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Journal of Tourism Challenges and Trends
105
IN THE NEWS: AN INVESTIGATION INTO AUSTRALIAN PRINT
MEDIA REPORTS ON BALI
Greg WILLSON*, Dale SANDERS**, Olan SCOTT***
Abstract. Print media is a significant information source for tourists. Whilst previous
studies have focused on the influence of television, movies and social media, the at-
tention given to the role of the print media and tourism has been limited. Further,
despite the importance of Australia and in particular, Western Australia as a source
market for the Indonesian island of Bali, there is a paucity of research exploring how
the Australian media framed Bali as a destination. The purpose of this paper is three-
fold. First, it seeks to determine the framing of two Australian newspapers towards
Bali as a tourist destination. Second, it explores the themes elicited within story cover-
age of Bali within two popular Australian newspapers. A structured content analysis
of articles about Bali was conducted and The West Australian and The Australian
were used to meet the research aims. This paper is of scholarly importance as it pro-
vides greater insight into the way print media shapes the narrative of a destination.
Keywords. Framing, print media, newspaper, destianation image, Bali, Australia.
Introduction
Print media (both paper and electronic access) remains an important
information source for Australian travellers. In 2011, the Australian Bureau of
Statistics (ABS) noted 494 international movements per 1,000 people from
Western Australia, which was well above the national average of 345 (King,
2012). Whilst this high propensity for travel has been assisted by external
forces such as the mining boom and a record high Australian dollar, other
factors such as the relative isolation of the state and the enculturation of
holidays to destinations like Bali are also important (Sobocinska, 2011).
Another element that can influence destination choice is the local media.
* Edith Cowan University, School of Business, 270 Joondalup Drive, Joondalup, Western
Australia, g.willson@ecu.edu.au.
** Edith Cowan University, School of Business, 270 Joondalup Drive, Joondalup, Western
Australia.
*** University of Canberra, Faculty of Health, Building 12 | Room 12C4 | University Drive,
Bruce, ACT 2617.
© 2015 RAAPMER
Journal of Tourism Challenges and Trends, Vol. VIII, No. 2, 2015, p. 105-122
Greg Willson, Dale Sanders, Olan Scott
106
This paper reports the findings of an investigation into print media reporting
of Bali in the state newspaper, The West Australian and the national
newspaper The Australian during the height of the mining boom from 2011
to 2013.
Despite the importance of Australia and in particular, Western Australia as a
source market for the Indonesian island of Bali, there is a paucity of research
exploring how the Australian media reports on Bali as a destination. Indeed,
there have been a number of recent negative articles in Australian media
about Bali as a tourism destination. For example, in February 2014, two
separate deaths of Australian tourists in mysterious circumstances received
widespread media coverage within Australia (Elks, 2014; Wockner, 2014).
The purpose of this study is three-fold. First, it seeks to determine what the
framing of Bali was in two Australian newspapers. It will achieve this by
analysing the nature and extent of frequencies, direction and space allocated
of articles related to Bali published in The West Australian and The
Australian newspaper. Second, this study seeks to compare the themes
elicited within story coverage of Bali within these newspapers. As the media
is a key influencer in aiding people’s perception of anything, understanding
the media frames of Bali will enable this study to uncover where this
destination was either positively or negatively framed for Australian
newspaper consumers.
Literature review
Tourism destination’s images are formed by many factors, such as personal
experiences, word of mouth, popular culture, mass media outlet, and in re-
cent times, social media (Hammett, 2013). Further, there are many other fac-
tors involved in place-scripting and the formation of information and interac-
tions with a destination (Govers et al., 2007). There are social and cultural
influences, the continued flux that a destination is in due to social, cultural,
and political changes that can occur (Su, 2010). Thus, there is a continual
shift in the re-shaping of the destination image and tourist behaviour, to tra-
vel to that destination or not. This study seeks to uncover the media framing
around the island destination of Bali during the peak of the Australian min-
ing boom between 2011 and 2013. The review of the literature will be pre-
sented in three discreet sections: Media and tourism, destination image and
Australian tourists and Bali.
