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Navigating ethics in travel public relations: responsible tourism practices in the age of digital media

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Navigating ethics in travel public relations: responsible tourism practices in the age of digital media

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Content NAVIGATING ETHICS IN TRAVEL PUBLIC RELATIONS:
RESPONSIBLE TOURISM PRACTICES IN THE AGE OF DIGITAL MEDIA
by
Jacqueline Cao
A Thesis Presented to the
FACULTY OF THE USC ANNENBERG SCHOOL FOR COMMUNICATION AND
JOURNALISM
UNIVERSITY OF SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA
In Partial Fulfillment of the
Requirements for the Degree
MASTER OF ARTS
(PUBLIC RELATIONS AND ADVERTISING)
May 2024
Copyright 2024 Jacqueline Cao

ii
Table of Contents
List of Figures................................................................................................................................ iv
Glossary .......................................................................................................................................... v
Abstract.......................................................................................................................................... vi
Introduction..................................................................................................................................... 1
Ethics in practice................................................................................................................. 2
Methodology................................................................................................................................... 4
Industry Outlook ............................................................................................................................. 5
Public relations in travel and tourism ................................................................................. 5
Signs of global tourism recovery ........................................................................................ 6
Emerging travel trends in 2023........................................................................................... 7
Ethical considerations in tourism........................................................................................ 8
Chapter 1: The good, the bad and the ugly of overtourism .......................................................... 10
The role of digital media in overtourism .......................................................................... 10
The rise of set-jetting ........................................................................................................ 12
Rallying against overtourism............................................................................................ 18
Navigating the ethics of set-jetting and overtourism........................................................ 19
Chapter 2: Traveling to destinations with controversial practices................................................ 23
Human rights abuses in Qatar........................................................................................... 23
Endorsing campaigns in nations with human rights abuses.............................................. 29
Chapter 3: Invasion of Indigenous lands ...................................................................................... 32
Hawaii is a paradise, but whose? ...................................................................................... 33
Conflicting views on tourism on Maui ............................................................................. 34
Tourist dollars in the face of tourist destruction ............................................................... 37
The role of digital media in the desecration of sacred sites.............................................. 40
Ethical boundaries in extreme situations .......................................................................... 41
Chapter 4: Success in regenerative tourism.................................................................................. 43
Chapter 5: The future of travel public relations? .......................................................................... 45
A call to action for responsible tourism practices............................................................. 46

iii
Bibliography ................................................................................................................................. 48
Appendices.................................................................................................................................... 54
Appendix A.1: Focus group questions.............................................................................. 54
Appendix A.2: Focus group transcript.............................................................................. 55
Appendix B: Table: Visitors at Scottish attractions in “Outlander,” 2013-2021.............. 68
Appendix C: Table: Dubrovnik tourists and “Game of Thrones” viewers, 2011-2022.... 69
Appendix D: Interview transcript: Olivia Carroll............................................................. 70
Appendix E: Interview transcript: Soojin Yoon ............................................................... 73
Appendix F: Table: Mighty 5’s visitors and Utah’s economic output, 2012-2022. ......... 75
Appendix G: Interview transcript: Justin Susan ............................................................... 76

iv
List of Figures
Figure 1. Cover page for VisitScotland’s “TV Set in Scotland” digital brochure........................ 13
Figure 2. Visitors at Scottish attractions in “Outlander,” 2013-2021........................................... 14
Figure 3. Dubrovnik tourists and “Game of Thrones” viewers, 2011-2022................................. 16
Figure 4. Dubrovnik Tourist Board’s “Game of Thrones” filming locations map....................... 17
Figure 5. Yearly average of tourist arrivals in Qatar, 2018-2023................................................. 25
Figure 6. Number of south Asian migrants who died in Qatar, 2010-2021.................................. 27
Figure 7. Monthly visitor arrivals in Maui before and after the August 2023 wildfires............... 36
Figure 8. Utah’s Mighty 5 “wallscape” on Wilshire Boulevard in Los Angeles.......................... 38
Figure 9. Mighty 5’s visitors and Utah’s economic output, 2012-2022. ...................................... 39

v
Glossary
The following terms will be used extensively throughout this study:

ethics. Established principles of right and wrong, guiding humans in what they ought to do.
kafala system. A migrant labor system that gives private citizens and companies in the Persian
Gulf and neighboring countries sponsorship permits and almost total control over foreign
workers’ employment and immigrant status.
lifestyle public relations. Public relations specialization that promotes consumer-oriented
products and services in sectors such as food, fashion, beauty, hospitality, travel and tourism.
Outlander Effect. A term coined by Scots to illustrate the impact of the show “Outlander” on
the Scottish tourist industry and economy.
overtourism. The travel phenomenon whereby certain places are visited by excessive number of
tourists, causing negative impacts for the local community and environment.
petroglyphs. Depictions on rock surfaces created by removing parts of the rock.
regenerative tourism. A holistic travel approach that considers the broader impacts on
destinations, communities and the environment, while being conscious of the negative
implications that uncontrolled tourism can bring.
set-jetting. A travel trend in which individuals seek travel inspiration from places they have seen
online or onscreen; also known as screen tourism or film tourism.
tourism public relations. The management of vacation packages, landmarks and overall
campaigns – in other words, the business of bringing tourists to a location.
travel public relations. The management of campaigns related to airlines, cruises, destinations,
resorts and transportation.

vi
Abstract
This paper seeks to uncover the ethical considerations — and boundaries — in travel and
tourism campaigns within the realm of public relations, with a special focus on situations that
contribute to overtourism, promote travel to Indigenous and native lands or include visits to
destinations with known human rights violations. This exploration into the ethical dimensions of
travel public relations serves not only as a critique but also as a call to action. It beckons the
public relations industry to embrace responsible practices and acknowledge the weight of its
influence on shaping perceptions, behaviors and stories that transcend cultures and borders. By
delving into the intricacies of ethical decision-making in travel public relations, we hope to
contribute to a future where the industry treads with conscientious footsteps, fostering a postpandemic resurgence that is not only economically robust but also ethically sound.
Keywords: ethics, public relations, travel and tourism, Indigenous lands, kafala system,
Outlander Effect, overtourism, set-jetting

1
Introduction
Ethics, though intangible, wield pervasive influence, quietly shaping our daily personal
and professional actions. Throughout history, the age-old inquiry into the dichotomy of right and
wrong has endured, but in contemporary times, it has ascended to a prominent position in the
public relations landscape. For communicators, the realization has become undeniably clear: how
the public interprets an organization’s ethos can determine whether it becomes social media’s
next sensational ooh-la-la or calamitous brouhaha.
But now, we must turn the magnifying glass on ourselves and the public relations
industry collectively. Though many practitioners adhere to a personal, professional and/or
departmental code of ethics, the intricate web of stakeholder involvement in the PR landscape
can blur the lines of ethical boundaries. These ethical complexities have shifted more into focus
especially as the field grapples with emerging challenges propelled by dynamic shifts in media
and transparency.
Nonetheless, regardless of how the industry has metamorphosized in recent years, one
thing remains true: good public relations is hinged on ethical decision-making. As we
contemplate the future of the PR industry, seeking enhanced ethics and transparency, the travel
sector offers a fitting starting point. As the intersection of public relations and tourism grapples
with its own post-pandemic challenges, this presents an opportune moment for reflection, reform
and a renewed commitment to ethical practices in the pursuit of a resilient and responsible
resurgence.

2
Ethics in practice
Ethics are grounded in the established principles of right and wrong, guiding humans in
what they ought to do, in terms of rights, obligations, fairness and specific virtues (Velasquez et
al.). While the interpretation of ethics may vary based on individual perspectives, ethics are
generally accepted as the encompassment of two fundamental principles. Firstly, they involve the
well-founded standards of right and wrong, providing guidelines for proper human behavior and
virtues like honesty and compassion. Secondly, they entail the continuous study and
development of one’s personal ethical standards. This ongoing process reflects a dedication to
maintaining a thoughtful and principled approach to decision-making while fostering a culture of
ethical responsibility on both the individual and institutional levels.
Though values like honesty and integrity play considerable roles in the work of public
relations professionals, there is a notable absence of a widely accepted code of ethics in the
broader field of PR. According to a 2018 global communications report from the USC Center for
Public Relations, this is a gap that has been recognized by industry professionals who are eager
to address and rectify it. The survey, which delved into the industry’s ethical landscape at the
time, found that an overwhelming majority (92%) of respondents agreed that the PR industry
needs a universally accepted code of ethics (USC Center for Public Relations). Despite this result
underscoring the urgent necessity for a collective commitment to raising ethical standards within
the PR field, the industry has not made significant strides toward standardizing ethics. This lack
of progress has posed challenges in defining what actions can be considered ethical (or unethical)
when dealing with campaigns with questionable or controversial elements.
The closest approximation to a universal ethical guideline in the PR profession is the
Public Relations Society of America (PRSA) Code of Ethics. A document created for PRSA

3
members, it lays out various ethical practices – advocacy, honesty, expertise, independence,
loyalty and fairness – as “the most important obligation of a PRSA member” (Public Relations
Society of America). Though the PRSA code outlines proper – and improper – types of conduct,
it must be noted that it only formally pertains to registered society members. As a result, the
continuous absence in standardized ethical guidelines for PR professionals leaves room for
interpretation and variation in ethical expectations, making it necessary for individual
practitioners and organizations to navigate the ethical landscape with a heightened sense of
responsibility and discernment.
This also means that there lacks a governing body or principle to classify certain
campaigns ethical or unethical, even when they contribute to the disruption of local
communities, worsen the detrimental effects of tourism or result in scenarios where denizens of
vulnerable regions resist visitors and outsiders. Given the absence of ethical standards on how
professionals can respond to such situations, the onus then shifts to the individual communicators
propelling tourism to these regions to establish the standards themselves. This also highlights the
pressing need for a more nuanced and comprehensive approach to ethos in tourism that considers
the perspectives and concerns of the local communities involved. This paper examines travel
public relations campaigns through an ethical lens, knowing that while not every professional
may follow the same personal or professional ethical tenets, there is always the ability to become
increasingly ethical and assure that the stories we tell are fair to all communities involved.

4
Methodology
The data for this paper was collected through three methods: interviews, a focus group
and an instant poll. They offer insights into the attitudes and beliefs of PR professionals and
students.
Interviews
A series of interviews was conducted with three public relations professionals across the
hospitality, travel PR and marketing sectors.
Focus group
A focus group was conducted in-person on October 25, 2023, at the University of
Southern California with seven undergraduate and graduate students from the communications
school. Of the seven participants, five identified as male and two identified as female. The focus
group lasted 38 minutes and 15 questions were asked (see Appendix A.1 for full list). These
participants were asked specifically about their travel histories and habits and their views on the
travel industry.
Instant poll
A group of 30 students in a USC lifestyle public relations class conducted an instant poll
using a structured approach to gather real-time feedback and opinions from the participants.

5
Industry Outlook
Public relations in travel and tourism
In the world of lifestyle public relations, professionals specialize in promoting
consumer-oriented products and services across sectors such as food, fashion, beauty, hospitality,
travel and tourism. While practitioners in travel public relations manage campaigns related to
airlines, cruises, destinations, resorts and transportation, those in tourism public relations focus
on vacation packages, landmarks and overall campaigns – in other words, the business of
bringing tourists to a location. Together, tourism and travel PR act as vital gatekeepers in
drawing visitors to specific destinations.
Through the dynamic interplay between storytelling, visual elements and digital
engagement, travel campaigns collectively showcase how PR professionals hold the ability to
influence travel decisions and shape the audience perception of places like New York, Iceland
and Hong Kong. The 1977 “I Love New York” campaign, marked by its iconic heart logo, stands
as a testament to the enduring impact of skillful destination branding and how simple messaging
can be immortalized as a pop culture icon. The “Inspired by Iceland” campaign, launched in
2015, shines as a compelling example of strategic destination promotion while effectively
capturing the country’s natural allure and wonders. Exemplifying a fresh approach to destination
marketing and corporate brand partnerships, the 2023 “Hello Hong Kong” campaign
demonstrates how to successfully attract international tourists by leveraging airfare giveaways
and emphasizing cultural diversity.

6
Signs of global tourism recovery
In 2019, tourism was one of the most pivotal sectors in the global economy, constituting
over 10% of the global gross domestic product (GDP) and supporting 330 million jobs
worldwide (World Travel & Tourism Council). This period of prosperity, however, was swiftly
and forcefully interrupted by pandemic-related restrictions that caused adverse economic effects
that took the world almost three years to overcome. By 2023, the tourism sector began a gradual
process of rebuilding and recovery, eventually reaching pre-pandemic levels of bookings and
activity. Amidst the post-pandemic travel uptick, PR professionals identified and utilized the
following trends to strategize travel campaigns:
• Resurgence in Europe and the Middle East: In January 2023, the United Nations
World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) predicted that tourism would return to prepandemic levels in Europe and the Middle East throughout the year. This optimistic
outlook was underpinned by several contributing factors, including the return of Chinese
tourists, whose international travel activities played a crucial role in boosting the overall
recovery, and the strength of the United States dollar, which provided support to the
weaker European currency and contributed to the economic revival in the region (UN
Tourism).
• Americans flock to Europe: A discernible shift in travel patterns was observed in airline
ticket prices as Americans increasingly choose European destinations for their
international journeys in 2023. According to data sourced from Hopper, a prominent
booking app, domestic fares were down 11% from the previous year and tracking below
2019 levels, while international fares rose 11% in the same timeframe and were up 28%
from 2019 (Sider).

7
• Japan’s tourism renaissance: In October 2023, official data revealed that visitors to
Japan had surpassed pre-pandemic levels, signifying a complete recovery in arrivals for
the first time since border restrictions were eased in May of that year (Kaneko).
• Revenge travel: Revenge travel, the phenomenon whereby travelers ‘take revenge’
against the pandemic by embarking on long-delayed vacations, has become a defining
trend in the contemporary travel landscape. During the summer of 2023, Americans in
‘revenge’ mode broke travel statistic records as pandemic-related restrictions started to
lift: Nearly a third of all U.S. households went on vacation between May and August
2023, according to a survey conducted by the Federal Reserve Bank of New York
(Hyatt).
Emerging travel trends in 2023
Despite travelers expressing significant concerns about the diminishing affordability of
travel, the tourism industry is poised to achieve record highs in 2024. Indications point to
sustained growth throughout the year, providing an opportunity for these trends to persist:
• Travel to Paris: Paris anticipates a notable surge in international visitors during the 2024
Summer Olympic and Paralympic Games, with France’s tourism board projecting over
one million attendees at the two sports competitions (Explore France).
• Silver tourism: Travelers aged 60 and above have emerged as the largest demographic in
the travel sector for the first time since March 2020, reflecting a return to pre-pandemic
travel trends (Squaremouth). Baby boomers and older Gen X have driven a
transformative shift in the travel and tourism market, with a substantial 56% of seniors
saying that have already booked their travel for 2024 (Squaremouth).

