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Section Economics and Tourism
867
ROMANIA’S COUNTRY IMAGE IN TOURISM TV COMMERCIALS
Lecturer Dr. Oana Mihaela Stoleriu
1
Dr. Bogdan-Constantin Ibanescu
2
1,2
University “Alexandru Ioan Cuza” of Iaşi, Romania
ABSTRACT
The paper analyses Romania’s destination image communicated in international tourism
promotion campaigns, through seventeen TV commercials. The authors analyzed and
compared the main destination attributes and the holistic country image communicated
in each campaign. The results highlight the way national tourism promotion strategies
position Romania within the international travel market.
Keywords: destination image, TV commercials, tourism promotion, heritage.
INTRODUCTION
There is a rich scientific literature confirming the role of destination image in the
shaping of tourist expectations, decisions and behavior. Built by multiple actors and
information sources, country image is a major instrument for destination promotion and
management. This paper analyses Romania’s country image communicated through
international tourism promotion campaigns developed in the post-communist period.
Given the increasing global tourism market segmentation, the growing demand for
authentic, unique travel experiences, as well as the self-exotisation and postcolonial
discourses often used in country marketing in order to attract visitors from developed
states, our study was aimed to identify the Romanian tourism authorities’ perspective
regarding the key national heritage selected and promoted in order to position Romania
within the global tourism market. As the main communication tools in the promotion
campaigns were video commercials broadcasted on major international TV chains, the
paper analyzes and compares the attribute-based and holistic country image projected in
each campaign. The study continues previous researches on this topic [13], adding a
new perspective, new data (eight new commercials) and new indicators that highlight
better the main components of tourist experience and holistic destination features.
LITTERATURE REVIEW
Destination image is defined as the overall impression of a place [2], built on a mix of
various destination attributes. Multiple factors contribute to the complex process of
destination image formation: first, an organic image is shaped by passively acquired
information from media, school, word-of-mouth, etc.; this is further modified by the
projected image(s) built by destination managers through tourism marketing, and it is
finally re-evaluated through personal experience [1][2][3]. Along this process,
television and advertising have a key role in the construction of the pre-visit destination
image [10]: they project images that build motivations, behavior and iconic destinations.
There are very few studies on Romania’s country image projected through tourism
promotion. Most of them approached Romania in the context of the post-communist
SGEM 2015 International Multidisciplinary Scientific Conferences on Social Sciences and Arts
Central and Eastern European nations’ branding, underlining their common effort to
project “Euro conform” identities, aimed to support their economic and political
transition and to avoid stereotyped associations with communism, poverty or barbaric,
mythical lands [7] [8] [14] [11]. Their marketing narratives were mainly adapted to
what Western visitors would find appealing and recognizable [8] [13], which explains
the frequent self-colonization or self-exotisation discourses [7], like the capitalization of
the imported Dracula myth or the commodification of national symbols. The result is
usually a dichotomous country image, presented as a bridge between past and present,
between an exotic East and a civilized West [8] [13]. Similar marketing strategies also
addressing the gaze of visitors from developed (western) countries were observed in the
Third World states, where the use of a colonial discourse reinforced stereotyped images
that largely reproduce the same few myths: of Unchanged, Unrestrained or Uncivilized
territories [4]. As for Romania, three international promotion campaigns were
developed by national tourism authorities after 1989, all targeting mainly the Western
European and American visitors, and closely linked to Romania’s integration into the
European Union and NATO [13]. They were: “Romania, simply surprising” - RSS
(2003-2006), with 5 TV commercials (a general spot and four themed ones: nature,
history, seaside and Bucharest) aired on Euronews, Eurosport, Discovery, CNN and
BBC; ”Romania - Land of choice” – RLC (2009), with two TV commercials (a teaser
and a general one), aired on CNN and Eurosport [11]; and “Explore the Carpathian
garden” – ECG (2009-2015), with three TV commercials (a general one, a nature and a
cultural-themed one) aired on CNN, Euronews and Eurosport, between 2011-2012,
followed by other eight spots (adventure, authenticity, rural tourism, circuits, city
breaks, nature, culture and a second general spot), produced between 2013-2015 [9].
The image communicated through TV commercials was intended to position Romania
as an international destination, in relation with the main tourism market trends. Or,
many researches have emphasized the development in the last decades of a new
(postmodern) tourist behavior, characterized by the search for complex and authentic,
unique experiences [12]. This generated an increasing market segmentation and a
growing demand for: cultural tourism (art, music, film, ethnic tourism etc.), nature-
based tourism (ecotourism, wildlife tourism) and other self-fulfilling travel experiences
(food/wine tourism, romantic/family vacations, spiritual travels, wellness etc.) [12].