Journal of Tourism Challenges and Trends
107
Media framing in tourism
Whilst there has been growth in the number of studies on the broader topic
of the media including television, movies and social media, the attention
given to the role of the print media and tourism has been more limited
(Spennemann et al., 2006). Some canvass the role of the media in relation to
specific tourism products such as indigenous tourism (Spennemann et al.,
2007), medical tourism (Turner, 2012; Imison & Schweinsberg, 2013) and
events (Custodio & Gouveia, 2007; Voase, 2009; Schroeder & Pennington-
Gray, 2014). Others are linked to destination image (Avraham, 2000; Alvarez
& Korzay, 2008; Castelltort & Mader, 2010; Stepchenkova & Eales, 2011) in-
cluding the impact of major crises and disasters (Cousins & Brunt, 2002; Hall,
2002; Baxter & Bowan, 2004; Mason et al., 2005; Lewinson, 2008). Burns and
Bibbings (2011, p.95) note that the print media, in particular, has the ability
to establish political agendas and can be regarded as ‚a proxy for public
opinion‛. Whilst the media is one of many factors that can influence destina-
tion choice, it can play a role in the formation and use of designation images
that can influence choices (Hall, 2002; Castelltort & Mader, 2010). In addi-
tion, the media provides timely information about a destination in a way that
brochures, travel guides and websites do not (Castelltort & Mader, 2010).
Frame analysis is one of the most used methods to understanding how the
media has presented an issue to its consumers. Framing traces its origins to
the work of Goffman (1974), who laid the foundations of the technique.
Entman (1993) suggested that framing can be characterized as ‚selecting
some aspects of a perceived reality and mak[ing] them more salient in a
communicating text‛ (p.52), while Scott, Hill, and Zakus (2014) suggested
that it was important to gain ‚an understanding of the framing processes used
by media in their construction of social and political issues is important due
to its influence on attitudes and beliefs‛ (p.24) of consumers.
Gitlin (1980) also characterized framing as incorporating three aspects:
Selection, emphasis and exclusion. To apply Gitlin’s (1980) tri-classification
of framing, the media choose topics (selection) to be discussed (emphasis)
and, lastly, the media determine ‚who or what does not get shown‛ (Billings,
2004, p.203) (exclusion). Thus, frame analysis can be conducted by ‚probing
for particular words and visual images that constantly appear in a narrative‛
(Entman, 1991, p.7). As frames can help to aid a consumer in unpacked
mediated communication, they can also be described as ‚themes‛ (Pan &
Kosicki, 1993). In this study, frames and themes are used interchangeably.
Greg Willson, Dale Sanders, Olan Scott
108
The media’s reporting on events can have a culturally influencing impact
whereby the consumer’s thoughts are impacted by the media. For example,
South Africa’s image as a tourist destination was analyzed by country’s media
in several of the main nations whose citizens travelled to the 2010 football
World Cup. These were the United Kingdom, North America, Germany, and
the Netherlands (Ferreira & Donaldson, 2014). In this study, there were
several themes that the media used irregularly and the dominant themes
changed over time. In particular, the image of South Africa and the overall
positivity of the newspaper articles over the duration of the World Cup
indicated that the media framed the event from a positive lens. Prior to the
event, however, there were many articles that negatively described the build-
up of the event, the crime in South Africa, and potential dangers to visitors
(Ferreira & Donaldson, 2014).
The dangers to potential visitors reported by the news media can be real or
perceived and sensationalism of news reporting can be an issue (Cousins &
Brunt, 2002; Mason et al., 2005). A bias toward negative reporting at the
expense of ‘good news stories’ has also been noted in the literature
(Castelltort & Mader, 2010). Mason et al. (2005) report on this issue
identifying that during the reporting of severe acute respiratory syndrome
(SARS) some countries or regions that were not seriously affected were
grouped together with those that were creating a misperception about where
it was safe to travel. Thus, the media can influence destination perceptions
and an upsurge in coverage can result in visitors cancelling holidays (Baxter
& Bowen, 2004).
An early study on the links between terrorism, tourism and the print media
based on a series of international incidents in the late 1990s by Cousins and
Brunt (2002) concluded that it was ‚highly probable that a relationship exists
between the media coverage of terrorism involving tourists and tourism
demand‛ (p.30). They further speculated that a relationship between length
of coverage and an extended reduction in visitation may exist but that this
required further research (Cousins & Brunt, 2002). Baxter and Bowen (2004)
investigated how the media portrayed the effects of the UK foot and mouth
disease during the 1967-68 and 2001 outbreaks. They concluded that the
2001 outbreak had a much greater impact on tourism and a larger effect as
perceived through the media. They further suggested that the media was not
passive and that the ‚role of the media is crucial in tackling any future such
crisis‛ (Baxter & Bowen, 2004, p.263). Mason et al. (2005) investigated the
role of the media in relation to the SARs outbreak in 2003. Using Hall’s
(2002) issue attention cycle, they commented on the coverage during the
Journal of Tourism Challenges and Trends
109
cycle’s five stages advising that ‚[it] was not just the fact that SARS [Severe
acute respiratory syndrome] was eported by the media, however, but the way
that it was reported, in terms of the sheer volume of coverage and the often
sensationalist and alarmist tines‛. (Mason et al., 2005, p.15) They also noted
the issues that arose from the use of the media by the World Health
Organisation (WHO) to transmit health warnings about the outbreak.