8
• Digital nomadism: The digital nomad lifestyle has transitioned into the mainstream, as
indicated by a report from the workforce management platform MBO Partners, with
approximately 17.3 million American workers identifying with this work situation.
According to the study, about 11% of U.S. workers self-identified as digital nomads in
2023 (Pofeldt).
Ethical considerations in tourism
The vigorous resurgence in travel, however, has brought to the forefront problematic or
questionable trends that have persisted but were not adequately addressed before the pandemic,
especially in destinations that struggle with crowd-driven environmental harm and cultural
deterioration. In recent years, Iceland has responded to the increase in irresponsible travel
behaviors by encouraging foreigners to sign the Icelandic Pledge, a brief online form where
visitors commit to being responsible travelers. This commitment to ethical travel includes
leaving areas undisturbed, taking photos responsibly (without endangering any lives), adhering
to designated roads and parking areas, staying within designated campsites at night and
refraining from taking biological breaks in nature.
As countries start to shift their tourism strategies to become more ethical, this begs the
question: Do public relations professionals also hold a responsibility to cease certain travel
campaigns or, at the very least, modify existing practices? In the post-pandemic era, travelers
have become increasingly mindful of their economic and environmental impact, which has
fostered the rise of ethical tourism. The issue that arises is whether these ethical considerations
should extend to the realm of public relations, where practitioners find themselves armed with an
unprecedented level of access and knowledge about global affairs. As a result, we now ask: Who

9
bears the responsibility for shaping the ethical considerations that guide a traveler’s choice of
destinations?

10
Chapter 1: The good, the bad and the ugly of overtourism
The Basque coast is unforgiving. Rocky and rugged, cliffs and arches form a permanent
impression of where the rough Cantabrian Sea has callously swallowed and eroded the land. But
where nature is ruthless, it is also merciful, for in the middle of this jagged scenery lies a quaint
island bird sanctuary for local marine birds. A small and verdant haven visible but separated
from the Spanish mainland, the island of Aketx is where local birds can peacefully rest and
breed, away from nearby human disturbances – that is, until too many tourists showed up.
The role of digital media in overtourism
Day by day, the connection between digital media and travel becomes increasingly clear:
what is seen on our phones – whether through social media or platform streaming – has become
the driving influence for our travel plans, as found by a 2023 American Express global travel
trends report (American Express). This shift can be attributed to several factors, including the
growing exposure to novel destinations through digital media and the evolving preference for
visually stunning and “Instagrammable” experiences (Arnold).
In the chase for Instagram photos, however, like-minded travelers have flocked to
destinations in increasingly unmanageable volumes, resulting in what is now deemed
overtourism. The term “overtourism” refers to the phenomenon whereby certain places are
visited by excessive number of tourists, causing negative impacts for the local community and
environment (Leahy). Though many of these destinations, reliant on the revenue generated by
tourism, especially post-pandemic, still welcome visitors, some cities and sites have started
imposing bans, fines and taxes in an effort to manage and reduce tourist numbers.

11
The recent surge in overtourism is closely tied to the growing popularity of set-jetting,
another emerging trend in which individuals seek travel inspiration from places they have seen
online or onscreen. This trend, also known as screen tourism or film tourism, marks a novel
approach to travel that forgoes traditional guidebooks and typical sightseeing locations. The key
distinction between set-jetting and conventional travel lies in intention: While regular travel
might include brief stops in locations that were coincidentally featured onscreen, set-jetting
involves deliberately seeking a behind-the-scenes look at one’s favorite content. Some notable
examples of set-jetting destinations include New York, popularized by shows like “Friends” and
“Sex and the City,” New Zealand, featured in “The Lord of the Rings” and “The Hobbit”
trilogies, the United Kingdom, famous for the “Harry Potter” series, and Sicily, Italy, showcased
in “The White Lotus.”
Set-jetting, which seamlessly combines elements of popular culture, travel and social
media, has become a top tourism niche because it captures the zeitgeist of Gen Zs and
Millennials with both smartphones and binge-worthy TV series. An astounding 70% of Gen Z
and Millennial respondents1 to the American Express Travel report agreed that they felt more
inclined to travel to a destination after seeing it featured in a TV show, news source or movie
(American Express). These claims were substantiated by the focus group, during which
participants, who all fell within the Gen Z and Millennial age range, agreed that they would want
to try set-jetting itineraries (see Appendix A.2 for transcript). One participant expressed a desire
to visit New Zealand to specifically see the “Lord of the Rings” filming locations, while two
others said they would visit Great Britain for “Harry Potter” sites. One participant even shared an
1 The American Express 2023 Global Travel Trends Report defines Gen Zs and Millennials respondents as those
born between 1981-2012.

12
anecdote about a family friend who purposefully traveled from the U.S. to Sicily to partake in a
“The White Lotus”-themed tour.
Social media has also become a strong driver for travel because it serves as a breeding
ground for travel ideas and inspiration. An overwhelming 75% of overall participants in the
American Express Travel report said that they had been inspired to travel to a specific
destination because of social media. Furthermore, a majority of Gen Z and Millennial
participants (61%) expressed that their top motivation for traveling was to capture social media
photos and videos, with 46% of them identifying Instagram as their primary source of travel
inspiration (American Express). This highlights the importance for PR practitioners in the travel
industry to recognize social media as a potent driving force for travel, especially given its
prevalence among Gen Z and Millennial audiences. Understanding and effectively leveraging
social media platforms become crucial strategies for engaging with and influencing these key
demographic groups.
The rise of set-jetting
Through its “TV Set in Scotland” campaign, the Scottish tourism board has exemplified
how to harness the power and influence of set-jetting through using owned and shared media.
Since 2018, the campaign, which is housed on a permanent landing page on VisitScotland’s
website, has encouraged foreigners to visit filming locations across the country. This campaign,
as well as its accompanying tour itineraries, was further promoted across various social media
channels, including Instagram, Facebook and X. The campaign also resulted in a comprehensive
33-page digital brochure that outlined, indexed and mapped where shows like “Outlander,”
considered one of the most popular Scottish series of all time, have filmed (see Figure 1).

13
Figure 1. Cover page for VisitScotland’s “TV Set in Scotland” digital brochure.
Source: VisitScotland.
“Outlander” has increased tourism in Scotland by a notable 67% since the show’s 2014
premiere (Mailman). The hit series first began as a television adaptation of historical fantasy
novels but has since evolved into a full-fledged franchise that also includes a prequel TV series,
two short stories, three novellas, a graphic novel and a musical. As the series grew in popularity,
Scottish heritage sites began to witness a significant increase in visitor numbers, succumbing to
what was later coined the “Outlander Effect,” which is to say, once a Scottish cultural landmark
was featured in the show, its visitor numbers skyrocketed, and its visibility was heightened
(VisitScotland). This trend began almost immediately after the show aired and peaked with
record-breaking visitor figures in 2019 (see Figure 2) (Historic Environment Scotland). In
theory, the Outlander Effect was a good thing, a beneficial thing for local business and
economies, but it also led to the disruption of treasured heritage sites and left Scottish residents
feeling sourer about tourism than ever before.

14
Figure 2. Visitors at Scottish attractions in “Outlander,” 2013-2021.
2
Source: VisitScotland (see Appendix B for full data table).
Despite its success, VisitScotland’s “TV Set in Scotland” campaign directly contends
with the promotional efforts of the Parisian tourism board’s campaign for the 2020 TV series
“Emily in Paris.” Though a simpler and less robust execution of a set-jetting campaign, the
Parisian tourism board has actively promoted the locations depicted in the hit Netflix series,
including various Parisian restaurants, hotels, museums and other venues, on its website. Tourists
are encouraged to explore “the iconic locations where shooting took place so you can visit them
for yourself and feel like you’re back in the series” (Paris Je t’aime). But the neighborhood
depicted in “Emily in Paris” now draws waves of set-jetting fans to the once quiet and secluded
area, much to the chagrin of many locals. Both VisitScotland’s and the Parisian tourism board’s
campaigns highlight the increasing trend of cities leveraging the popularity of TV series to drive
tourism, a strategy that PR practitioners can use to engage with key demographics.
2 This visitor data consolidates the annual visitor statistics from 2013 to 2021 for the 10 Scottish heritage sites that
first appeared in Season 1 (2014) of “Outlander” (VisitScotland). It does not account for the nine heritage sites that
were introduced in later seasons. It’s worth noting that as of 2024, “Outlander” is still airing.
0
200,000
400,000
600,000
800,000
1,000,000
1,200,000
2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021
Annual visitors at Scottish attractions featured in the first
season of "Outlander," 2013-2021
“Outlander” debuts

15
Much like the set-jetting phenomenon observed with “Outlander” and “Emily in Paris,” a
similar trend happened with “Game of Thrones,” now recognized as HBO’s most-watched series
ever (Porter). Throughout its eight-season run from 2011 to 2019, the show emerged as a
significant catalyst for tourism across various locations in Europe: In Northern Ireland, “Game of
Thrones”-inspired tourism contributed a direct economic boost of approximately $107 million to
the region’s economy during the first four seasons of the show (Addley). In 2014, the U.S.
ambassador to Spain reported a 15% increase in local tourism within just two weeks of the show
filming in the southern area (Rolfe).
As the show’s audience grew, so did the number of tourist arrivals in the Croatian city of
Dubrovnik, with both numbers peaking in 2019, the year that the series concluded its final
season (see Figure 3). In 2015, the mayor of Dubrovnik, reported that, after being featured in
multiple seasons of the show, the series was responsible for half of the city’s annual tourism
growth that year (Winfrey and Kuzmanovic). But soon, the city was suffering from overtourism:
In the year prior to the pandemic, the 41,000-person city saw more than 23.5 million tourist
arrivals, an influx that city officials claimed caused overcrowding, traffic jams, infrastructure
damage and the displacement of locals (Croatia Week). This also caused the mayor to close 80%
of the city’s souvenir stands and ban all new restaurants (Buckley). By 2023, Dubrovnik was
ranked the most “over-touristed” European city (Croatia Week).

16
Figure 3. Dubrovnik tourists and “Game of Thrones” viewers, 2011-2022.
3
Sources: Croatian Bureau of Statistics and Variety (see Appendix C for full data table).
In spite of Dubrovnik’s concerns about overtourism, the city’s tourism board has actively
sought to capitalize on set-jetting trends, and even published a “Game of Thrones” filming
locations map that highlights ten of the most significant sites featured in the series (see Figure 4)
(Dubrovnik Tourist Board). This strategic move reflects the recognition of the lucrativeness
associated with using a show’s popularity to attract visitors while also acknowledging the need to
mitigate the negative impacts of overtourism. While it’s understandable why Dubrovnik did not
fully embrace set-jetting like Scotland due to its smaller size and capacity, the city holds the
potential to redefine its “over-touristed” reputation and emerge as a popular tourist destination
for the public – not just “Game of Thrones” fans.
3 According to HBO, the “Game of Thrones” viewership data encompasses a “combination of viewership across
linear, on-demand, the now-sunset HBO Go and HBO Now, and other OTT platforms” (Maas). Because there is no
available “Game of Thrones” viewership data for 2018, a consistent viewership is assumed between 2017 and 2019.
The show aired its final season in 2019.
0
5,000,000
10,000,000
15,000,000
20,000,000
25,000,000
30,000,000
35,000,000
40,000,000
45,000,000
50,000,000
2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022
Average tourist arrivals in Dubrovnik and
"Game of Thrones" viewership, 2011-2022
Tourist arrivals "Game of Thrones" viewership
“Game of Thrones” ends

17
Figure 4. Dubrovnik Tourist Board’s “Game of Thrones” filming locations map.
Source: Dubrovnik Tourist Board.
Set-jetting to the point of overtourism, however, leads to negative environmental effects
in locations that aren’t equipped to handle that many people, such as in Spain, where the Basque
islet of San Juan de Gaztelugatxe needed to cap visitor numbers in order to protect surrounding
habitats. In 2016, the little island started to experience a surge in visitor numbers after its church
was used as a “Game of Thrones” filming location. Numerous “Game of Thrones”-inspired
pilgrims began arriving with the intent of ringing the islet’s church bell, a notable element in the
show’s fictional universe. The heightened bell ringing activity by visitors had a detrimental
impact on local endangered sea birds who lived on the nearby island of Aketx and severely
disturbed their breeding patterns (Tennant). To protect the birds, the rope was removed from the
church bell and digital tickets were introduced in the summer of 2018. Despite these restrictions,
the islet experienced a substantial 25% increase in visitors between 2018 and 2019 (Januzi).

18
Rallying against overtourism
Globally, there is a growing urgency among local communities to control and manage
overtourism; they are now taking measures to restrict visitor numbers and impede access to
tourist attractions. Since 2018, locals in Barcelona have daubed the phrase “Tourists Go Home”
on signs, monuments and billboards throughout the city and near major sightseeing locations like
La Sagrada Família (The Star). Residents of the Parisian neighborhood featured on “Emily in
Paris” started graffitiing the phrase “Emily Not Welcome” around the landmarks that drew
hordes of “diehard, beret-wearing” fans to the area (Schaeffer).
In Halstatt, a small Austrian town with UNESCO world heritage status, locals took action
against the noise and disruptions caused by tourists by installing fences to block the lakefront
view that inspired Disney’s 2013 animated film “Frozen” (Tara). After “Frozen” was released,
Halstatt started to see around 10,000 visitors a day, resulting in a staggering population increase
of over 1,000% in a town that is home to only 800 residents (Leahy). The daily inundation of
tour buses and cars resulted in severe traffic and congestion on the town’s main – and only –
road, leading to complaints by locals. In August 2023, nearly an eighth of Halstatt’s residents
rallied against overtourism by blocking the main road and demanding a cap on daily visitor
numbers. One Halstatt resident, Friedrich Idam, explained in an interview with NBC News that
he participated in the protest was because “Hallstatt no longer lives on tourism; it is being
squashed by overcrowding” (Eckardt and Smith).
Even in Scotland, where a VisitScotland report on tourism found that most locals see
tourism as a positive contribution to the vitality of their communities, there are mixed feelings
about the impact of the Outlander Effect, which one resident described as a “double-edged
sword” in an interview with BBC (2020). Though Scots have welcomed the boost in tourism,

19
they also acknowledge the challenges associated with the growing number of visitors, including
the disruption of natural heritage sites and the damage to grass footpaths (VisitScotland).
Navigating the ethics of set-jetting and overtourism
As seen with Scotland and Dubrovnik, set-jetting – and tourism in general – can serve as
a major economic catalyst for a country and its overall travel, hospitality and economic sectors
(Gavel). But when we examine what may initially appear as an economic boon, we discover that
the ones who bear the brunt of overtourism are on the microscopic scale: local communities and
environments. So, is it ethical to promote set-jetting campaigns that will inevitably lead to
overtourism? The question arises as to where, if at all, the responsibility lies. Is it the fault of the
traveler, the tourism industry, the PR practitioner or even the influencers who promote these
destinations.
For travelers, there is undeniably an ethical dilemma when deciding whether to continue
visiting locations that hold a strong appeal, knowing that traveling there could cause further
damage and destruction to these cherished landscapes. Looking to writer and philosopher Albert
Schweitzer, who posits ethics as, “It is good to maintain and further life, it is bad to damage and
destroy life,” the issue of set-jetting and overtourism meets the criteria for being labeled as
unethical. Indeed, overtourism has “bad” consequences, as evidenced by the disruption of San
Juan de Gaztelugatxe’s endangered sea birds and the destruction to Scotland’s vegetation. I even
argue that these unfortunate situations may not have occurred in these European locales if not for
“Game of Thrones.” Given that we are aware of the desperate protests against tourism, should
that not be sufficient for us as travelers to reconsider visiting these hometowns? I rebuke the idea

20
that travelers are not morally or emotionally bound to foreign lands; we don’t need to be natives
to a land to be cognizant of how it could hurt.
The question of blame for overtourism becomes complex in a landscape where pop
culture, social media and tourism are closely interconnected. One could argue that some
responsibility falls on the PR practitioners who arrange and promote features and articles for
popular TV shows that attract set-jetting fans to these filming locations. I believe that
communicators should consider the potential consequences of their promotional efforts and
evaluate the impact on these destinations before engaging in campaigns that could further
exacerbate overtourism. In doing so, the PR professionals would play a critical role in promoting
responsible and sustainable tourism practices and mitigating the negative effects of excessive
visitor numbers.
So, even though they are specifically hired to help promote tourism, PR practitioners
should also maintain a certain level of ethical commitment to the places they promote, even if the
struggles in those places are foreign to them. If they are aware that set-jetting campaigns can lead
to overtourism, they have a role to play in responsible tourism practices. This could include
strategies like limiting media exposure, targeting a specific and manageable list of media outlets,
or restricting the campaign’s timeframe to ensure the responsible promotion of destinations, like
in Scotland. In addition to PR practitioners, tourism boards and authorities should be proactive in
responding to the consequences of set-jetting. They play a crucial role in preventing issues like
overcrowding, trespassing and other disturbances. Collaborative efforts between different
stakeholders can help mitigate the impact of overtourism and ensure that these destinations
remain sustainable.

