting memorable experiences; highlights the skills required to build trust among participants, and discusses the devices used to cross the boundaries between multidimensional realities.

KEYWORDS:

• Guided tours
• netnography
• grounded theory
• memorable experiences
• TripAdvisor
• Game of Thrones
• TV series

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Data availability statement

The data that support the findings of this study are openly available in Mendeley.

Correction Statement

This article has been republished with minor changes. These changes do not impact the academic content of the article.

Additional information

Funding

This work as supported by the Bolyai Scholarsip awarded by the Hungarian Academy of Sciences to the first author.

Notes on contributors

Anna Irimiás

Anna Irimiás has been an Associate Professor at Corvinus University of Budapest since 2018. She graduated from the University of Messina in Italy in 2004 where she was awarded her PhD in Human Geography in 2008. She has taught various tourism-related courses in Spain, Norway, Turkey and Italy. She has published three books and she is the author/coauthor of more than 100 academic publications. Her current research interests include tourism destination management, cultural tourism, film induced tourism, consumer behaviour.

Ariel Mitev

Dr. Ariel Mitev has been an Associate Professor in Marketing at Corvinus University of Budapest since 2006. Mitev received the Excellent Mentor Award in 2019. He is the author/coauthor of several books on qualitative and quantitive research methodology and he has widely published on marketing issues in referred journals. His interests include marketing research methodology, scale development, consumer behavior and social marketing.

Gábor Michalkó

Prof. Dr. Gábor Michalkó is a Professor of Tourism at Corvinus University of Budapest, Hungary and scientific advisor at the Geographical Institute of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences. He graduated from the University of Debrecen, Hungary in 1993 with a Master degree in Geography and History. He also received a BA in Tourism from the Budapest Business School in 2000. He was awarded a Ph.D. in Geography from the University of Debrecen in 1998. His recent research interests include urban tourism, shopping tourism, health tourism, and the relationship between tourism and quality of life. He has published 8 books and more than 200 scientific articles in different languages.