Research into the role of the print media and in particular newspapers
during non-crises and disaster times is more limited. Spennemann et al.
(2006) explored the role of both the print and television media to ascertain
the exposure to Indigenous tourism opportunities in Australia. They looked
at the travel sections of newspapers, magazines and TV rather than the news
articles, which are the focus of this study. Results suggested that in the mid
2000s there was a trend away from travel agents to self-sourcing holiday
information and that ‚overall the passive exposure to ICT [Information and
communications technology] was extremely low‛ (Spennemann et al., 2006,
p.255).
Stepchenkova and Eales (2011) investigated the impact of news on tourism
demand. Using Russia as the destination and the UK as the source market,
they content analysed media reports to determine volume, topics and the
favorability of coverage. They found that reporting on disasters, terrorism
and political unrest did not deter visitors from traveling to the destination.
Another conclusion in this study was that the media were key influencers in
the agenda-setting of the Russia as a tourist destination for potential UK
travelers. As such, tourists’ opinions may be formed through media
messages.
Castelltort & Mader (2010) examined the reporting of Spain as a destination
in Swiss-German newspapers and advise that whilst the print media is an
important source, there are other influences on image.
Alvarez & Korzy (2008) concur advising that after word of mouth (WOM),
TV and print media were the most important sources in their study. Peel and
Steen (2006) applied a different approach to tourism and the media
investigating media representations of the tourists (backpackers) rather than
the destination. Utilizing a content analysis of Australian print media to
determine how backpackers are framed for host communities. They found
that ‚Australia’s print media depicts backpackers more commonly as victims
of crime or accidental death, of engaging in reckless or criminal activities
Greg Willson, Dale Sanders, Olan Scott
110
and of being in direct conflict with the host community over the use of shared
residential amenities.‛ (Peel & Steen, 2006, p.1057).
Destination image
Since the early 1970s, destination image has received substantial attention in
the published literature (Stepchenkova & Li, 2014). Destination image is
defined as the sum of beliefs, ideas and impressions that a tourist holds
about a destination (Crompton, 1979). It has been well established that the
media has a significant impact on destination image (for example, Mercille,
2005; Chen & Phou, 2013 Stepchenkova & Li, 2014). Media also constitutes
an important element of Urry’s (1990, p.3) seminal concept of the tourist
gaze, which is ‚constructed and sustained through a variety of non-tourist
practices such as film, TV, literature, magazines, records and videos‛.
However, media is not the only medium upon which an individual forms an
image of a destination; a tourist’s prior knowledge, experience, commercial
and noncommercial information sources, and tourist-generated content
(Stepchenkova & Li, 2014).
Previous research has concluded that media effects are not deterministic or
homogenous (Mercille, 2005). Hall’s (1980) seminal research illustrates how
individuals may decode media images; as they were fully intended by the
producer, as a ‘negotiated’ position where an individual takes an image and
adapts it to their own understanding , or in ‘opposition’ to the original
meaning of the message. Drawing on Hall’s theory, Mercille (2005)
concludes that negotiated and oppositional interpretations of the media are
influenced by an individual’s cultural and social background. These factors
are thus important when considering how media messages influence an
individual’s perception of a destination.
Building on the findings of Mercille (2005), Chen and Phou (2013) argued
that a crucial aspect of a destination’s image is its personality. Tourist
destinations, like individuals, have unique personalities; it is these
personalities that appeal to tourists and predict tourist buying behaviours
(Ekinci & Hosany, 2006). Destination personality has a direct positive effect
on the tourist-destination relationship and builds trust with a destination
(Chen & Phou, 2013). Over time, a destination’s personality is cognitively
developed amongst tourists; emotional bonds between individuals and a
destination is formed if they determine a personality is trustworthy and
satisfactory (Chen & Phou, 2013).
