Abstract
Stories have long been a central component to the interpretation of people, culture, and place. Recent research has substantiated the importance of storytelling in heritage tourism settings; however, few studies have provided an overview of storytelling in heritage experience design. This has left academics and service providers alike with little to no guidance as to how to effectively utilize storytelling in their experience offering. This chapter serves to synthetize what is known on the topic of storytelling in heritage experience design. It will explore the relevance of storytelling and experience design in the context of new museology, give an overview of pre-existing frameworks on the subject, and offer a critical analysis highlighting informational gaps and areas of expansion. Beyond guided tours, interpretative signs, and guidebooks, one thing is clear: if they are to facilitate experiences that are more memorable, engaging, and interactive, heritage attractions must utilize storytelling as a design tool.
TopIntroduction
Storytelling is part of human nature (Gottschall, 2012; Moscardo, 2020b). It seems humans are compelled to tell stories, whether it be during daily activities, at meals, while travelling, or even while daydreaming (Bassano et al., 2019). Storytelling can be viewed as a core component of human existence, as people use stories to facilitate communication (Moscardo, 2020b), understand the world around them (Dawson & Sykes, 2018), as well as shape their identities (Bassano et al., 2019). It can be defined as “a two-way interaction, written or oral, between someone telling a story and one or more listeners” (Sundin et al., 2018: 1). Stories are a specific type of narrative that must provoke emotional responses (Moscardo, 2020b). They usually tell a sequence of related events for entertainment purposes, including a challenge to the main character(s), the reaction and journey of the character(s) in response to the challenge, as well as some sort of resolution (Moscardo, 2020b; Popova, 2015). They also tend to activate imaginative processes by connecting with people’s experiences and emotions (Nielsen, 2017).
Storytelling has been extensively studied in the disciplines of anthropology, psychology, and sociology, but research has just begun exploring its implications in tourism (Moin et al., 2020; Moscardo, 2020b). Recent findings are solidifying storytelling as a crucial component to the design of tourist experiences (Moscardo, 2017a, 2017b, 2018, 2020b). Stories have only recently begun to be examined in more detail in tourism research (Moscardo, 2020b), although some studies have substantiated the importance of stories for tourist experiences (Moscardo, 2010, 2017a, 2017b, 2020a, 2020b). Perhaps stories have not received significant attention in tourism research due to a prevalence of tourism researchers who’ve adopted modernist and positivist approaches within traditional academic institutions (Munar, 2016; Tribe & Liburd, 2016).
For the managers of heritage attractions, storytelling has presented itself as a co-creative tool that effectively engages audiences and leads to memorable tourist experiences (Bec et al., 2019; Mossberg, 2008; Pine & Gilmore, 1998; Robiady et al., 2020; Ross & Saxena, 2019; Sundin et al., 2018). Moreover, new museums consider elements such as meaning-making, interpretation, and interaction to be central to the modern visitor’s experience; yet, there is little guidance for museums as to how to connect these elements with their museological practices (Nielsen, 2017). This is not surprising, as little research has been carried out regarding the implications of storytelling in heritage tourism interpretation and experience design (Moscardo, 2008, 2017a, 2017b, 2020). In fact, the question of how stories might be used to guide the design process of tourist experiences has been left largely unexplored (Moscardo, 2017b), whether it be in heritage contexts or others.
Key Terms in this Chapter
Heritage Tourism: A specific type of tourism relating to tourist activities occurring within the heritage sector, such as museums, heritage attractions, or heritage sites.
Co-Creation: The joint creation of value during experiences involving two or more parties. It is an inherently interactive process that necessitates the active contribution of all parties to an outcome. In tourism studies, it is often used to describe a consumer-provider relationship that acknowledges the active role of the consumer in service contexts.
Tourist Experience: A phenomenon occurring within the minds of individuals before, during, and after they have participated in activities as a tourist.
Digital Storytelling: A specific type of storytelling that is enhanced by the use of digital media and interactive technology. It is also commonly referred to as “immersive storytelling” or “interactive storytelling”.
Storytelling: The practice and art of telling a story to an audience (called listener, reader, or viewer) deeply rooted in human cultures and taking many different forms (everyday life stories, myths, fables or other).
Experience Design: Can be understood as a concept, an activity, a plan, or an outcome. It is the act of intentionally and mindfully planning, organizing, and implementing all components of an experience within a service context with the goal of providing enjoyable and memorable tourist experiences.
New Museology: A management approach that has emerged within the museum sector aiming to provide visitors with more participative, interactive, and engaging museum experiences. This approach runs counter to the traditional approach, which favors a one-directional transmission of information to visitors and the continuation of an authorized heritage discourse.