21
Furthermore, the creators and promoters of cultural phenomena like Disney’s “Frozen”
should also consider their roles in how tourism unfolds in specific locations, such as in Hallstatt.
Awareness of the potential impact of media and popular culture on tourism can lead to more
responsible and sustainable promotion and management of these destinations. When tourism is
managed well, as seen in the case of Scotland, it can have positive outcomes for the most part.
However, when handled poorly, as observed in Dubrovnik and other “Game of Thrones” filming
locations, it can be destructive. The impact of tourism, therefore, depends on its management.
I recognize the economic benefits that set-jetting can bring to both the national and local
economies. Nevertheless, I have ethical concerns and wonder when it becomes excessive: when
“enough is enough.” The call to action is not to simply acknowledge tourism’s economic
advantages in a country, but to seriously evaluate its longer-term consequences. Additionally, we
should contemplate the implications of any upcoming blockbuster or franchise causing set-jetting
to Indigenous lands. The popularity of the Paramount Network series “Yellowstone,” which
follows family conflict between a ranch and Native American reservation in Montana, has fueled
a surge in tourism to Montana since the show’s premiere in 2018. A study jointly produced by
the Bureau of Business and Economic Research (BBER) and the Institute for Tourism and
Recreation Research (ITRR) at the University of Montana found that in 2021, 2.1 million people
who visited Montana were directly influenced by the show (University of Montana). That same
year, Yellowstone National Park experienced its busiest year on record, which brought increased
reports of environmental concerns and irresponsible behavior within the park, which included
dangerous encounters with animals and jumping into hot springs (Doherty).
A similar chain of events may happen in Oklahoma, given the 2023 release of the Martin
Scorsese film “Killers of the Flower Moon,” which centers around members of the Osage Nation

22
and was filmed on the traditional lands of the Osage people in Oklahoma. I wholly acknowledge
that there are many entities that come into play in travel and tourism, including local
municipalities, state tourism boards and struggling hotel chains, but although we cannot fully
prevent people from visiting vulnerable locations, we can advocate for the establishment of rules
and regulations.
Therefore, my call to action is to promote control. Uncontrolled tourism, including issues
like overbooking and lost luggage, is no longer acceptable in 2024. Ultimately, many of these
challenges stem from human behavior, which, as history has shown, often does not adhere to
rules. Nonetheless, as practitioners, we can at least communicate what the rules are and what the
expected norms should be.

23
Chapter 2: Traveling to destinations with controversial practices
In a digital landscape marked by unprecedented global interconnectedness, travelers now
find themselves equipped with an unparalleled amount of access to and knowledge of global
affairs. This heightened awareness presents an ethical dilemma for even the most casual traveler
(T: The New York Times Style Magazine). The editors of T: The New York Times Style
Magazine aptly point out that the 21st-century traveler, who is now armed with extensive
information, is compelled to engage in the ethics of choosing where to visit and for what reasons
(2019).
Like travelers, PR practitioners in travel and tourism have constant exposure to extensive
information on global affairs and conflicts, and we must be cognizant of the global, allencompassing reach of our work. As in society, we must look to our personal and professional
code of ethics when working for and with clients whose businesses may have unethical
consequences or effects. And in the most extreme of cases, in which clients have a presence in
countries with prevalent and well-documented human right abuses, the practitioner must question
the ethics of pursuing such accounts.
Human rights abuses in Qatar
In 2010, Qatar secured the bid for the 2022 FIFA World Cup, making it the first Middle
Eastern nation to host the world’s largest sporting event (Al Jazeera). At the time, Qatar lacked
the necessary infrastructure to support such a large-scale event, prompting a $220 billion
investment in the construction of essential facilities, including a new airport, metro system, roads
and hotels. Of this sum, $6.5 billion was allocated for building seven of the most

24
“technologically advanced” stadiums in the world, along with the renovation of another (Baker).
Thousands of migrant workers imported to do the work died in the process (Baker).
Had the country not been marred by migrant abuse allegations, Qatar’s “Experience a
World Beyond” tourism campaign could have served as a prime example of a strategic and
substantial multimillion-dollar initiative. The “Experience a World Beyond” promotional
campaign – Qatar Tourism’s largest to date – launched in October 2021 as Qatar’s way of
enhancing its global reputation and boosting its tourism and economic sectors. For this
campaign, the tourism board utilized various types of paid media – out-of-home (OOH)
advertising, broadcast, print and digital channels – to advertise across major cities in seven
different areas. The initiatives specifically targeted audiences belonging to 17 “top visitor source
markets” in France, Germany, Italy, Russia, Turkey, the United Kingdom and the U.S. The
campaign was also promoted on social media platforms like Facebook, Instagram, TikTok,
Snapchat and YouTube. “Experience a World Beyond” will run until 2030, by which time the
country hopes its efforts will have boosted annual visitor arrivals to 6 million, up from 2.14
million in 2019 (see Figure 5) (Qatar Tourism).

25
Figure 5. Yearly average of tourist arrivals in Qatar, 2018-2023.
Source: Qatar Tourism.
Qatar Tourism launched the campaign a year prior to the 2022 FIFA World Cup to
capitalize on the increasing global attention surrounding the championship. The objective was to
maximize international coverage and enhance awareness of the Middle Eastern country among
potential visitors and soccer enthusiasts. The commencement of the World Cup also signaled the
start of an extensive series of significant tournaments and events scheduled to take place in the
Middle Eastern country until the end of the decade. This lineup includes the 2023 Qatar Grand
Prix, the 2024 World Aquatics Championship and the 2025 World Table Tennis Championships.
In attracting international attention with “Experience a World Beyond,” the initiative also
brought the country under global scrutiny and amplified its exploitative treatment of migrant
workers. According to Amnesty International, there was a prevalent pattern of abuse in Qatar’s
construction industry in the leadup to the World Cup, during which “serious exploitation” was
endured by laborers engaged in multimillion dollar projects (Al Jazeera). These accusations
considerably tarnished Qatar’s reputation on the international stage, and even a surprising
0
1,000,000
2,000,000
3,000,000
4,000,000
5,000,000
6,000,000
7,000,000
2018 2019 2020 2021 2022 2023 2030
(Projected)
Yearly average tourist arrivals in Qatar, 2018-2023,
and projected average for 2030

26
number of focus group participants were aware about these controversies. After they were
prompted, a majority nodded their heads and one participant recapped the situation superbly: “I
remember hearing crazy, crazy, bad labor conditions … It was something like hundreds, if not
thousands, of people died just building the stadium alone.” Another participant said Qatar’s
tourism initiatives, which had come in tandem with the World Cup and the revelation of the
country’s human rights violations were “weird, uncanny valley ad campaigns” that evoked the
same feelings as corporate propaganda.
Qatar’s tourism industry faces competition from that of the United Arab Emirates (UAE),
a nearby country on the Persian Gulf whose “Experience Abu Dhabi” campaign positions the
UAE as a country with offerings like those in Qatar. The UAE is also scheduled to host a series
of major sport events, including the Formula 1 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix 2023. But like Qatar, the
UAE has also been shrouded with many accusations of “significant” human rights issues from
the U.S. Department of State, Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch. These violations
often include the discrimination and oppression of LGBTQ+ people, women and girls, refugees
and migrants and human rights advocates.
Migrant workers make up approximately 77% of the Qatari population, and they
primarily come from South Asia and Africa (International Organization for Migration). The
largest number of workers by far is employed in construction (Ioanes). Many of the migrant
workers who worked on the stadiums were sponsored by the kafala system, a migrant labor
system that gives private citizens and companies in the Persian Gulf and neighboring countries
sponsorship permits and almost total control over foreign workers’ employment and immigrant
status. Critics have long condemned the kafala system, citing concerns about its secretive and
exploitative nature. It was abolished in August 2020.

27
While the kafala system was still in effect, it was repeatedly clouded with accusations of
human rights abuses equivalent to “modern slavery” (The Guardian). In 2021, a Guardian report
revealed that there had been over 6,750 deaths reported amongst south Asian migrant workers
after Qatar won its World Cup bid in 2010, despite the establishment of worker welfare standards
in 2014 (see Figure 6) (The Guardian). Although 37 of these fatalities were directly linked to the
World Cup stadium construction, it is likely that many of 6,750 workers who died were “only in
the country because Qatar won the right to host the World Cup,” said Nick McGeehan, a director
at FairSquare Projects, an advocacy group specializing in labor rights in the Gulf, to The
Guardian (2021).
Figure 6. Number of south Asian migrants who died in Qatar, 2010-2021.
Source: The Guardian.
Nearly 3,000 Indian migrant workers alone died over a ten-year period in Qatar. And
despite the documentation of widely reported human rights abuses and “significant” labor and
human rights violations at 13 out of 17 FIFA partner hotel groups between February 2020 and
557
824
1018
1641
2711
0 500 1000 1500 2000 2500 3000
Sri Lanka
Pakistan
Bangladesh
Nepal
India
Number of south Asian migrants who died in Qatar,
2010-2021

28
July 2022, many travel, lifestyle and hospitability brands have continued to conduct business
there (International Labour Rights Forum). An overwhelming majority of the 225 hotels that
have recently been built in Doha – Qatar’s capital city and main financial center – belong to
luxury chains like Hilton, Four Seasons, The Ritz-Carlton, Mandarin Oriental and The St. Regis.
These hotels benefit not only from the inflow of travelers for Qatar’s sporting events but also
from the increased exposure directed from Qatar’s tourism initiatives.
The PR firms that have worked with travel and hospitality brands in Qatar have faced
challenges of their own due to the persistent allegations of human rights violations in the region.
Acknowledging the difficulties of such an undertaking was the proper approach for Olivia
Carroll, associate vice president at Hawkins International PR, a Finn Partners company that
specializes in travel and lifestyle public relations. In 2022, Carroll staffed the account for The
Ned, an international luxury hotel and members club that wanted to time its Doha property
launch with the World Cup. The approach taken by the Hawkins International team in handling
such a scenario serves as a notable example for practitioners who engage directly with clients in
regions marked by controversial politics.
Though Hawkins International and The Ned had previously worked together on The
Ned’s first two properties in London and New York, the PR team quickly saw the distinctive
challenges that were associated with the newly chosen Middle Eastern destination. As a result,
Carroll says that practitioners were “super delicate” with their approach and strategy, especially
with the media outlets and journalists who were invited to cover The Ned Doha’s opening (see
Appendix D for interview transcript). The team didn’t pressure or punish any writers who turned
down the media trip to Qatar but instead worked on securing coverage in publications that had

29
agreed to send journalists. Carroll’s team ended up sending six writers to The Ned Doha. The
property was later featured in Condé Nast Traveller and Architectural Digest Middle East.
Endorsing campaigns in nations with human rights abuses
In cases that compromise a PR practitioner’s ethics, the practitioner must have a “firm
approach” and find the confidence and gumption to walk away, says Soojin Yoon, a senior
manager in corporate responsibility at IHG Hotels & Resorts – a global hospitability group and
parent company of brands like InterContinental Hotels & Resorts, Hotel Indigo and Holiday Inn
(see Appendix E for interview transcript). As of 2022, the group managed 6,028 hotels
worldwide; at least nine of these were in Doha.
Though IHG still maintains a strong presence in Qatar, the parent company has
previously demonstrated efforts to “kick hotels out of their chain because they were under certain
thresholds,” says Yoon. While Yoon confesses that he has yet to encounter a morally
compromising situation at IHG, where he’s been employed since 2017, he advises PR
representatives who find themselves in such situations to take the initiative to speak up internally
and ensure that their voices are heard. He emphasizes the importance of having the agency to
consider walking away from the company, if necessary. Carroll agrees, adding that she wouldn’t
be comfortable staying at a company that had unethical practices.
I believe that PR representatives have an ethical responsibility when deciding whether to
work for the accounts that promote hotels and tourism in Qatar. In an absolute world, I would
recommend completely withdrawing from entities that operate in countries with such extreme
violations. Until I conducted my interviews with Soojin Yoon and Olivia Carroll, I thought the
solution to such a multifaceted and convoluted ethical dilemma was clearcut: leave the account.

30
But our world isn’t so simple, and neither is the question of ethics when there is a power
dynamic between the clients and practitioners, which I had yet to see before.
Although Hawkins International ultimately moved forward with The Ned Doha, Carroll
underscores the significant influence and authority that any client, especially one on retainer,
wields over a PR team. The revenue from client fees, or lack thereof, can impact both the team
members above and below the staffed practitioners, says Carroll, meaning that the PR
practitioner now holds responsibility for teams other than hers. While her team didn’t have to
formally bid for The Ned Doha project because the brand was a previous client, she
acknowledges that if the project had been presented as a new business opportunity, she and her
manager mutually agreed that they would not have pursued the bid themselves. It’s a
complicated power struggle, she says.
Given her experience and expertise, Carroll also views these situations in a way that I had
yet to consider, which is that the responsibility for controversial locations doesn’t fall upon the
PR representative, but rather on the respective tourism boards, governments or developers
themselves. She sees the destination and the PR agency as independent entities that are free of
cultural and political views, and that the PR agency’s sole responsibility is to the client. Since PR
representatives can be assigned to an account at any point during a campaign, whether before a
property’s groundbreaking or after the start of construction, the PR representative will never
have control of which regions or plots of lands are chosen for a property. For that reason, Carroll
doesn’t feel that ethics will be betrayed in these situations. In other words, it should be ethical to
promote these destinations because of their separation from the government and its tourism
boards. To move forward with visiting these destinations as a consumer or a representative is a
different story, says Carroll, who didn’t feel comfortable accompanying the media trip to Doha

31
because of the human rights violations. Thus, it becomes evident that while PR representatives
face challenging decisions regarding their involvement with accounts promoting controversial
locations, ultimately, the responsibility lies not solely with them but also with the respective
tourism boards, governments or developers.