Journal of Tourism Challenges and Trends
111
Australian tourism
Australia is the largest source market for Bali at 24.96% and more than
double the next single source market, China (Atmodjo, 2013). Indonesia is
the most popular holiday and leisure destination country for West Australians
with 386,000 departures in 2013. This is 74% higher than the second most
popular country, Thailand (Tourism Western Australia, 2014). With the
exceptions of a drop in visitation immediately following the two Bali
bombings, there has been strong and sustained growth in Australian travel to
Bali since the 1980s (Sobocinska, 2011). The minimal impact of negative
media stories on Australian tourist numbers to Bali could, arguably, be in
part a result of the risk personality of Australians in general.
Scholars have argued that Australians, when compared to most other
cultures, are less concerned about potential risks and are less likely to avoid
certain situations because of the level of risk involved with them (Lim,
Hellard, Aitken & Hocking, 2007; Reisinger, 2008; 2009). Lim et al. (2007)
illustrated this by noting the particularly high-risk sexual behaviour engaged
in by young Australians. This cultural characteristic can be further illustrated
by Hofstede’s (2005) Five Value Dimensions theory, which holds that
Australians score a ‘very high’ classification regarding the individualistic
versus collectivist nature of their culture. Reisinger (2008) discussed that
those cultures that scored lowly on the individualistic dimension are more
likely to rely on and be influenced by information from media sources when
making travel decisions. While every society contains multiple social groups
which differ in significant ways (Pooley, Cohen & O’Connor, 2006), it is
argued that Australians, in general, are highly resilient (Maguire & Hagan,
2007). Maguire and Hagan (2007) argue that Australians have a high level of
social resilience, which is the ability to recover from, and even respond
positively to crises; this resilience is strengthened when managing crises that
have been experienced to some extent in the past.
Significance and research questions
A study focusing on how the media portrayed Bali has its theoretical
underpinnings in framing. Framing is a ‘‘process by which a communication
source constructed and defined a social or political issue for its audience’’
(Nelson, Oxley & Clawson, 1997, p.221). Framing studies seek to uncover
how people or institutions, such as the media, attempt to influence others
through a ‚process of culling a few elements of a perceived reality and
Greg Willson, Dale Sanders, Olan Scott
112
assembling a narrative that highlights connections among them to promote a
particular interpretation‛ (Entman, 2007, p.164).
As the media are key actors in issue framing and can ‚influence public
perceptions‛ (Denham, Billings & Halone, 2002, p.317), the following
research questions based on the media framing of Bali were posed for this
research:
RQ1: How was Bali framed by two Australian newspapers?
RQ2: What were the key themes reported in the media?
Method
Due to the exploratory nature of this research, a structured content analysis
was deemed the most suitable methodological approach. This research
followed the three step process outlined by Holsti (1969, p.130) ‚selecting
sources of communication, sampling documents, and sampling within
documents‛ (cited in Stepchenkova & Eales 2011, p.2011). The sources of
communication included two newspapers; the documents sampled were the
state based The West Australian and the national newspaper The Australian.
Within these newspapers, samples were taken from editions published
between 2011 and 2013. The sample was further refined to include only
those articles that included the word Bali in the headline or lead paragraph.
The original data set was 818; articles were then discounted if they were
advertising travel services (e.g. accommodation, airfares, cruise passage, and
others), if the article was from the real-estate section advertising ‚Bali style‛
property, and if the article’s content was not primarily focused on Bali (i.e.
Bali was only a fleeting mention). This resulted in a cleaned data set of 305
articles. The specific three-year period used in this study was chosen as it
was not impacted by any major crises or disasters in the region, which may
have influenced the media reporting of Bali.
Newspapers were selected as an appropriate media source for this study as
the information they provide to their readership is relatively autonomous
(Spennemann et al., 2006). It was suggested that ‚newspapers appear
regularly and frequently, they have uniform formats and many of their
parameters, such as circulation, geographical area of distribution, social and
political orientation, and ownership are known‛ (Stepchenkova & Eales,
2011, p.201). Furthermore, newspapers are increasingly available via on-line
platforms thus available to wider audiences and the back editions are stored
in searchable archives, making them accessible to researchers. The
Journal of Tourism Challenges and Trends
113
application of content analysis to the chosen sample of newspaper articles
facilitated the researchers’ interpretation of how this print media represented
the destination of Bali during the survey period (Vincent, Imwold, Johnson &
Massey, 2003).