Recent surveys on the European citizens’ travel motivations [5] confirmed the high
weight of sun/sea attractions (46 %), followed by visiting friends and relatives (34 %),
nature (30 %), culture (25 %), city trips (23 %), wellness/health (13 %), sports (14 %) or
specific events (clubbing included). At global level, holidays, recreation and leisure
represent about 52 % of international travel motivations, business about 14 %, and 27 %
- visiting friends and relatives, religion, health and other [6].
MATERIALS AND METHODS
Data was gathered from eighteen TV commercials, produced in three tourism
campaigns: five from RSS, two from RLC and 11 from ECG. In tourism marketing,
images are selected and organized according to an underlying theme and cultural
meaning [10], in order to influence tourist decisions. We used content analysis and
categorization, a method assumed to better capture the unique and holistic destination
features [3]. The basic unit of analysis was the shot: a sequence of frames captured from
a single camera operation [10]. Shots were identified manually and coded using a
Section Economics and Tourism
869
coding scheme developed from Echtner and Ritchie [3]’s tridimensional model of place
image formation, in order to identify Romania’s functional and psychological features,
its attribute-based and holistic image, as well as the main tourist destinations promoted
in the campaigns. Depending on the text, the visible elements and their highlighting
(size, positioning), the same shot can communicate multiple attributes that all contribute
to the holistic image: e.g. a shot illustrating friendly hosts, traditional gastronomy and a
mountain landscape. Therefore content analysis was used to extract multiple destination
features from all the shots. Where present, the text (spoken or written) was used in the
coding. We synthesized and compared the holistic image for each campaign because it
reflects the complete image projected by tourism authorities and their perception of
what is important and suited to be promoted abroad, in relation with the global market
dynamics. Frequencies (percentage of the number of appearances in the campaign
spots), duration (percentage of the duration of appearances) and a Framing Index (FI)
were calculated to determine the weight given to destinations and various image
attributes, such as: natural resources, general infrastructure, tourist infrastructure, tourist
attractions (heritage), in-place (visitors’ or hosts’) activities and social environment
(hosts’ attitude, interactions with tourists). The framing index of an attribute is the
product of its frequency and duration within a campaign spots, divided by the maximum
attributes value per each campaign, and all further transformed into a scale from 0 to
100 (the old maximum attribute value per campaign becomes 100) [10]. In order to
seize the holistic features, we summarized elements of natural environment and place
atmosphere from all the shots, and calculated their framing index. A method limitation
was the difficulty to identify all the places where the frames were shot; they were
assigned to a more general destination, e.g. mountains, rural, seaside or delta.
RESULTS AND DISCUSSION
The TV commercials emphasize the major Romanian tourist destinations: the
Carpathian Mountains, the seaside, the Danube Delta, and three old historical and
ethnographical regions - Northern Moldavia, Maramures and Transylvania. Thirty-nine
localities (Figure 1) were identified in the commercials. They are mainly concentrated
within or near the Carpathians, especially in the Southern Carpathians and Transylvania
(areas closer to Bucharest and concentrating well-known tourist resorts and diverse
attractions). The number of destinations and attractions, as well as their spatial
distribution evolved significantly in ECG, when more themed-commercials were
produced, and in close relation with the international tourism market segmentation and
the increasing demand for authenticity and uniqueness. This explains the highlight of
new destinations with unique cultural heritage, such as: villages with authentic
traditions and/or UNESCO heritage sites (churches of Maramures and Southern
Transylvania, a Dacian fortress), destinations for city-breaks (Sibiu, Iasi, Cluj,
Sighisoara), health tourism (Baile Felix, Tusnad, Turda), or for sports, nature and
sun/sea lovers. There is a special spot for authenticity-seekers in ECG, with a strong
focus on natural authenticity (mountains), rural life (gastronomy), and the Maramures
region in particular. The highest weight (framing index) across all the campaigns
belongs to the destinations with unique cultural and natural attractions: e.g. Bucharest
and Sibiu (Romania’s administrative capital and the European Cultural capital in 2007)
clearly outnumber other big cities; UNESCO heritage sites (including the Danube Delta,
promoted in all the campaigns); health and mountain sports resorts, strongly emphasized
SGEM 2015 International Multidisciplinary Scientific Conferences on Social Sciences and Arts
in ECG. Only a UNESCO monastery (Sucevita) and Bucharest appear in all the
campaigns, and other four destinations appear in two campaigns (Sibiu, another
UNESCO-labeled church, a seaside resort and the Hunyad Castle from Hunedoara).