32
Chapter 3: Invasion of Indigenous lands
Each year, a new controversial tale emerges, highlighting the disregard for native lands as
visitors trespass on unauthorized areas, taunt wild animals and desecrate sacred sites. It prompts
us to wonder, “how did this happen?” And as if like clockwork, the headlines are then filled with
stories of locals expressing their burning desire for tourists to leave. Yet, throughout the
Americas, where the encroachment upon Indigenous lands has become pervasive, it shouldn’t be
a surprise that many Indigenous populations can’t or don’t fight back: They grapple with the
quandary of safeguarding their ancestral territories while simultaneously relying on tourism for
financial support. This dual challenge underscores the complex relationship between Indigenous
communities, their cultural heritage and the economic realities tied to tourism.
This situation is particularly evident in Peru, where ancient Inca ruins at Machu Picchu
have made tourism the country’s second-largest industry and a cornerstone of the national
economy (Brinkhof). In 2019, Machu Picchu witnessed a record-breaking 1.5 million visitors,
solidifying its status as the most visited attraction in South America (López). While the number
of visitors was steadily increasing in prior years, the overcrowding associated with the
unprecedented figure swiftly led the Peruvian government to enforce a daily visitor limit to
ensure the preservation of the site for future generations. To this day, the measure remains in
effect to adeptly manage and conserve the site, regulate the flow of tourists and mitigate potential
impacts on this historic landmark. Though the daily limit has successfully kept the volume of
visitors below the unprecedented figure recorded in 2019, it is unable to protect the ruins from
rogue foreigners: In 2020, Peruvian authorities deported five tourists and apprehended a sixth,
accused of causing damage to a temple at Machu Picchu (Yuhas). According to local authorities,
the individuals, identified as four men and two women from Argentina, Chile, Brazil and France,

33
were found to have trespassed on the ruins overnight. Evidence suggested that they damaged a
stone wall in the temple, causing a piece to fall about 20 feet and crack the floor. Fecal matter
was also discovered at the site.
As a result, there is widespread concern about the protection of these sacred sites across
the Americas, from Machu Picchu to Hawaii and the American Southwest, and how to safeguard
them when even daily visitor caps are insufficient. Perhaps the solution lies in refraining from
promoting these revered locations altogether and considering the suspension of PR-led travel
campaigns to these places as an ethical means to an end that we, as communicators, can control.
Hawaii is a paradise, but whose?
Tourism is Hawaii’s largest industry and represents roughly a quarter of Hawaii’s
economy (Wianecki). Yet, the state’s heavy reliance on tourism has perpetuated an ongoing
conflict between the desire to welcome tourism and the imperative to protect native lands spread
across the state’s eight major islands. This conflict has raised broader questions about the
balance of respect for Indigenous communities and economic prosperity on islands such as Oahu,
Maui and the Big Island of Hawaii, where tourism-driven rising costs of living has led to the
displacement of numerous Native Hawaiians. In a 2018 survey by the Hawaiian Tourism
Authority (HTA), two-thirds of respondents agreed that “this island is being run for tourists at
the expense of local people” (Glusac). The housing crisis in Hawaii is underscored by the reality
that Native Hawaiians constitute only a fifth of the state’s population, making them a minority in
their own home (Native Hawaiian Research Hui).
Despite natives urging visitors to stay away, Hawaii remains a top travel destination for
many people, including most respondents to an instant poll conducted during a graduate-level

34
lifestyle public relations class at USC, even as Indigenous communities battle with the state
government over land rights and sacred sites. The Thirty Meter Telescope (TMT), an 18-story
telescope intended to be built on Mauna Kea, a dormant volcano on the Big Island of Hawaii, has
emerged as a focal point in intense discussions on Indigenous land rights. Mauna Kea is revered
one of the most sacred sites – if not the most sacred – in Hawaiian culture and to Native
Hawaiians, who see themselves as guardians of their ancestral lands. For PR practitioners, the
ethical consideration that arises is: How can we determine whether it is ethical to endorse
projects facing significant resistance from Indigenous communities? In this context, it is essential
to balance the economic benefits against the wishes of the native people; the key question is
whether supporting such initiatives will harm or benefit the communities in consideration.
Conflicting views on tourism on Maui
As we delve into the broader context of economic recovery and revitalization, the
situation becomes increasingly complicated. The challenge is in defining the appropriate ethical
boundaries, especially when faced with conflicting stances between native communities and the
state government as both entities advocate for actions that are fundamentally at odds: While the
state aims to attract tourism, the natives reject it. The already-contentious debate regarding the
archipelago’s future with tourism in became even more pronounced following a series of
wildfires that erupted in Hawaii in early August 2023. This was a period during which tourism
was significantly affected, especially on Maui, where the fires were concentrated. Before the
fires, tourism generated more than 70% of Maui’s wealth and was once self-described as the
island’s “economic engine” (Maui Economic Development Board).

35
The wildfires claimed 115 lives, devasted the town of Lahaina in West Maui and
displaced thousands of Hawaiian citizens, intensifying “a long-simmering tension over the
archipelago’s economic reliance on tourism” (Chung and Kircher). Historically, Maui alone
accounted for 15% of Hawaii’s tourism revenue. Tourists were asked to leave and those who had
trips scheduled to West Maui in early August were advised to cancel them (Van Dyke).
Concurrently, residents flocked to online platforms and desperately urged tourists to stay away,
citing a lack of essential resources like freshwater. “Do not come to Maui,” said Kate
Ducheneau, a Lahaina resident, in a TikTok video that was viewed more than two million times
in the week after it was posted (Chung and Kircher). “Cancel your trip. Now.”
In the month following the fire’s outbreak, the region suffered an estimated daily loss of
$11 million (State of Hawaii Department of Business, Economic Development and Tourism).
According to a focus group participant, Maui’s residents responded to the declining economic
ecosystem by urging travelers to return: While the participant’s mother had booked a trip to
Maui prior to the fires, she was uncertain about proceeding with her vacation. Upon asking the
individuals whom she planned to stay with, they urged her to visit, stressing the vital role that
she would play in Maui’s economic recovery. She arrived on Maui in late October, less than
three months after the wildfires occurred.
At the statewide level, the governor and senator of Hawaii, in collaboration with the
Hawaii Tourism Authority (HTA), invited tourists to support recovery efforts and help prevent
what the senator referred to as “avoidable economic calamity” by exploring the other regions on
Maui and in Hawaii (Coleman). The government aimed to swiftly restore Maui’s vital and
lucrative tourism demand through a comprehensive tourism campaign (Maui Economic
Development Board). The $2.6 million campaign, which ran from September 1 to October 31,

36
promoted respectful, compassionate and respectful travel to the archipelago, while also
emphasizing the urgency of travel. According to the HTA, the campaign was to be shared by
Maui’s residents through integrated marketing efforts that involved earned, digital and social
media.
Figure 7. Monthly visitor arrivals in Maui before and after the August 2023 wildfires.
Source: Hawaii Tourism Authority.
Given the overarching goal of this tourism campaign, which primarily focuses on
revitalizing the local economy and supporting the livelihoods of native residents, I am inclined to
consider it an ethical endeavor. In the case of initiatives aimed at economic recovery without
compromising cultural or spiritual sites, endorsing such campaigns can be viewed as ethically
sound, particularly when the objective is to prevent Maui from plunging into a deeper financial
crisis.
0
50,000
100,000
150,000
200,000
250,000
300,000
350,000
January
February
March
April
May
June
July
August
September
October
November
Monthly visitor arrivals in Maui, 2023
Wildfires break out in Hawaii

37
Tourist dollars in the face of tourist destruction
In the American Southwest, as in Hawaii, the residents find themselves in a parallel
predicament when grappling with the challenges and complexities presented by the tourism
industry. Utah’s travel sector generated nearly $12 billion in visitor spending in 2022, up from
$7.4 billion in 2020 (Kem C. Gardner Policy Institute). And it shows no signs of slowing down
anytime soon, say tourism experts (Williams).
The current economic upturn in the state is notable, especially considering that less than a
decade ago, Utah was desperately facing a brand perception challenge: In 2012, when people
were shown a photo of Utah’s Delicate Arch, many incorrectly identified it as being in Arizona
(Sundeen). When asked to describe states in two words, respondents called Colorado green and
mountainous but Utah brown and Mormon (Sundeen). Thus began Utah’s steadfast approach to
increasing brand awareness and recognition of the Beehive State through driving tourism to its
national parks.
In 2013, Utah Tourism launched a comprehensive multimedia campaign designed to
boost awareness of the state and rebrand its five national parks – Arches, Bryce Canyon,
Canyonlands, Capitol Reef and Zion – as the Mighty 5. The campaign strategically employed a
mix of paid, social and owned media that was backed by a $3.1 million investment in television
ads, building wraps, digital billboards, magazines and social media. The success of this
campaign, which resulted in a notable surge in visitation, serves as a prime example of an
effective strategy to elevate brand recognition for recreational areas. By spring 2013, the iconic
Utah landmarks were prominently featured on a 20-story billboard on Wilshire Boulevard in Los
Angeles (see Figure 8), adorned taxicabs in London and showcased in a compelling 60-second
YouTube commercial, which has since accumulated almost one million views. Mighty 5 video

38
ads, which initially debuted on broadcast television, were later extended to cable networks like
CNN, ESPN and National Geographic to target broader audiences (Sundeen).
Figure 8. Utah’s Mighty 5 “wallscape” on Wilshire Boulevard in Los Angeles.
Source: Utah Tourism.
The Mighty 5 campaign, which was featured in major Western cities within a day’s drive
of Utah, coincided with a steep increase in park visitation and economic output that has
continued ever since (Maffly). For six consecutive years, the campaign attracted an average of an
additional half-million visitors annually, resulting in visitor numbers that jumped from 6.3
million to over 10 million within a span of just three years (see Figure 9) (Maffly). This influx of
visitors played a significant role in Utah’s GDP, contributing to a consistent growth in economic
output until it was disrupted by the pandemic. Despite a sharp decline in 2021, both park visitors
and economic output experienced a rebound in 2022. That same year, the Mighty 5 generated
nearly $2.6 billion in economic output, ranking as the third highest in the nation that year

39
(Williams).
Figure 9. Mighty 5’s visitors and Utah’s economic output, 2012-2022.
Sources: Utah Tourism and the National Park Service (see Appendix F for full data table).
Though successful in driving brand awareness and economic prosperity, the increased
Mighty 5 visitation quickly led to an uptick in “rampant” vandalism, including graffiti and the
defacement of thousand-year-old artwork that appears on rock formation, across the parks
(Helean). These formations, called petroglyphs, are depictions on rock surfaces created by
removing parts of the rock (National Park Service). Created by Indigenous groups, these rock art
images serve as powerful cultural symbols and still play a central role in traditional ceremonies
(National Park Service). For many Indigenous communities, petroglyphs are relatives: “They’re
alive,” said Angelo Baca, a Navajo and Hopi activist and assistant professor of Indigenous
$-
$500
$1,000
$1,500
$2,000
$2,500
$3,000
0
2
4
6
8
10
12
2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022
Annual visitors (in millions)
Economic output (in millions)
Mighty 5’s annual visitors and Utah’s annual economic output,
2012-2022
Annual visitors Economic output
Mighty 5
campaign launch

40
studies at the Rhode Island School of Design, in a 2021 interview with High Country News.
“They have their own spirit and they have their own agency and should be respected” (Douglas).
Unfortunately, when an act of vandalism occurs, perpetrators are rarely held accountable.
The labyrinth of federal, state and private ownership of land in Utah, as in many Western states,
leaves tribes with few means to pursue a legal case, according to Clark Tenakhongva, vice
chairman of the Hopi Tribe and co-chair of the Bears Ears Inter-Tribal Coalition (Douglas). This
renders Indigenous communities powerless when dealing with park visitors who bolt climbing
routes over petroglyphs and deface the red sandstone with white supremacy phrases and obscene
graffiti; both incidents occurred in Utah’s parks during the spring of 2021 (Douglas).
The role of digital media in the desecration of sacred sites
In the context of sacred lands in Hawaii and Utah, residents argue that the increased
vandalism of these sites can be attributed to the pervasive influence of social media. Digital
media holds a profound role in shaping travel trends, often leading individuals to trespass or
desecrate these lands in pursuit of capturing the next “Instagrammable” picture. Deidra Cinclaire,
a land advocate and member of the Navajo nation in Arizona and Apache nation, believes that
the surge in visitors and rise in foot traffic is due to hiking influencers – people with social media
accounts dedicated to documenting hiking trips – who post images and GPS coordinates of trails
(Maracle). Still, the role of digital media goes beyond mere documentation; it actively shapes the
PR industry’s approach to travel campaigns, as evidenced by the rise of set-jetting. The
intersection of public relations, digital media and travel culture underscores the need for
responsible tourism practices and heightened awareness of the potential impacts on sacred and
culturally significant sites.

41
Ethical boundaries in extreme situations
When considering the ethical stance of endorsing projects and campaigns related to
Indigenous lands, I am inclined to believe that the positive economic outcomes, both at the local
and statewide levels, would be valuable and well worth pursuing. Justin Susan, member of the
White Mountain Apache tribe and a PR and advertising specialist, describes tourist dollars in the
face of tourist destruction as a “double-edged sword” (see Appendix G for interview transcript).
On the other hand, as a PR professional and a frequent visitor to his tribe’s reservation in
Arizona, Susan understands both the advantages and disadvantages that tourism campaigns bring
to these undeveloped regions.
The same year that Utah launched the Mighty 5 campaign, the Arizona Office of Tourism
debuted a similar tourism campaign highlighting unique travel adventures across the Grand
Canyon State. The five-month promotional effort, which spanned television, magazines,
newsprint and online marketing efforts, aimed to boost the state’s “major economic engine” of
tourism (Business Wire). By 2022, tourism generated almost $4 billion in total tax revenue and
supported over 179,1000 jobs in a state with 7.2 million residents (Arizona Office of Tourism).
Though Susan wishes that visitors to Arizona were more respectful, he has come to terms with
the fact that tourism “has to happen at some point.” Nonetheless, he emphasizes that the
intention behind the travel campaigns is what matters most to him. Susan also points out that
campaigns driven solely by profit lack good intentions, while acknowledging the positive aspects
of campaigns that aim to bring recognition and shed light on Indigenous regions.
In thinking of the environmental and cultural consequences of driving tourism to these
sacred and ancestral regions, I find ethical fault in backing initiatives like Utah Tourism’s and

42
the Arizona Office of Tourism’s. I am unable to look past the natives’ unwavering opposition to
initiatives like the Thirty Meter Telescope, and I believe that ethical PR representatives should
be considerate of these demands. When projects like the TMT are backed by governmental
authorities, they will invariably wield greater influence than Indigenous residents whose main
leverage is their voices. While I recognize the reliance of many of these regions on tourism, it’s
essential to understand that dependence on tourism doesn’t have to be a permanent state. As
public relations practitioners, we should align ourselves with the party whose voice has been
stifled, leveraging our roles and positions as outsiders to act ethically. In our capacity as
storytellers, the narrative we ought to convey is the one that external forces are trying so
desperately to silence.