The Newspapers
This study content analysed all newspaper articles that referred to Bali from
2011 to 2013 in two Australian newspapers: The West Australian - a promi-
nent state tabloid newspaper and The Australian - a national broadsheet.
Both are conservative and operate as a monopoly in their respective jurisdic-
tions. The two newspapers were selected as both have a high circulation
and are the most popular sources of print media news for West Australians.
The selection of two newspaper sources also facilitates a comparison of the
reporting styles at the nation and state levels in relation to articles about Bali.
A concise description of each newspaper follows. The Australian is the only
major national newspaper in Australia. As the media landscape in Australia is
quite fragmented, there are also regional state based daily newspapers with a
higher readership than The Australian, such as The Age, The Daily Telegraph,
The Sydney Morning Herald, and The West Australian (Roy Morgan Research,
2015). The Australian is a national broadsheet newspaper, which is
published daily and also has a weekend edition. Its circulation is
approximately 105,000 and its weekend edition has a circulation of 226,000
(News Corp Australia, 2015). The West Australian is a regional tabloid style
newspaper and has an average daily circulation of approximately 158,000
and an average weekend circulation of approximately 255,000 (The West
Australian, 2013).
Instrumentation
The print coverage of Bali between 1 January 2011 and 31 December 2013 of
the West Australian and The Australian was analysed. Each article was
analysed to uncover differences in the coverage of this event by a national
broadsheet and a regionally important tabloid newspaper. Once all the
articles were downloaded using Factiva, an initial analysis (using grounded
theory) was conducted on 20% of the pages by three individual coders to
identify and quantify the salient themes present within the data set. This
satisfies the needs of textual analysis, which must incorporate ‚objectivity,
system, and generality‛ (Holsti, 1969, p.3) to maximize reliability and
validity. This preliminary analysis netted 94 themes. To establish operational
definitions, a round table discussion was held by the research team. As a
result of this meeting, many themes were combined within more broad
Greg Willson, Dale Sanders, Olan Scott
114
categories based on belongingness. This provided a manageable number (n
= 9) of themes (see Table 1). This process ensured that the efficiency of
coding would be maximized whilst maintaining a high degree of
representation. Any theme were a unanimous decision was not achieved was
omitted from the analysis.
Table 1. Themes in the Framing of Bali
Theme
No. sub
themes
The West
Australian
The Australian
N
%
N
%
Terrorism
8
35
15.21
45
60.00
Accident and injury
9
11
4.78
10
13.3
Politics
8
12
5.21
4
5.33
Business
3
11
4.78
6
8
Wellness
11
28
12.17
1
1.33
Illness
21
40
17.38
1
1.33
Crime and justice
16
29
12.60
7
9.33
Travel industry
9
28
12.17
0
0
Destination attractions
14
36
15.62
1
1.33
TOTAL
230
75
Following the compilation of these categories, the data set was coded by the
authors. Each coder was provided with a third of the data set and was
required to record the frequency of each theme. In addition, any article that
did not have its focus on Bali was excluded from the analysis. Further, paid
advertorials were also excluded from the analysis. If several topics were
covered within an article it was coded to a main theme. To determine inter-
coder reliability, 15% of the data was randomly selected and re-coded by
one of the researchers. The percentage of agreement was then determined
using Cohen’s (1960) Kappa. Inter-coder reliability exceeded 85%, which
indicates an acceptable level of reliability (Wimmer & Dominick, 2006). This
suggests that the taxonomy and definitions of each theme used in the
analysis were adequately defined and saturated the data the newspaper
articles.
Following the completion of the coding process, the research team met once
again to discuss representational value of the original 9 themes. This process
was to ensure all themes and operational definitions provided an accurate
snapshot of the dataset. As a result, all authors unanimously agreed on the
value of the themes, and no alterations to operational definitions were made.
Where the favorability was not clear in the theme considerations including
Journal of Tourism Challenges and Trends
115
the issue itself and the attitude expressed toward the issue were used
(Stepchenkova & Eales, 2011).