Figure 1. Weight of the places promoted in international tourism promotion campaigns.
The TV commercials highlight various national attractions, natural and anthropic: e.g.
fauna, vegetation, relief, river gorges and waterfalls, many churches, several city
centers, castles/fortresses, one museum, a marina, a cemetery etc. According to the
selected attractions, each campaign emphasizes better a different type of heritage. For
example, in RSS there is a stronger focus on the cultural attractions reflecting the Past
(about 53 % of the attractions are old buildings, historic sites, traditions, legends etc.)
and well-preserved nature (20 %), in opposition with about 27 % attractions associated
with modern life (nightclubs, sports, seaside resorts). In RLC, the diversity of Past-
related cultural attractions decreased (37 %), in favor of the natural ones (30 %) and
modern leisure (33 %). In ECG, present attractions (37 %) and living traditions (34 %)
are further diversified, strongly outnumbering the natural ones (only 12 % of the main
attractions are natural). Sometimes multiple and diverse features are associated with the
same destination (e.g. various attractions for Bucharest) or different cultural meanings
are highlighted for the same attraction, depending on the image composition and text:
e.g. the architectural (UNESCO heritage) or spiritual value (priests preying, the word
“mystical”) for a monastery.
The attribute-based and synthetic destination images reveal better the differences
between the heritage and holistic country image communicated in each campaign -
Figures 2 and 3. In RSS, the general atmosphere is about discovering unique, well-
preserved cultural and natural landscapes, as indicated by the weighting of tourist
attractions (architecture and art and natural environment have the highest framing
Section Economics and Tourism
871
indexes - 100 and 68.6; legends and myths - 5.9; traditional life – 43.8; delta - 9.8) and
infrastructures (old plane, traditional boat). But, apart traveling in the past, the tourist
experience is rather limited to observing and walking, or to indulging in modern,
sun/sea activities (e.g. sunbathing, volley or surfing). Interactions with locals are not
clearly emphasized. There are only some public spaces where both tourists and hosts
could be present: beach, nightclubs and streets. The tourist is rather an outside observer,
while locals are friendly (smiling, inviting) or simple, demure people living a traditional
(fisherman, nuns) or urban life.
Figure 2. Weight of image attributes: framing index (IF, bold), frequency (F), duration
(D), underlined: top 3 values per campaign; italic: maximum value in all the campaigns.
The Seaside and Danube Delta are the most prominent attributes depicting the overall
Natural Environment. They have the highest framing indexes from all the campaigns
and they are reinforced by tourist infrastructures (modern seaside resorts, with
umbrellas, hotels and a gondola), general infrastructure (the transport mean in the Delta
- the boat), tourist activities (linked to the sun/sea theme) and attractions (the
fisherman’s traditional life). Overall, the selection and weight of destination attributes
largely reproduce the Myth of an Unchanged territory [4], where symbols of an
impressive, legendary Past (architecture, medieval knights, traditional costumes and
SGEM 2015 International Multidisciplinary Scientific Conferences on Social Sciences and Arts
life) and well-preserved, peaceful natural landscapes (from the Danube Delta or the
Carpathians) are opposed to the Present facilities and activities (mainly linked to sun/sea
tourism). The scarce written text only underlines the main categories of attractions
corresponding to the spots themes: e.g. monasteries, history, legends, Danube Delta,
Bucharest.
Figure 3. Synthesis of the destination image components in the three campaigns (italic -
maximum value in all the campaigns; bold - highest values per campaign).
The RLC campaign is very focused on features underlining the Social Environment: the
hosts’ attitude (100) and activities (99.2). Romania is promoted through built and
natural attractions, intended to appeal to the sun/sea, sports, clubbing and nature lovers:
seaside resorts, nightclubs and parks, the Danube Delta, with birds, luxuriant vegetation
and wild horses, or the Carpathians, better weighted compared to RSS. The tourists’ and
hosts’ activities reinforce this image: people sunbathing or playing on the beach,
clubbing or chasing birds in the Delta. Local hosts are friendly, romantic, relaxed and
fun, indulging in modern leisure activities, or simple people, living a traditional rural
life (shepherd, fisherman or priest). A mocking of strange/exotic external stereotypes
associated to Romania appears in the teaser spot (e.g. people riding zebras in
Bucharest), then contradicted in the explanatory spot, which underlines the Romanians’
welcoming, reliable nature. Again, there is no clear interaction illustrated between
tourists and hosts, only some public spaces: clubs and beach. The overall feeling of the
campaign is that of indulgence in a natural and built paradise, appealing and
confortable, and largely corresponding to the Myth of the Unrestrained [4]. The
commercials text is brief and focused on emphasizing a positive and attractive side of
Romania (hence the three famous sportsmen speakers), meant to contradict external
negative labels: “this is Romania” is repeated several times.