43
Chapter 4: Success in regenerative tourism
In the wake of a recovering travel industry, it may seem impossible to find a type of
travel trend that isn’t marked with wrongdoings and ethical quandaries, but regenerative
tourism offers itself as the solution to these growing concerns. Recently named “the new frontier
of travel” by the New York Times, regenerative tourism refers to the idea of leaving a place
better than it was found. At its core, regenerative tourism is a holistic approach that considers the
broader impacts on destinations, communities and the environment, while being conscious of the
negative implications that uncontrolled tourism can bring (Glusac). Rooted in principles of
regenerative development and design, regenerative tourism aims not only to sustain but to
actively contribute to the regeneration and resilience of destinations, fostering positive change in
both natural and cultural landscapes.
In Hawaii, the concept of regenerative tourism has emerged as a solution to growing
discussions and concerns about overtourism and a surging tourism industry. “We have the curse
of strong brand,” says Frank Haas, a former vice president with the Hawaiian Tourism Authority
and an independent tourism consultant (Glusac). The state experienced a record-breaking 10.4
million visitors in 2019, up from 6.5 million a decade earlier. The increase in visitors has led to a
rise in individuals exploring beyond resort areas, seeking novel and sometimes risky experiences.
This has heightened residents’ concerns about the adverse effects of tourism on local
environments and communities.
In response to these types of challenges, Haena State Park on Hawaii’s Kauai Island has
transitioned to a regenerative model that seeks a community-led approach to address and
mitigate the impacts of excessive tourism. The park is the first in Hawaii to set a daily cap, and
nonresidents must make reservations and pay entry and parking fees. Managed by two

44
nonprofits, this system has not only fostered a more balanced relationship between tourism and
the local community but has also enabled Native Hawaiian lineal descendants to actively
participate in addressing overtourism challenges. These efforts have successfully encouraged
locals to reengage with and return to the park.

45
Chapter 5: The future of travel public relations?
The future of travel public relations holds the potential for significant changes as the
industry grapples with the challenges of overtourism and the need for sustainable practices on
sacred lands while shifting into initiatives like regenerative tourism. Here are potential avenues
that public professionals can take for mitigating the impacts of these harmful trends:
• Sustainable and responsible tourism messaging: PR practitioners wield significant
influence in championing sustainable and responsible tourism practices. Their role is
pivotal, as without their efforts, there is a risk of incidents akin to the challenges seen
with petroglyphs in Utah. Future campaigns may focus on educating travelers about the
environmental and cultural impact of their choices. Drawing inspiration from the
Iceland’s approach with the Icelandic Pledge, these campaigns could encourage tourists
to actively commit to responsible behavior by signing pledges to uphold ethical and
sustainable practices during their travels.
• Emphasis on conservation and preservation: The future of travel public relations is
witnessing a notable emphasis on conservation and preservation messaging, a trend
exemplified by initiatives like Maui’s post-wildfires return to travel campaign. PR efforts
can highlight the critical importance of safeguarding fragile ecosystems, preserving
cultural heritage and protecting sacred sites. By weaving these elements into the fabric of
promotional efforts, they aim to raise awareness among travelers about their role as
stewards of the environment and custodians of cultural heritage.
• Collaboration with sustainable tourism organizations: PR practitioners should
collaborate more closely with sustainable tourism organizations and initiatives like those

46
at Haena State Park. Forming brand or campaign partnerships with entities committed to
responsible travel practices can also enhance the credibility of travel campaigns.
The success of these future trends depends on the collective efforts of PR professionals, the
tourism industry and travelers themselves. If tourists become more conscious of the impact of
their choices and PR practitioners actively promote responsible tourism, there is potential for a
more sustainable and respectful approach to travel promotion.
A call to action for responsible tourism practices
This exploration into the current state of public relations in the travel and tourism
industry and its subsequent recommendations are driven by a profound aspiration — that public
relations professionals become not just observers but active stewards of the destinations they
promote. The aim is for practitioners to heed the warnings about potential harm to locales and
recognize their role in preserving the beauty, culture and heritage of these places. By
understanding the implications of their actions, I hope that PR professionals will contribute to the
creation of a more ethical travel landscape.
In this effort, a call to action is extended to PR practitioners and stakeholders in travel
promotion to collaboratively create a code of ethics. This code, going beyond mere compliance,
aims to instill a deep sense of responsibility in both industry professionals and travelers alike.
Derived from observing the current shortcomings and challenges within the industry, this
envisioned code would prioritize the preservation of sacred and culturally significant sites,
recognizing them as invaluable assets deserving protection, and uphold values such as:
• Respect: A commitment to respecting the sanctity of sacred sites, refraining from actions
that could desecrate or degrade their cultural and spiritual significance.

47
• Awareness: An emphasis on cultural sensitivity, urging practitioners and travelers to
immerse themselves in the local customs and traditions, ensuring that promotional
activities and visits align with the cultural values of the destination.
• Responsibility: Acknowledgment of the environmental impact of travel and a
commitment to responsible practices that minimize ecological footprints. This involves
promoting sustainable tourism initiatives and advocating for the protection of natural
landscapes.
• Education: Implementation of educational initiatives aimed at both industry
professionals and travelers. This involves raising awareness about the potential
consequences of irresponsible travel and fostering a culture of informed and ethical
decision-making.
• Advocacy: Advocacy for regenerative tourism practices within the industry, encouraging
stakeholders to prioritize long-term sustainability over short-term gains and actively
participating in efforts to combat overtourism.
The ultimate vision is to create an industrywide commitment to ethical conduct, where
communicators, in collaboration with other entities in the travel and tourism sector, work
towards the shared goal of protecting and preserving the world’s cultural and natural treasures.
Through the establishment and adherence to this code, we anticipate that a transformative shift in
the mindset of both industry professionals and tourists will occur, paving the way for a more
responsible and sustainable future for global travel.

48
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Appendices
Appendix A.1: Focus group questions
A focus group was conducted in-person on October 25, 2023, at the University of Southern
California with seven undergraduate and graduate students from the communications school. Of
the seven participants, five identified as male and two as female. The focus group lasted 38
minutes and 15 questions were asked. These participants were asked specifically about their
travel histories, habits and their views on the travel industry.
Participants
1. Amrita
2. Bobby
3. Brisa
4. Jack
5. Matthew B.
6. Matthew C.
7. Michael
Questions
1. What are your favorite travel destinations, and why?
2. Where have you traveled in the last two years? What about abroad?
3. How much research did you perform before booking your last major trip? What sources
did you consult?
4. How would you describe the airport situation during your travels?
5. What do you think is going to happen in travel in the next year?
6. What impact do you think famous TV shows and movies have impacted people’s choices
on where to travel?
7. How common is it to be “forewarned” about local/indigenous and/or environmental
concerns related to your travels?
8. What do you think about airlines that overbook flights?
9. How familiar are you with the term ‘adventure tourism’?
10. Any plans to visit Hawaii?
11. How concerned are you about the human rights violations in places you want to visit?
12. What did you hear about influencer campaigns to Chinese factories?
13. What human rights issues have you heard about Qatar?
14. Anything you want to say about travel in general?
15. How do you feel about in general about traveling in the next five years?

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Appendix A.2: Focus group transcript
October 25, 2023, 1 p.m.
[00:01:07] Moderator My name is Professor Floto and I’m in the public relations and
advertising program. I teach grad and undergrad, and one of my jobs is to oversee people who
are doing a thesis in an area that’s related to what I know and I know quite a bit about travel and
tourism. So my client, Jackie, and I were talking about there’s so much information about
people’s travel habits, particularly Millennials and Gen Zs, but we really don’t there’s no like
individualization to it and it seems sort of cookie-cutter. So we thought maybe it would be a
good idea to talk to actual people in the age group and find out some of your preferences and get
some feedback from you. So that’s really all it’s going to be. So I’m Professor Floto. Let’s go
around. First name is just fine.
[00:01:58] Bobby I’m Bobby.
[00:02:02] Matthew B Matthew.
[00:02:04] Brisa Brisa.
[00:02:04] Amrita Amrita.
[00:02:05] Jack Jack.
[00:02:05] Matthew C Matthew.
[00:02:06] Moderator Great. Wonderful. Okay, so I’m going to jump right in. So tell me where
you have traveled over the last two years. Here or abroad. It doesn’t matter.
[00:02:26] Matthew B Eureka, California. Like up to see the redwoods. It’s my most recent trip.
I think.
[00:02:35] Bobby Seattle, Washington.
[00:02:39] Matthew C D.C. and Florida.
[00:02:43] Brisa New York and Seattle.
[00:02:44] Amrita D.C., New York, Mexico and Arkansas.
[00:02:50] Moderator So North America largely because you added Mexico in so really not
outside of the U.S. and Mexico. Interesting. But what I’d like to know now is what would be
your favorite travel destinations so far in your travels of all time?
[00:03:17] Bobby Japan. I went to Tokyo, Japan, and Niigata a decade ago. That was really cool.

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[00:03:24] Moderator And what made it cool?
[00:03:25] Bobby I was visiting a friend that he and I are like pretty much best friends from high
school, and he fell in love with a girl there and ended up marrying her and lives in Japan now. So
I went to visit him and his family and it was great.
[00:03:42] Matthew C Yeah, I went to Italy. I went to Rome for like a week, and then I went to
my family’s hometown for another, like, two weeks.
[00:03:51] Moderator In Italy? Yeah. So did you meet family?
[00:03:57] Matthew C Yeah, I met, like, very, very extended family. I couldn’t speak to them
because they all speak only Italian. But I smiled at them. So that was my trip to Italy.
[00:04:12] Jack I can say my favorite trip. It was probably either Hawaii and Nashville. That, or
Cancun, but I was much younger for that.
[00:04:21] Moderator Yeah. Where in Hawaii?
[00:04:24] Jack Honolulu.
[00:04:24] Amrita I usually go here and there to visit family in India. But the last time I went
specifically, we also went to New Delhi so that was really fun becasue we got to see the Taj
Mahal.
[00:04:38] Matthew C That’s really cool.
[00:04:41] Moderator Uh huh. Wow. So my bucket list. Yeah.
[00:04:46] Brisa It was Seattle just because it was the only trip where my whole family went.
[00:04:52] Brisa And it was really fun. I love rainy weather so it was really fun.
[00:04:56] Matthew B I’d say my favorite trips are also when I’m like visiting family back
home in Georgia, like in Atlanta or in Nashville, Tennessee.
[00:05:05] Moderator This is interesting. So tell me what kind of research you did before you
went to Italy or you went to India. What kind of research did you do prior to actually taking the
trip?
[00:05:19] Jack Not much.
[00:05:20] Moderator Really?
[00:05:21] Jack Yeah. Specifically for Hawaii. I was going there to visit someone, and I
decided, like, three weeks before that I was going. It was over just a long weekend. Except I

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took, like, three additional days out of class and stayed longer. I was there for, like, eight days
and he had been living there, so I didn’t really do any planning. I just booked my flight and then
went there and then I said, What are we doing today?
[00:05:50] Moderator So you didn’t have an itinerary set up?
[00:05:52] Jack No, he he’d been living there for a couple of years, so he, he would give
options. Then I was like, Let’s do that.
[00:05:59] Jack There was a lot of hanging on the beach.
[00:05:59] Bobby Yeah, yeah, similar.
[00:06:01] Bobby I leaned on him and his wife really to kind of be like, Oh, this is what we do
and this is we like and this is what we think like visitors would like. I did also look for a couple
of things that I wanted to do, like other things like crossing Shibuya that I really wanted to see.
So definitely like a lot of the touristy items.
[00:06:22] Moderator And what did you consult? What kind of sites did you look at or people?
[00:06:28] Bobby I asked my friend and his wife. I googled. I think TripAdvisor came up once
or twice. Okay. People’s personal, like, hey, I travel there a lot, with blogs, their own websites
and YouTube videos also.
[00:06:51] Moderator Interesting. Anybody else to do any kind of research? Even it was just
looking up the city.
[00:06:59] Brisa My family, like, we’re really big foodies. So my cousin made a list of all the
restaurants he wanted to try before going. And he has a list of every city we have. We like to,
like, experience things. So when we went to Seattle, New York, we would look up fun things to
do.
[00:07:19] Moderator And where did you look it up specifically?
[00:07:21] Brisa I think that’s just like those best places on line or my cousin, he’s into YouTube
and he likes to watch vlogs of people who have been before and what they do. And food reviews
too.
[00:07:33] Matthew B So for the road trip that I did with a friend up to Eureka, up to the
redwoods, we had, we planned it pretty thoroughly in like kind of planned like places to stop on
the road trip up there. And he had recently gotten a Tesla. So we were kind of doing this is like
kind of an inaugurating trip for the Tesla. So we had to plan it around where the charging
stations were. So that was kind of a big factor for planning, figuring out where we were going to
need to stop to get charged along the way. That kind of planned our route.

58
[00:08:12] Matthew C Um, I just looked up like landmarks, and then I looked up how to get
there taking the public transit because I wanted to leave my family.
[00:08:19] Moderator This was in Rome?
[00:08:22] Matthew C Rome. The town is like 2000 people. There’s nothing out there. Yeah,
Rome. I was trying to figure out how to do it because I don’t read Italian either. I was like, okay,
I got to, like, memorize the route.
[00:08:36] Moderator So those of you who did do some research, how reliable was it? Did it
help you find your way around? Were you able to get information and you found good places to
eat?
[00:08:52] Brisa We kind of learned a lot of places are overhyped, like with food especially, I
think it’s more of a bandwagon thing when people like go with the expectations that it’s going to
be amazing and then it is but we were a little disappointed sometimes. But we also found the best
wing place in Vegas. Pros and cons.
[00:09:19] Bobby Yeah, for the most part, it wasn’t like I went to the place and was
disappointed.
[00:09:26] Moderator So now we’re going to look a little ahead. A little bit. What do you think
is going to happen in travel for the next year? Are most of you graduating in May? So let’s say
the next year or two, specifically next year. How do you think travel is going to be impacted by
things like the turmoil in the Middle East? The Ukraine, etc. And things like the Olympics being
in Paris.
[00:10:03] Matthew C I had a friend back home that was gonna go to study abroad. It was a city
in Europe. But then, like, she was looking at like, the U.S. Department of State, like travel
advisory and it was the one side you could travel as much because, like, terrorist attacks or stuff.
So she decided not to.
[00:10:39] Matthew B Yeah, it sounds like there’s some more dangerous warzones and hotspots
popping up around the world. I don’t it’s like universal, though. I would hope that it’s just going
to be kind of confined to those regions. I don’t think it’s going to be feasible to travel to like
Israel or to Ukraine next.
[00:11:10] Bobby No. Yeah, I agree with the two Matthews. I feel like risk, I guess, could be
higher. But specifically around these places, like I think if you were to go to Asia. It’s different,
right?
[00:11:32] Moderator What, if any, impact do you think shows like Game of Thrones and
White Lotus are they having on people’s decisions to where they’re going to travel?
[00:11:46] Matthew C I had like, a family friend that went to Sicily. Because they really like the
While Lotus. I was like, okay. They were like we’re going to do the White Lotus tour.