Results
Following the data cleaning process it was revealed that the overall number
of relevant articles with a Bali headline or mention of the word Bali in the
lead paragraph in The West Australian and The Australian newspapers
during the three years from January 2011 to December 2013 was 305. The
overall volume of articles about Bali covered in The West Australian was
fairly consistent across the three years, whilst The Australian’s coverage was
quite variable with the majority centered on the 10th anniversary of the first
Bali bombings. Results indicate an average passive media exposure to the
destination of Bali and the associated issues covered of around once per
week. There were more articles in 2012 in both newspapers; including a
significant spike in October 2012 that were related to stories about the 10th
anniversary of the first Bali bombings.
The location of the articles and the associated word count varied (see Table
3). Between 2011 and 2013, The West Australian featured more than treble
the number of Bali themed articles compared to The Australian (230 articles
compared to 75). In terms of word count, Bali articles received nearly double
the coverage in The West Australian compared to The Australian. The
Australian devoted 53,021 words to Balinese themed articles across the three
years sampled, compared to The West Australian’s 96,127. A number of
Balinese themed articles in The West Australian were relatively short; while
The Australian featured Bali less often, when it did, it devoted a much
higher number of average words per article (706.94 words) compared to The
West Australian (417.94 words).
The West Australian featured Bali as a front page story on each of the three
years sampled, while The Australian only used Bali as a front page headline
in 2012 (Table 2). Coverage of Bali in both newspapers peaked in 2012,
which coincides with the ten year anniversary of the first Bali bombings. In
2012, Bali was featured predominantly in both papers as a major headline
(within the first ten pages of the paper), while for The Australian in
particular, either side of 2012, Bali stories were not featured heavily.
Greg Willson, Dale Sanders, Olan Scott
116
Table 2. Page coverage and word allocation
Year
Front Page
Pages 2-10
Page 11+
The West
Australian
The
Australian
The West
Australian
The
Australian
The West
Australian
The
Australian
No.
Total
Words
No.
Total
Words
No.
Total
Words
No.
Total
No.
Total
Words
No.
Total
2011
1
610
0
0
33
15,867
7
5,172
32
16,095
3
1,822
2012
9
2204
7
6,099
42
16,742
30
16,150
33
16,825
10
14,112
2013
4
2165
0
0
37
14,009
13
5,867
39
11,610
5
3,799
A favorability assessment (see Table 3) indicates that overall the news
coverage about Bali had an overall negative bias of around 60%. Both
newspapers were remarkably consistent in their negative bias. In terms of
overall positive or negative article type, The West Australian published
relatively similar percentages of articles in 2011 and 2013. In 2012, there was
an increase in the number of positively framed articles. Similar results were
found in The Australian in 2011 and 2013 as compared to The West
Australian. The Australian had a similar increase in the coverage of
positively framed articles in 2012. The increases in both newspapers in 2012
may be explained by the ten year anniversary of the Bali bombings.
Table 3. Favorability of articles
Further analysis of the favorability represented within in the key themes (see
Table 4 and Table 5) reveals mixed results. The West Australian reported
both positive and negative stories with all themes, with terrorism (77.1%),
illness (95%), and crime and justice (93.1%) containing a majority of negative
reporting. The Australian, in contrast, only reported a majority of negative
Newspaper
Year
Positive
Negative
Total
The West Australian
n
%
n
%
n
2011
26
37.68
43
62.32
69
2012
39
46.99
44
53.01
83
2013
28
37.84
46
62.16
74
The Australian
2011
3
30
7
70
10
2012
20
42
28
58
48
2013
6
35
11
65
17
Journal of Tourism Challenges and Trends
117
stories under the crime and justice (100%), terrorism (55.6%) and accident
and injury (100%) themes.
