Using tourism brochures as a tool to manage appropriate behaviour amongst tourists

Tourism brochures and the glossy photographic images which dominate them, are usually seen as a major form of marketing a region. However, they may additionally be seen as a management tool. They may be used as a way of encouraging tourists to engage in what I have termed appropriate behaviour*. This could include behaviour which is safe, facilitates the enjoyment of others or protects the natural environment. On the other hand, poor choice of photos may encourage inappropriate behaviour. In this paper the photos from eight glossy Australian regional brochures were analysed. Two groups of behaviour were considered. The first was that affecting safety and included swimming, use of helmets for cycling or horse-riding, avoidance of sunburn or skin cancer and use of lifevests in water activities. The second was that affecting others or the environment and consisted of interaction with wildlife, parking and use of motor vehicles, activities on beaches, consumption of alcohol and the use of hardened surfaces to protect natural environments. The results indicated a mixed message for tourists. While the images often encouraged tourists to behave in an appropriate way, there were a number of photos which could encourage wrong, even dangerous, behaviour.