59
[00:12:03] Brisa Yeah, I know Game of Thrones filmed in Spain. It’s a huge show. And King’s
Landing which is the capital in the show, it’s takes place in this really pretty city and people
loved going there.
[00:12:12] Moderator In your groups, let’s say, it could possibly have an impact. All right, well.
How about for you individually? Do you care? Would you go to any of those places because of
TV shows?
[00:12:25] Matthew C No
[00:12:27] Brisa I would.
[00:12:34] Bobby I feel like I would. Cause I remember when, like, Lord of the Rings came out I
really wanted to go to New Zealand.
[00:12:42] Brisa Or like Harry Potter. I’ve always wanted to go see that.
[00:12:46] Matthew C Okay yeah for like Harry Potter or something, I would want to. But I
don’t feel like anything right now is, like, as big as Harry Potter.
[00:12:52] Amrita I don’t think I would go just to be like I’m going to the place where Harry
Potter was but if I was like oh, I’m just going to be visiting this place, like, I happened to be here
and this thing, show, movie happened to be shot here so let me also go check out that place.
[00:13:04] Moderator We have a couple of, I think, fairly specific questions that we want to
gather some information about. Think about the last time you traveled and what the airport was
like. So what was the airport like? Describe it.
[00:13:53] Bobby LAX was very crowded. Full of people, which is good, right, after the
pandemic. When I went to Seattle to Sea-Tac, also, fairly crowded.
[00:14:07] Matthew C It always feels sort of claustrophobic when I fly, in the airport and on the
plane just, like, the whole time. I feel kind of cramped in.
[00:14:25] Jack I actually quite like the airport. I don’t know. I think because my dad traveled a
lot growing up, so he would like sometimes take us with him. And then I was from the age of
like 13 flying alone because I would spend the summer with my grandparents because I’m from
Texas, it way too hot. I didn’t want to be there. So I would literally just leave. I would go to
Northern California and stay with my grandparents. I was flying alone a lot as a kid, so I think I
just got very comfortable with it. And like to me now, I just like I usually get to the airport an
hour, like an hour and a half early, and then I get a coffee, I get a little pastry, just relax.
[00:15:01] Moderator So what’s your impression of what’s going on around you? I mean, you
are relaxed, but what’s your impression?

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[00:15:05] Jack Everyone’s always so panicked. It’s understandable because I do think, like,
some people are just not very good at the whole get through security, take your shoes off thing.
Some people seem to really, really struggle with it.
[00:15:18] Michael I think also that like no matter like which like line you go through the TSA
or whatever airport, the rules are always different. They’re just always yelling at you. I have
Clear and TSA pre-check so I just usually walk right through. The longest line I ever have to
wait in is the line at Starbucks.
[00:15:40] Jack I just do all of it. Like I take my shoes off, take off my jacket, jewelry. Even if
they tell me you don’t have to. I’m just like, whatever. I’m getting through this as quickly as
possible.
[00:15:50] Bobby Same, actually.
[00:15:51] Jack And I have Clear too, actually. But the last time I traveled to New York, which
was just my most recent trip over fall break, I went through Clear and the line took so much
longer than the normal line because they were like letting other people in.
[00:16:24] Moderator So it sounds like there aren’t standards. I mean, they’re supposedly
standards like it sounds like you’re not encountering them. So how about the security?
[00:16:35] Matthew B Yeah, security kind of varies. I’ve definitely experienced the kind of
weirdness of like where like the TSA people are having to sort of figure out a fair way to sort of
like bring in people from one line of like bringing people from the other line. They’re kind of
just having to sort of game it out. I’ve had experiences where, like sometimes it feels like I pick
the right line and it’s like, getting through pretty quick. Sometimes I pick the wrong line just by
chance. It feels like just a total roll of the dice when you go in there. It’s a little chaotic every
time. It does feel very different every time.
[00:17:07] Jack So sometimes I’ll go through those security alarm things in like shorts with no
pockets and a shirt, and then I’ll go off and say there’s something on me. And then I’m like,
That’s weird. I don’t know. I don’t have like an implant. There’s nothing.
[00:17:23] Michael The big X-ray one, it always tags my left foot. Every single time.
[00:17:24] Jack It’s always like my thigh. It’s always like, right thigh. I’m like, did they put a
chip in me when I was born or something. But no, it’s only it’s weird. It, like, doesn’t always
happen. It’s just randomly. And, but I’m like, are these machines really doing anything? I mean,
I’m sure they are. The efficacy comes in the question. Sometimes I’ll like accidentally bring
something in like a can of hairspray and I’m like, how did they not catch this? Yeah. Like I’ll
find it when I’m at my destination. I’m like, I didn’t even want to bring this now I can’t bring it
home.
[00:18:07] Michael I had one time they took a butter knife that I had in my bag that I forgot
about. But they didn’t take my sharp scissors right that were right next to the butter knife.

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[00:18:17] Amrita Oh, yeah. Every time we go through, like, my dad almost every single time
has to get his bag checked. And then it also takes forever for them to check your bag too cause
there’s like a whole line of people and then my dad is like hey can you, and they’re like no, not
yet.
[00:18:34] Moderator So along those same lines, when we’re talking about airline travel, what
do you think about airlines that clearly overbook all the flights?
[00:18:51] Jack Awful.
[00:18:51] Matthew C Annoying, terrible.
[00:18:52] Matthew B Nationalize them. Get them out of here.
[00:18:57] Michael Part of it I understand. Like, maybe they have to make money and, like,
people won’t show up, but at the same time, it’s excessive sometimes. They could’ve done less
and still made money. Now they’re having to deal with the headaches.
[00:19:15] Matthew C I feel like if they want to do that, they have to offer higher ticket refunds
to customers who want to get off because I got offered, like, my flight was overbooked like ten
people and they only offered me like $1200. I went up to the person and I said, if you give me
$2500, I’ll leave. And they didn’t and I was like okay, and they couldn’t get the ten people on the
flight.
[00:19:34] Jack I was going to say, that being said, me personally, I do like kind of wish a little
bit that it would happen, considering the fact that my tickets are normally like quite cheap
because I travel in off times where I don’t have to pay for ridiculously expensive tickets and on
cheaper airlines. When I’m traveling alone, when I’m with my family, I’m like, okay, Dad, you
can book the flight. So on a personal level, I wouldn’t be that mad because then I could get like a
$1200, $2500 credit and take a flight four hours later.
[00:20:09] Moderator Well, the comparable would be if you go to a restaurant and they’ve
overbooked and you don’t get a free meal, right?
[00:20:15] Jack No, exactly. It’s just kind of as a college student, I wouldn’t be terribly upset
about going home 12 hours later with 1200 dollars in my pocket.
[00:20:24] Moderator Or $2500.
[00:20:25] Jack That could be a sweet deal.
[00:20:26] Moderator Anybody here, have you heard of the term adventure tourism?
[00:20:37] Jack I have, but I don’t know what it means.

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[00:20:38] Brisa Same.
[00:20:39] Moderator Take a guess. There’s no right or wrong answer.
[00:20:43] Bobby Like doing, like, a fun, crazy activity when you get to your destination. Not
like themed but the travel includes some sort of adventure.
[00:21:00] Jack I was going to say, I feel like the term feels a little redundant.
[00:21:03] Michael When I think of that, I think of like kind of the opposite, like adventure
tourism, you go, you know where you’re going, you know where you’re staying but you have no
plans.
[00:21:06] Amrita I was going to say the same.
[00:21:14] Brisa You have no itinerary.
[00:21:15] Michael But I have never heard that term before.
[00:21:16] Matthew C I would think just backpacking like through Europe, that would be my
idea of adventure tourism.
[00:21:21] Jack My idea would be getting a flight somewhere and just like figuring it out.
Maybe
a hotel.
[00:21:28] Moderator So in any of your travels, have you ever been forewarned, wherever you
landed, that there might be some issues with interrupting or wrecking lands or treasures that are
from indigenous people or that the country prizes and you need to be careful that?
[00:22:06] Matthew B This is down in like the Southeast. There’s some sort of fungus or
bacteria that gets picked up on people’s shoes sometimes that I think they were advising, to like,
make sure you don’t.
[00:22:11] Michael I heard that was for the bats.
[00:22:12] Matthew B That was it. It was like some bat.
[00:22:13] Michael The white nose.
[00:22:14] Matthew B Yeah, yeah, yeah, that’s right. That’s right. It was specifically like don’t
bring it, don’t go to Mammoth Cave or something like that and wear shoes from out of state.
[00:22:33] Moderator How does that strike you when you see that? Do you comply?

63
[00:22:40] Matthew B If you can I was kind of thinking maybe how would I even know if my
shoes had like this, like almost invisible fungus or whatever on them? I don’t know. So I was
like, I’d like to comply, but I don’t even know how.
[00:23:06] Michael When I went to Japan this May, it was never like a direct, like, warning
about it, but I think it was like in the air. Obviously don’t be disrespectful.
[00:23:12] Matthew B What are those cliff villages called that are like the Native Americans?
[00:23:17] Moderator The pueblo?
[00:23:18] Matthew B Yeah, that’s right. That’s right. Well, that was, like at the site. There were
all kinds of warnings. Don’t touch the walls. Don’t touch any, any of the ruins or anything, you
know, hands off. Stay on the paths.
[00:23:39] Moderator And did you comply?
[00:23:42] Matthew B Yeah, yeah.
[00:23:44] Jack When I was in Hawaii I was told don’t touch the sea turtles. And I didn’t have
the opportunity to not comply. But part of me like, really wanted to touch a sea turtle and I doubt
I would have gone through with it. But, you know, like if I’m swimming and I see a sea turtle,
that feels pretty magical.
[00:24:04] Michael They say the same thing about manatees in Florida. But the manatees will
swim up to you and touch you. So then is it your fault?
[00:24:05] Jack What if the turtle wants me to touch him?
[00:24:16] Moderator So, speaking of that, anybody planning to go to Hawaii in the next couple
of years? Month, years?
[00:24:27] Brisa My friends, we take a graduation trip. So when we graduated from high school,
we went to Disney World. And then we’re waiting for the last of my friends to graduate
undergrad to go to Hawaii.
[00:24:37] Moderator And any reservations about going?
[00:24:40] Brisa I’m skeptical just because I have a lot of friends that are from Hawaii. And of
course, there’s a whole issue with travel, tourism and stuff with Hawaii. So I think we would
take a lot of their advice. And just be respectful of the people that are from there.
[00:24:50] Michael My mom’s there right now. She just flew in yesterday.
[00:24:54] Moderator And did she have any reservations about going?

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[00:25:07] Michael She went to Maui. And she had some reservations like about the fire there,
but she talked with the people they’re staying with and they say it’s okay. They’re telling people
to come back because their economy needs tourism.
[00:25:26] Moderator Yeah, well, something like 88% of the island’s economy is based on
something related to tourism. Okay. One last question, and that is we kind of talked about this
before, but how concerned are you about any human rights violations that you might encounter if
you were to go to the Middle East or Eastern Europe vis-à-vis Ukraine and Israel, etc.
[00:25:45] Jack Bad. I won’t be going for what may or may not be obvious reasons. It’s more
for my own safety concerns. But obviously, I am concerned generally. I’m simply not super
welcome there.
[00:26:23] Bobby Is this going more deeper if I fly on a certain airline and that money goes into
a certain area.
[00:26:30] Moderator If that’s how you interpret the violation, sure.
[00:26:35] Bobby Yeah. And if I had found out, then I would be less inclined to do any support
for what not.
[00:26:44] Matthew B I was gonna say, I wonder if anyone would be disinclined from visiting
like L.A. right now because of, like, the hotel workers strike and then, like, hiring, like, unhoused
migrants to, like, fill the like, scabs like, fill the holes, I would say that’s pretty unethical. Yeah.
So I would wonder if someone in other countries would have like, reservations about coming
here.
[00:27:05] Moderator Yeah. I wonder if anybody in London is thinking about I’m not going to
go to L.A. That’s interesting. I hadn’t thought about it in reverse. Anything else you want to say
about travel in general?
[00:27:29] Michael I’m worried about travel from Paris. From most of Europe because the
bedbugs thing, it’s not just Paris, Paris gets most of the heat, but it’s like most of Europe right
now. I think L.A. being a big tourist city, too, is it going to come here next?
[00:28:03] Matthew B I’d say price is a pretty big consideration. So like I’d say, a lot of my
travel is going to be more like regional if we’re talking about like tourism, travel and not like
visiting family, I’m going to be probably more considering like what’s closest to me so I don’t
have to drive as long, spend as much on gas or like fly as far and spend as much on airfare.
[00:28:26] Moderator I guess, because according to the statistics, you guys are the prime
travelers right now that every hotel, every destination is trying to attract you. But I’m sensing a
teeny bit of reservations, perhaps.
[00:28:40] Brisa I think it also depends like at least for me, I’m a college student. I don’t have a
lot of that extra income to just like travel. But there’s a lot of people, especially in L.A., like

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influencers who get paid to do this. They’re definitely like the target audience. So I think it just
depends on your background.
[00:28:57] Jack If I’m the target audience, they just need to knock the prices down and I’ll
travel.
[00:29:06] Michael I was reading, the prices are, like, on their way down now because the
revenge travel after Covid is over. So prices are going down, so it makes it easier for some. But it
might just be like a ploy.
[00:29:17] Matthew B Revenge travel, that sounds like it could be a fun alternative to adventure
tourism.
[00:29:29] Moderator Anybody hear about how influencers are talking about the workers in
Chinese factories and you shouldn’t go to China?
[00:29:46] Jack Oh, well, I haven’t heard about them saying you shouldn’t go to China. I’ve
heard that one influencer who went to the Shein factory and was like, It’s all sunshine and
butterflies.
And when they were obviously taking her to like a prop, like a factory that was so like
manufactured, that a strong wind would have knocked it down and it would’ve have been
revealed as just a cardboard facade.
[00:29:50] Matthew C It was like paper walls.
[00:30:09] Matthew B I think the term is Potemkin village. Like a Potemkin factory.
[00:30:12] Jack It was kind of like in Jury Duty when they, like, had this, like, beautiful floor
room factory on the bottom and then upstairs they have creepy mannequins, like toxic waste
barrels. Except like the creepy mannequins are actual, like, underpaid workers that they’re
forcing to stand there. Everyone knows that they do this so that they, like, take advantage of
people and the communities that they manufacture in, but they have a great PR team, I guess.
[00:30:41] Moderator Yeah. Has anybody heard about any issues like that in Qatar?
[00:30:50] Matthew B Was Qatar the one that just hosted the World Cup? I remember hearing
crazy, crazy, bad labor conditions, where it’s like there’s a lot of migrant labor.
[00:30:54] Bobby And they’re like, dying.
[00:30:59] Matthew B I think it was something like hundreds, if not thousands of people died
just building the stadium alone? It was like building the pyramids level of, like, human suffering.
I was like geez.
[00:31:15] Michael And now they just go unused.

