The challenge of proximity: The (un)attractiveness of near home tourism destinations

According to Franklin and Crang (2001) ‘[t]ourism studies [have] often privileged the exotic and strange, reflecting anthropological legacies, to speak of dramatic contrasts between visitors and locals’ (p.8). This is also reflected in current practices of destination branding, where nations, regions and cities strive for a competitive identity (Anholt, 2007). However, for tourism destinations within familiar environments or geographically proximate to ‘home’, overcoming such discourse is challenging: imaginaries of otherness are closely related to geographical distance and travelling far away from the everyday.Yet, touristic places can be both familiar and unusual, both mundane and different (Díaz Soria & Llurdés Coit, 2013). In this vein, tourism and travel become increasingly separated and various opportunities emerge for finding otherness near home. Moreover, in a world where responsible tourism development might imply a moral shift to travelling locally, distance becomes a limitation and proximity a new commodity. A key question then pertains to the ways familiar, everyday environments can become places in which otherness is experienced and how destination images for ‘proximity tourism’ are constructed, communicated and endorsed.Therefore, this paper examines destination images prevailing among residents of the Dutch province of Fryslân, about their own province. Obtained through an online panel survey, findings reveal various differences in terms of perceived relative (interregional and intraregional) attractiveness and reasons for (non) visitation, but also in tourism behavior and recommendation intentions. The results provide valuable input in the discussion about imaginaries of travel, distance and otherness and their impact on responsible tourism development. ReferencesAnholt, S. (2007). Competitive identity: the new brand management for nations, cities and regions. Journal of Brand Management, 14(6), 474-475. Díaz Soria, I., & Llurdés Coit, J. (2013). Thoughts about proximity tourism as a strategy for local development. Cuadernos de Turismo, 32, 65-88. Franklin, A., & Crang, M. (2001). The trouble with tourism and travel theory. Tourist studies, 1(1), 5-22.