Table 4. Favorability of Key themes: The West Australian
Theme
The West Australian
Positive
Negative
N
&
N
&
Total
Cumulative
Percentage
Terrorism
8
8.51
27
19.85
35
15.22
Accident and injury
6
6.38
5
3.68
11
4.78
Politics
5
5.32
7
5.15
12
5.22
Business
9
9.57
2
1.47
11
4.78
Wellness
19
20.21
9
6.62
28
12.17
Illness
2
2.13
38
27.95
40
17.40
Crime and justice
2
2.13
27
19.85
29
12.61
Travel industry
16
17.02
12
8.82
28
12.17
Destination
attractions
27
28.72
9
6.62
36
15.65
TOTAL
94
100
136
100
230
100
Table 5. Favorability of Key themes: The Australian
Theme
The Australian
Positive
Negative
N
&
N
&
Total
Cumulative
Percentage
Terrorism
20
68.97
25.00
54.35
45.00
60.00
Accident and injury
0
0.00
10.00
21.74
10.00
13.33
Politics
1
3.45
3.00
6.52
4.00
5.33
Business
6
20.69
0.00
0.00
6.00
8.00
Wellness
1
3.45
0.00
0.00
1.00
1.33
Illness
0
0.00
1.00
2.17
1.00
1.33
Crime and justice
0
0.00
7.00
15.22
7.00
9.33
Travel industry
0
0.00
0.00
0.00
0.00
0.00
Destination
attractions
1
3.45
0.00
0.00
1.00
1.33
TOTAL
29
100
46
100
75
100
It is interesting to note that two of the key themes, disease and the travel
industry, were not represented at all in the sample of articles from The
Greg Willson, Dale Sanders, Olan Scott
118
Australian. In The West Australian articles reported on the occurrence of
diseases such as Legionnaires, Dengue Fever, Measles, Rabies, HIV and Bali
Belly, with several articles including warnings to future travelers to Bali. The
seemingly contradictory classification of a number of terrorism related
articles as positive is due to the extensive coverage of the Bali bombings
anniversary. This included topics such as volunteering, charity and
memorials.
Discussion
The greater coverage of Bali related topics in The Western Australian
newspaper may be related to the geographical proximity of the state, which
neighbors Indonesia. The frequency and volume of visitation from the state
to Bali may also account for a higher level of articles. West Australians would
have a higher interest in stories about a destination they are familiar with,
which in turn may assist paper circulation. This awareness may also account
for the greater number of articles on topics such as wellness, the travel
industry and destination attractions.
Bali, once a remote, exotic destination has become very well known to most
Australians since the early 1980s (Sobocinska, 2011). However, still much is
unknown by the general traveller about the complexities of the social,
cultural and political systems of the island. Thus, the news media can have a
stronger influence particularly when it presents sensationalised stories to a
mass audience (Castelltort & Mader, 2010). As has been reported with other
major crises and disasters (Henderson 2003; Baxter & Bowan, 2004; Mason et
al., 2005; Lewinson 2008), media coverage of the Bali bombings in 2002 and
2004 did have a significant impact on visitation. Australian visitation to
Indonesia declined by 35.5% from 2001 to 2003 and 42% from 2004 to 2006
(Sobocinska, 2011). This concurs with Cousins and Brunt (2002) who posit
that there is likely to be a connection between tourist demand and terrorism
coverage in the media. Whilst there was a reduction in visitation immediately
post event, it could be argued that West Australians’ familiarity with Bali
lessened the impact and as Sobocinska (2011) points out there was an
increased feeling of solidarity and resolve to return.
This research indicates that regular negative news reporting across a wide
range of themes does not have the same impact as a major crisis or disaster.
In fact, since the second Bali Bombing, Australian visitation to Indonesia has
increased by roughly 400%. This confirms Maguire & Hagan’s (2007)
Journal of Tourism Challenges and Trends
119
assertion that Australian’s are particularly resilient. During the three years that
are the subject of this research visitation has continued to increase yearly
reaching 801,000 by 2013 (Tourism Research Australia, 2014), despite a
consistent negative bias in newspaper reporting of current events in Bali.
Whilst it is established in the literature that the media can influence
destination image, its effect is not always deterministic (Mercille, 2005;
Stepchenkova & Eales, 2011) as found in this study.
Whilst some explanation may be related to Australian tourists’ increasing
familiarity with the destination with second and even third generations of
families taking regular vacation trips to Bali (Sobocinska, 2011). There has
also been a well-documented decline in domestic tourism as Australians’
increasingly head abroad for their travel experiences (Tourism Research
Australia, 2007). The sustained increase in outbound travel to places like Bali
has to a significant extent been facilitated by their proximity, the growth in
budget air travel and the perception that overseas destinations offer better
value for money and new and or contrasting experiences to everyday life
(Tourism Research Australia, 2007).
Conclusion
A key finding of this paper was that even though there was an identifiable
bias towards negative reporting in both the state and national newsprint
media, it has not impacted Australians and in particular West Australian’s
decisions to holiday in Bali. This interesting phenomenon requires more in-
depth investigation to ascertain if this is symptomatic of the decline of
traditional media or if there are other factors at play. For example, future
research areas could include investigating social media representations of the
destination, exploring the strength of budget air travel in destinations choice
in this era of hyper-mobility, and researching the role of instant gratification
amongst the younger generations who have high disposable incomes and no
fear of credit.
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