66
[00:30:54] Bobby They’re just sitting there.
[00:31:17] Jack And they run like, weird, uncanny valley ad campaigns that are like, come to
Qatar. It’s the most beautiful city on earth. Where else do you have these gorgeous, polished
streets? Where else do you have these, like, fantastic skyscrapers? And it’s like, it feels like
corporate propaganda, but on like the government level, and it’s just it’s really weird.
[00:31:40] Moderator And it kind of feels like the Emerald City, you know? Pay attention to
that man behind the curtain.
[00:31:44] Jack Yeah, exactly. But the man behind the curtain is like numerous human rights
violations.
[00:31:50] Moderator Anybody else want to say anything about travel? Are you excited about
it? How are you feeling in general about in the next five years traveling anywhere?
[00:32:06] Jack I would like to spend a while on a beach somewhere sunny.
[00:32:10] Matthew C Yeah.
[00:32:12] Jack That’s the kind of travel that I want to do in the next five years.
[00:32:15] Matthew C After I graduate, going to Europe for a while would be nice. Just like
leaving for a while. In the next five years, yeah.
[00:32:23] Matthew B I haven’t been to East Asia yet, and I would really love to visit China,
Vietnam, Japan. So that’s the plan, I think, for the next couple of years at some point.
[00:32:37] Brisa I’d excited. I’m potentially going back to Mexico after like 21 years next
spring, so I’m excited to go back and learn more about the country and the history and visit the
pyramids and stuff so I think it will be really cool.
[00:32:54] Bobby I think I would just like to do more of it. I don’t have anything like, particular
plans, but like I want to go to places whether it be by flying or driving.
[00:33:06] Moderator So is it accurate to speculate that you’re not thinking, Well, I’m not going
to be able to travel until I’m well-established in my career and 50 years old?
[00:33:15] Matthew I think I’m very hesitant about setting my standards too high about places I
want to visit in the next five years. Because as a journalism major, the pay is low. So like, I don’t
know how much traveling that affords outside of regional travel, which I love doing.
[00:33:40] Jack Yeah. As much as I talk about, I want to go somewhere sunny. Realistically, I
don’t want to wait five years to travel. So I try and, like, find ways to travel without spending so
much money, whether that be like if I’m visiting my grandparents in Northern California, like
driving back down and stopping in a few little towns on the way. I did that this summer. As far

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as being a journalism major, there may or may not be opportunities, like, to travel within that. So
I’m 100% open to going wherever I can with the little amount of capital.
[00:34:30] Moderator But you don’t have a wait and see attitude. It kind of sounds like it’s not
going to be wait and see. At some point I’m going to travel in the next five years, probably. Is
that accurate? That’s very helpful. Thank you so much for taking time out and really, really
appreciate this was so valuable, I got to tell you. Thank you.

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Appendix B: Table: Visitors at Scottish attractions in “Outlander,” 2013-2021.
4
Year Aberdour
Castle
Blackness
Castle
Bo’ness
and
Kinneil
Railway
Culloden
Visitor
Centre
Culross
Palace
Doune
Castle
Glencoe
Visitor
Centre
Hopetoun
House
Linlithgow
Palace
Preston
Mill and
Phantassie
Doocot
Visitors
2013 12,518 15,197 68,306 109,063 10,446 38,081 114,284 51,879 66,500 2,298 488,572
2014 13,184 16,559 68,329 98,780 10,669 47,069 130,006 35,502 63,274 1,872 485,244
2015 14,107 21,556 73,830 117,814 11,556 68,518 133,444 29,300 66,324 2,383 538,832
2016 15,392 30,053 69,085 141,776 13,112 90,279 199,327 31,478 74,428 2,217 667,147
2017 19,381 42,810 65,634 180,875 16,022 124,341 165,303 32,449 86,596 2,748 736,159
2018 27,507 58,388 67,038 200,646 24,445 142,091 213,343 36,776 94,718 2,967 867,919
2019 24,768 79,265 60,822 209,011 25,209 152,987 436,924 37,940 103,312 2,590 1,132,828
2020 4,384 10,212 2,014 182,496 Closed 15,549 93,547 3,536 12,128 601 324,467
2021 9,255 12,663 22,880 57,778 10,733 3,171 129,829 No data 2,489 1,835 250,633
4 VisitScotland. “Insight Department: The Outlander Effect & Tourism.” VisitScotland. June 2022,
www.visitscotland.org/binaries/content/assets/dot-org/pdf/research-insights/the-outlander-effect-tourism.pdf.

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Appendix C: Table: Dubrovnik tourists and “Game of Thrones” viewers, 2011-2022.
Year Tourist arrivals in Dubrovnik “Game of Thrones” viewership
2011 11,455,6775 9,300,000
2012 11,835,1606 11,600,000
2013 12,433,7277 14,400,000
2014 13,128,4168 19,100,000
2015 14,343,3239 20,200,000
2016 20,120,30010 25,700,000
2017 17,430,58011 32,900,000
2018 18,666,58012 32,900,000
2019 23,566,14613 46,000,000
2020 7,800,00014 N/A
2021 11,200,00015 N/A
2022 18,900,00016 N/A
5 “Turizam – Kumulativni Podaci Razdoblje Od Sije?Nja Do Prosinca 2012./Tourism – Cumulative Data January –
December 2012.” Archived from the original on 12 June 2018. 6 Ibid.
7 “Archived Copy” (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 12 July 2015. 8 Ibid.
9 “Tourist Arrivals and Nights in 2015.” Croatian Bureau of Statistics. 9 February 2016. 10 “Tourist Arrivals and Nights in 2016.” Croatian Bureau Of Statistics. 9 February 2017. 11 “Tourist Arrivals and Nights in 2017.” Croatian Bureau Of Statistics. 13 February 2018. 12 “Tourist Arrivals and Nights in 2018.” Croatian Bureau Of Statistics. 15 February 2019. 13 “Tourist Arrivals and Nights in 2019.” Croatian Bureau Of Statistics. 28 February 2020. 14 “U 2020. Godini Ostvareno 50 Posto Noćenja Od Rekordne 2019.” Croatian Bureau Of Statistics. 7 January
2021.
15 “U 2021. Godini Hrvatsku Posjetilo Gotovo 14 Milijuna Turista.” Croatian Bureau of Statistics. 13 April 2022. 16 “U 2022. Godini Ostvareno Više Od 104 Milijuna Noćenja.” Croatian Bureau Of Statistics. 7 February 2023.

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Appendix D: Interview transcript: Olivia Carroll
November 17, 2023, 3 p.m.
[00:00:01] Jacqueline Cao Did you run into any challenges with the [Hawkins International]
Doha account?
[00:00:05] Olivia Carroll Yes, we ran into many challenges. We got the accounts in tandem
with the World Cup, which was meant to be a positive, in line with pitch fodder and excitement
for the destination. But the more we got into the account, we realized very quickly the challenges
that we faced with human rights issues. We also faced a lot of challenges in terms of writers who
identified within the LGBTQ plus community and just allies as well, who just didn’t feel
comfortable representing the destination in tandem with those human rights violations. And also
just like fear as journalists themselves to be in the destination, if they had any sort of negative
feedback, they were a little bit worried, whether or not that’s sensationalized, that’s just how they
felt. So those challenges were really coming from a place of the destination in itself, being
separate from it, from the tourism of that destination, being separate from its government in
some ways, or that’s how they were representing it. We had already been working with that
brand for two other locations. So from our perspective, we had sort of expanded as like a good
thing, and it felt like a great way to expand our work with that brand. But when they told us
about the destination, we really quickly realized that it was going to be a massive undertaking.
And we right set it just by being super delicate with the way that we would reach out and we
would tell media that we really understood if they didn’t support it or didn’t want to write about
it or come. But at the end of the day, we did end up keeping the project and we ended up getting
six media to go visit and they came back and all wrote really positive stories. So for better or for
worse, from a client relations standpoint, we hit our KPIs and we found the right writers who
wanted to come and represent the story of, you know, the adaptive reuse. There was a story about
sustainability there. There was a story about architecture and design. And we also found writers
who had been to the destination previously or were curious about it and ended up ultimately
coming in and, you know, writing about it in a positive way.
[00:02:30] Cao How comfortable would you be with staying at a company that you discovered
had some unethical practices, for example, encouraging people to climb Machu Picchu, even
though we know it’s crumbling.
[00:02:45] Carroll That’s a good question. Personally. I would not. I wouldn’t. I think that’s a
pretty clear line as a consumer that I would draw. And actually, on that same note, when the trip
to Qatar came up and I was asked to sort of go as a PR representative, I did ultimately say I
didn’t feel comfortable going on the trip. So it’s a really tough position to be in where obviously
my job is at stake and I want to be a good representative of the company and to my client. But at
the same time, yeah, I think as a consumer, I would try really hard to look into the property,
make sure that they were aligned with my morals and then make a decision from there about how
I want to spend quite a bit of money. You know, hotel is not cheap, it’s not a coffee, it’s not, you
know, it’s an undertaking. So I definitely try to only choose properties that I feel like are
supporting the right message.

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[00:03:46] Cao But as a practitioner, though, what recommendations do you have for the
industry as we continue to expand it to new areas and we’re going to run into more of these
issues where we’re imposing on land that used to be fenced off or land that was, you know,
essentially stolen from natives?
[00:04:13] Carroll That’s a good question. First and foremost, I think that what can happen is
that developers will choose the property based on the space itself, the actual four walls that make
up the building. And from a design standpoint, that can be really cool and interesting. But from
an ethics point of view, it’s really muddled. So I would encourage if I may be so bold, I would
encourage developers and hospitality brands to take a look into that building. And, you know,
zoom out like the building itself might be an old church. That’s an interesting adaptive reuse
story. But is the neighborhood receptive to newcomers? Would you be gentrifying an area that is
not welcoming you? Are you going to be creating harm or are you going to be creating, you
know, a new refresh in an area that is excited about having a new property come? So that’s
actually something I encountered with a client going even just to Portland. So I think that’s quite
different from what you were describing of native land. But going into Portland, they were not
receptive at all and it was a huge backlash. Portland does not want luxury hospitality. So the
whole ethos of the city is centered around community building and bartering and creating these
types of synergies that go beyond private members clubs and large fees and exclusivity. So for a
private member’s club to announce itself in that space was really complicated because of that
feeling in Portland. So what they did is they started speaking with local artists. They started
speaking with local realtors and just getting a sense of the best way to introduce themselves there
so that they could properly greet everybody. And of course, there was going to be some backlash
regardless. They’re always kind of is, but they did kind of avoid some of those ripples just by
sort of letting the community take the lead and sort of be like, we’re coming here, what do you
guys need from us? And then going from there. But to your first question, I think that it’s really
important to understand the land that you’re choosing to set foot on. And I think that just brands
need to just be more aware of it and just get ahead of it and announce, you know, first and
foremost, we understand who we are in the world. We understand what we’re bringing to the
table and what this previously was or what it currently is. And then just either working with
those people who they’re displacing to come up with some sort of like actual ethical solution or
to just make some sort of concerted effort to have a community building. And in the case of, you
know, native land, like that’s a whole other string of, you know, reparations that need to be taken
in a in a longer form way. But I think it’s just so I think awareness and education is like the first
place to start there.
[00:07:19] Cao Lastly, what do you think about the influencer trips that went to the Chinese
factories? And then essentially disguising what usually happens, if you heard about that.
[00:07:32] Carroll I don’t think I know about that, wait, tell me more.
[00:07:37] Cao It was just that Shein sent influencers on a trip to Guangzhou. And then they
actually had like a prop factory almost, and there were no workers around. And the workers who
were around, like, we were very happy and then just not working in an environment where it’s
known for sweatshops. And then like the influencers were tasked with kind of positioning Shein
as a very ethical brand.

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[00:08:09] Carroll Well, no, unethical, that’s a no-go. That’s criminal. That’s bad. There’s
nothing about that that makes sense. I think, you know, as a PR representative, we can always
speak to the positives, but we can’t we can’t lie. We can’t be lying to even an influencer, let
alone a journalist. Like it’s you can’t be setting up fake scenarios that don’t accurately represent
what the brand is. And I think, again, like, you can find ways like Shein’s very affordable. Like
if you had to work for them, you could, I guess, say that we all know what that means. But if you
had to find positives, there’s a different way of going about it than. No, no, no, no. That’s all
really bad.
[00:09:00] Carroll And just one other thing to mention on Doha in particular is that when they
chose that location, it was sort of like I think I had mentioned that we had already been working
with that brand on other locations, one of them being in New York City. So that was an adaptive
reuse project in the old Nomad building. Very different from an adaptive reuse project in Qatar.
So at that stage we had already been working with the brand in a capacity where it didn’t affect
our retainer or our work with them to take on this project, if that makes sense. So it was also not
something that we bid for in an official RFP capacity. And that gets to your question of ethics,
where it’s sort of like at what point do we say no to a project? If it had come into our desks, my
manager and I had both agreed we never would have put the bid for the RFP. But there is a very
complicated relationship with clients and PR agencies because of that power dynamic of them,
you know, hosting, never having the retainers of our teams that pay salaries of these team
members above and below us. So it’s a really complicated power, power struggle and very
complicated to like to navigate when it comes to saying no to new business as well.

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Appendix E: Interview transcript: Soojin Yoon
October 25, 2023, 7 p.m.
[00:00:00] Jacqueline Cao I’ve been thinking about human rights and hotels that operate in
countries with those violations ever since the FIFA World Cup. Since you are an international
chain and excuse me, I didn’t get a chance to look up whether your chain operates in Doha,
Qatar. And but even with LA right now, we have hotel workers, scabs, working here. How do
you address PR? Well, first of all, how do you feel ethically when you advertise if you do have
hotels in these locations, when you advertise and do PR for these hotels?
[00:00:50] Soojin Yoon It’s a really important question. So thank you for asking. It’s something
that you absolutely have to have a firm approach on. Right. So I think what do you think about
human rights? It’s a fundamental pillar of what we do, and there’s lots of business days and so
often tends to be a little bit more within the ethics and compliance space and may not be
something that you storytell on as actively but we have such a firm governance around and how
we operate our standards, like what we expect our franchise partners, what we expect the kind of
local municipalities to support. And you know, we Absolutely, you know, try to take transparent
approach as possible when it comes to things along those lines. One kind of example there is,
you know, within the travel space at large, there’s obviously this kind of broader phenomenon of
trafficking takes place. And so rather than kind of turning a blind eye to it, like how do we use
our resources to marshal efforts across the industry in coalition to help try to solve for ways that
we can help to minimize these types of opportunities? How do we minimize risk? How do we
support survivors through these processes and, you know, ensure that we’re providing kind of an
active ecosystem to be able to address this and, you know, find opportunities to mitigate it as we
can through these various different training processes, through collaborations with nonprofit
partners, through collaboration with governments, so on. So that’s just one example there. But I
think it’s kind of reflective of, you know, we’re not just going to shirk it and we’re not just going
to sweep it under the rug, but like, how do we actually think about this as an opportunity to
demonstrate the integrity with which we operate within our supply chain, in our business. The
different issues that you reference are obviously very localized and nuanced nature. And so each
of them will have a different approach there. But that’s all taken with the utmost care in making
sure that what we’re doing is not kind of antithetical to what we want to be doing as a hospitality
company or what we want to be seen as being portrayed there. And so not everything is as kind
of concrete as being able to say that we will never operate and do X or we will never do blah
blah blah but, you know, treat it with care in the appropriate context and with kind of the
requirements of the local municipalities and such.
[00:03:00] Cao As a practitioner, where do you draw the line in your ethics when it comes to
your job and the ethics you uphold, as in like PRSA ethics and then your personal ethics?
[00:03:19] Yoon I mean, I think you have your own agency to decide kind of like what is
important to you and kind of what you will stand for, what you won’t stand for. For me, I felt
very comfortable coming into the role of the company that I am because I knew that IHG had a
very kind of upstanding kind of code of conduct. They had a number of different kind of cases
where they weren’t just talking the talk. They had demonstrated cases where either they had

74
proactive and so were actually addressing things within certain spaces or actually had taken
efforts to kick hotels out of their chain because they, you know, were under certain thresholds
and so on and so forth. So for me, that provided a level of comfort where, you know, I knew that
it wasn’t like I was just building something. I would have to go from that for something that was
not aligned to my personal values and such, though. And thankfully, over the seven years that
I’ve been within the company, I’ve never had a situation where I felt like compromised morally.
If we don’t take it to represent and defend this particular hotel or particular kind of initiative.
And part of that was because I had done the due diligence ahead of time to make sure that I was
choosing a brand and choosing a company that I felt comfortable within that space. But
absolutely, I mean, if there are things that are red lines for you or things that you would
compromise your ethics, like no one should ever feel like you have to kind of grin it and bare.
And that should absolutely be something that everybody should have agency to say no or, you
know, whether that’s raising your voice internally to be able to say, you know, this is my
recommendation, this is my POV, and making sure that your voice is heard there or, you know,
at worst being confident and have strident in your beliefs to walk away. Right. Because nothing
is forever. And so. It’s one of those things where you can always sleep with yourself at night
with your values, and find kind of another opportunity that maybe suits you better in that context.
So it’s an interesting kind of piece in theory. And again, I’m thankful that I’ve not have to kind
of actually exercise that in practice, but just speaking from my personal experiences, there hasn’t
been any kind of compromising situations I’ve encountered.