As expected given the campaign name, ECG is strongly emphasizing the natural
resources, especially the mountains (achieving their highest framing index - 32.8). Still,
Section Economics and Tourism
873
the main focus is on Tourists (FI =100), overrepresented in the commercials characters
and for the first time illustrated interacting with the hosts. Tourists are involved in
various experiences that largely correspond to the present travel market segmentation
[12][5]: health/wellness, nightlife, city-breaks, eating/drinking, experimenting rural life,
backpacking, practicing (extreme) sports, etc. They explore diverse environments (wild
nature, vibrant cities, churches or traditional villages), in various seasons, as opposed to
the other campaigns illustrating only summer activities; they use both modern and
traditional infrastructures. This time, residents are mostly represented as pleasant and
available to assist, entertain or serve their visitors. They cook and serve meals, give spa
treatments, dance etc. The hosts are also presented as keepers of authentic traditions and
life, but this time shared with visitors. Traditions reach the highest weight in ECG
(70.7) and they are illustrated through: gastronomy, crafts (pottery, wood craft),
costumes and rural occupations (shepherd). Legends have the lowest presence in ECG,
only indirectly reminded through images of a Halloween party in a modern nightclub.
The Natural Environment is mostly mountainous, suggesting a frontier territory with
pristine nature, yet comfortable and safe. Therefore the general atmosphere is rather of
indulgence into complex, embodied experiences of authenticity, both cultural and
natural. Thus, the myth of the Unrestrained (with self-indulging, multisensory tourist
activities, and pleasant/helpful hosts) is further developed, in association with traits of a
frontier territory [4], with distinctive ethnic features (e.g. traditional costumes or
occupations) and well-preserved nature. The verbal messages (mainly spoken in the
2011-2012 spots and only written in the 2013-2015 ones) underline the general
atmosphere (e.g. “authentic”, “welcoming”, “unique”, “healthy”, “rich tasting” etc.) or
name the main attractions (“sailing”, “traditions well-kept” etc.). Superlatives are used
to evoke unique destination features, either functional or psychological: e.g. “the second
largest administrative building in the world”, “cultural capitals” etc.
CONCLUSION
The paper highlights new information confirming the similarities between Romania’s
destination image communicated in the post-communist tourism promotion campaigns
and the stereotyped images reproduced by other countries aiming to attract visitors from
developed states. The first campaign strongly illustrates the myth of the Unchanged,
opposing iconic relics of a glorious, legendary past to modern, sun/sea or urban-themed
activities. The weight of the past decreases in the second campaign, mainly aimed to
emphasize a modern and appealing Romania, worth to be considered a European Union
member and an attractive tourist destination for Western visitors; hence the overall
image of a safe natural paradise, where visitors can find warm hosts and indulge in
various activities. The last campaign further reinforces the myth of the Unrestrained,
presenting Romania as a country with pristine nature, where visitors can immerse
themselves into complex, multisensory experiences, in diverse natural and social
environments. The campaigns share a constant concern for external expectations and
stereotypes; hence the insertion of Dracula’s myth in RSS, of Halloween parties in
ECG, or the effort to counterbalance negative external perceptions with the “real” side
of Romania, in RLC. There is also an increasing adaptation to the global tourism trends:
if in RSS, a selection of iconic national heritage is browsed in front of the visitors’ eyes,
in ECG, the image is mostly built from the outside (demand) to inside (national
heritage), visible in the offer segmentation, the focus on tourists, on unique attractions
(hence the decrease of the seaside weight) and authenticity, both cultural and natural.
SGEM 2015 International Multidisciplinary Scientific Conferences on Social Sciences and Arts
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
This research was supported by the strategic grant POSDRU/159/1.5/S/133391, Project
“Doctoral and Post-doctoral programs of excellence for highly qualified human
resources training for research in the field of Life sciences, Environment and Earth
Science” cofinanced by the European Social Fund within the Sectorial Operational
Program Human Resources Development 2007 – 2013.
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