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Appendix F: Table: Mighty 5’s visitors and Utah’s economic output, 2012-2022.
Year Arches
visitors 17
Bryce
visitors 18
Canyonlands
visitors 19
Capitol
Reef
visitors 20
Zion
visitors21
Mighty 5
visitors
(in
millions)
Utah’s
annual
economic
output
(in
millions)
2012 1,070,577 1,385,352 452,952 673,345 2,973,607 6.56 $861
2013 1,082,866 1,311,875 462,242 663,670 2,807,387 6.33 $838
2014 1,284,767 1,435,741 542,431 786,514 3,189,696 7.24 $1,093
2015 1,399,247 1,745,804 634,607 941,029 3,648,846 8.37 $1,269
2016 1,585,718 2,365,110 776,218 1,064,904 4,295,127 10.09 $1,598
2017 1,539,028 2,571,684 742,271 1,150,165 4,504,812 10.51 $1,667
2018 1,663,557 2,679,478 739,449 1,227,627 4,320,033 10.63 $1,839
2019 1,659,702 2,594,904 733,996 1,226,519 4,488,268 10.70 $1,869
2020 1,238,083 1,464,655 493,914 981,038 3,591,254 7.77 $1,340
2021 1,806,865 2,104,600 911,594 1,405,353 5,039,835 11.27 $2,512
2022 1,460,652 2,354,660 779,147 1,227,608 4,692,417 10.51 $2,598
17 National Park Service. “Arches Annual Park Recreation Visitation (1904 - Last Calendar Year).” National Park
Service,
www.irma.nps.gov/Stats/SSRSReports/Park%20Specific%20Reports/Annual%20Park%20Recreation%20Visitation
%20(1904%20-%20Last%20Calendar%20Year)?Park=ARCH. 18 National Park Service. “Bryce Canyon Annual Park Recreation Visitation (1904 - Last Calendar Year).” National
Park Service,
www.irma.nps.gov/Stats/SSRSReports/Park%20Specific%20Reports/Annual%20Park%20Recreation%20Visitation
%20(1904%20-%20Last%20Calendar%20Year)?Park=BRCA. 19 National Park Service. “Canyonlands Annual Park Recreation Visitation (1904 - Last Calendar Year).” National
Park Service,
www.irma.nps.gov/Stats/SSRSReports/Park%20Specific%20Reports/Annual%20Park%20Recreation%20Visitation
%20(1904%20-%20Last%20Calendar%20Year)?Park=CANY. 20 National Park Service. “Capitol Reef Annual Park Recreation Visitation (1904 - Last Calendar Year).” National
Park Service,
www.irma.nps.gov/Stats/SSRSReports/Park%20Specific%20Reports/Annual%20Park%20Recreation%20Visitation
%20(1904%20-%20Last%20Calendar%20Year)?Park=CARE. 21 National Park Service. “Zion Annual Park Recreation Visitation (1904 - Last Calendar Year).” National Park
Service,
www.irma.nps.gov/Stats/SSRSReports/Park%20Specific%20Reports/Annual%20Park%20Recreation%20Visitation
%20(1904%20-%20Last%20Calendar%20Year)?Park=ZION.

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Appendix G: Interview transcript: Justin Susan
December 4, 2023, 10:30 a.m.
[00:00:00] Jacqueline Cao My first question is, how do you feel about tourism dollars in the
face of tourists destruction?
[00:00:12] Justin Susan Wow, such a large question. Just a little bit of background I grew up on,
yeah, but my mountain patch reservation till I was about 12 years old, I visit probably once or
twice a year, and go back. And it’s interesting, just because I have two perspectives, one, as you
know, indigenous young kid, and other one has like this, you know, city adult, and, you know,
being able to have two perspectives is so strong, but I understand both sides. But I think one
thing that is, you know, with tourism, you know, it’s so materialistic, it’s, you know, it’s such a
brief benefit of dollars, you know, fluctuating into towns or to small businesses. But I think, you
know, sometimes tourism destroys the, you know, the history, the tradition, the longevity of the
culture, and stories that surround these sacred places and objects. Like you were talking in Utah,
it’s interesting that you mentioned that just because I have so many big friends and great friends
out there in Utah will happen, you know, used to do a prayer around about a 300 mile run from
lower part of Utah, all the way up to Salt Lake City, just running and praying and, and we, we
had about 12 or 15 runners in that area, and one of one of the one of the most amazing people
that I would love to, you know, if you ever want to truly get more in depth about this, I have a
good friend named Wilson, who is one of the just, you know, he’s been working in Native
American land, right activations, different environmental protection things. And, I mean, he has
a whole list of things, and he’s not one of those people that doesn’t really do it for the show or
anything like that. But I would love to recommend him to you, but yeah, I mean, I remember him
specifically, you know, showing me like certain areas that were super sacred, you know, that
were, you know, ruin with graffiti, or some of them having certain messages that are racially
motivated. But there’s only so much funding that can go into kind of protecting those, those
sites. And there’s people like Wilson who are unspoken heroes that do everything they can to
protect it, but you know, it’s a, it’s a double edged sword, unfortunately, I wish, you know, I
wish people could see more of the Native American side and, you know, the traditional sights,
but, you know, tourism, you know, it’s, it’s eventually going to, you know, it has to happen at
some point.
[00:03:09] Cao Have you ever seen these issues manifest within your community?
[00:03:14] Susan Yeah, absolutely. I think we see them all the time, especially in Arizona, in the
White Mountain, Apache Tribe, you know, certain, we have a, it’s so difficult just because we’re
so short on time, but you know, every single tribe has their own culture, their own language,
their own traditions, around ceremonies, to celebrate, you know, the growth of women to, to the
end of a life to celebrate, you know, a new one coming in, there’s all kinds of different
ceremonies, but one of them, we have these very sacred headdresses used in a Sunrise Dance,
which is a coming of age ceremony for, you know, a young woman. And these headdresses take
are used for about a three to four day ceremony a Friday or Thursday through Sunday. And what
happens is, when we are finished with the ceremony, we put those headdresses very sacred
headdresses, and we place them in mountains, and to make sure that, you know, they, they rest

77
and they’re blessed, and you know, a whole long list of things that could, you know, talk about
here, but eventually, sometimes we see those headdresses stolen and sold on you know, like
tourists stores or remakes, not remakes, but you know, resold on all markets. And those, you
know, headdresses are aren’t meant for profit. They’re not meant for any type of, you know,
tourist attraction, they’re just used to kind of in the ceremony, so there’s things like that to that.
You know, that happen on a regular basis.
[00:04:48] Cao How do they get access to these headdresses?
[00:04:53] Susan Some of them I’m not sure. Some of them you know, go about just finding
their ways. And, you know, hiking trails and looking for these things. And some of them are
some, you know, we used to kind of put it in areas that were very generic. But now as the time
moves for, we’ve kind of tried our best to kind of hide them in very, very, you know, sacred
secret of areas. But that’s kind of just how they go about it, they just kind of stone them and
some people. Some people haven’t really gotten over that, but yeah, that happens. So
[00:05:31] Cao does that mean that you’re supposed to just keep them outside? What are they
made of?
[00:05:37] Susan So they’re made of like this plant, it’s like, oh, man, I wish my grandfather
was still here. It’s made added like this, this, like tall plant, it’s like a really light type of, it’s like
a, almost like a wood cane type plant. And they’re called, actually, the headdresses are called
crown crowns, we call them crown dancers, they’re there, they’re painted. Very, it takes about
three or four days to make them you put, like, our four colors are red, I’m, excuse me, green,
black, yellow, and white. And so the headdresses are painted those colors, you have mirrors on
them feathers, and symbols of lightning gear, trees, and you use them to pray to essentially help
this young woman in her in the ceremony, you know, move into, you know, becoming a woman
and helping her move into those new cycles with her body, you know, to, you know, the different
challenges that she’s going to face. So we use those to, you know, to just prey on to help her but,
you know, we it’s, I don’t, I couldn’t tell you why we, we hide them or why we do that. It’s just,
you know, how we’ve always done things and, you know, they should be respected and not
stolen. Yeah, I agree.
[00:07:01] Cao Well, given your experience with PR and, and your expertise, what do you think
about the ethics of supporting PR, or tourism campaigns that help the tourism in these in these
regions, but then ultimately, will lead to, for example, your crowns being stolen? Or the other? I
think I know exactly what type of vandalism you’re talking about. I think I saw it in an article,
like these racial slurs that were graffiti on top of the petroglyphs. So yeah, what do you think
about the ethics of supporting these campaigns that will lead to these unfortunate acts?
[00:07:50] Susan I think, I think, you know, in the grand scheme of things, it’s, it’s, you know,
it’s a good thing. They have good intentions, you know, obviously, bringing tourism to places
that don’t have a tremendous amount of people going through there on an annual basis. It’s great
to, you know, bring recognition and, you know, bring spotlight to different areas. But I think
there also has to, you know, understand, too, that, you know, you know, not everyone’s going to
have the good intentions, as you know, as the PR campaign will, you know, do its best to try to

78
capture its audience. But you know, I think in the grand scheme of things, it’s a great thing. I
think some areas, do it solely for profit in some areas, do it solely for, you know, bringing a
stronger narrative to that region. But yeah, I think it just depends on, you know, the campaign
itself, but I think I’ve seen some really strong campaigns. And I think overall, it’s a great thing.
[00:08:57] Cao And then, last question, just because of what you mentioned, now that killers of
the flower, Moon has come out and centered, the Osage tribe so much, do you worry, or what do
you do? Do you worry about the future of those lands in Oklahoma? Or do you? What do you
think about them?
[00:09:22] Susan You know, in Oklahoma, you know, I have a few friends out there, but for the
most part, I don’t really know too much about those lands in the oil. But I know in Arizona
there’s a few tribes like the Navajo tribe, Hopi tribe, White Mountain, Patrick tribe, that are very
rich forestry. And I know there’s a lot of, you know, people trying to, you know, US government
treaties or you know, all these different regulations to kind of skew the line of who has the land
and who doesn’t you But I think that, you know, that’s just gonna, you know, that’s just a part of,
you know, civilization, you know, it’s just greed and trying to, to take things that aren’t theirs or,
you know, trying to take things that they think they deserve. But I think what we forget is that,
you know, the, you know, all these 500 tribes, indigenous people, you know, it was, we were
here first and, and it’s not that, you know, we’re trying to make money off of the land, but in a
lot of ways, we just want to take care of it, you know, because, you know, Mother Earth trees,
the water, you know, all the animals and, you know, things that rely on nature to survive. And I
think sometimes, people in suits, forget that, you know, they forget what it’s like to, you know,
build a fire or take care of your family through, you know, hunting and gathering. And I think
there’s a lot of sacred things in it, but you know, it’s just the, it’s just no matter what we do, that
will always be a problem. And to kind of wrap it up, I just want to say, you know, it’s really
inspiring what you’re working on. And I just want to say that, you know, based off the free
research and information that you’ve talked about, and this conversation we had, it’s really
awesome. And, you know, kudos to you keep doing your thing. I am first generation from
Apache Mountain tribe about like, like four or 5000 population. And I have never met anyone
that has focused on this type of field. But I just want to say that you may not know it, Jacqueline,
but you know, you’re creating a voice for the voiceless, you know, you’re, you’re doing a lot of
tremendous work for people that may never be able to thank you. And just bringing awareness to
the subject in general. It’s such a, you know, it’s such a tremendous gift and just wanted to say
thank you.

Abstract (if available)

Abstract This paper seeks to uncover the ethical considerations — and boundaries — in travel and tourism campaigns within the realm of public relations, with a special focus on situations that contribute to overtourism, promote travel to Indigenous and native lands or include visits to destinations with known human rights violations. This exploration into the ethical dimensions of travel public relations serves not only as a critique but also as a call to action. It beckons the public relations industry to embrace responsible practices and acknowledge the weight of its influence on shaping perceptions, behaviors and stories that transcend cultures and borders. By delving into the intricacies of ethical decision-making in travel public relations, we hope to contribute to a future where the industry treads with conscientious footsteps, fostering a post-pandemic resurgence that is not only economically robust but also ethically sound.

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Asset Metadata

Creator Cao, Jacqueline (author)

Core Title Navigating ethics in travel public relations: responsible tourism practices in the age of digital media

School Annenberg School for Communication

Degree Master of Arts

Degree Program Public Relations and Advertising

Degree Conferral Date 2024-05

Publication Date 03/28/2024

Defense Date 03/27/2024

Publisher Los Angeles, California (original), University of Southern California (original), University of Southern California. Libraries (digital)

Tag ethics,Indigenous lands,kafala system,OAI-PMH Harvest,Outlander Effect,overtourism,Public Relations,set-jetting,travel and tourism

Format theses (aat)

Language English

Contributor Electronically uploaded by the author (provenance)

Advisor Floto, Jennifer (committee chair), Jacobs, Kate Flynn (committee member), Tenderich, Burghardt (committee member)

Creator Email jacquelinecao00@gmail.com,jcao0506@usc.edu

Permanent Link (DOI) https://doi.org/10.25549/usctheses-oUC113859099

Unique identifier UC113859099

Identifier etd-CaoJacquel-12729.pdf (filename)

Legacy Identifier etd-CaoJacquel-12729

Document Type Thesis

Format theses (aat)

Rights Cao, Jacqueline

Internet Media Type application/pdf

Type texts

Source 20240328-usctheses-batch-1132 (batch), University of Southern California (contributing entity), University of Southern California Dissertations and Theses (collection)

Access Conditions The author retains rights to his/her dissertation, thesis or other graduate work according to U.S. copyright law. Electronic access is being provided by the USC Libraries in agreement with the author, as the original true and official version of the work, but does not grant the reader permission to use the work if the desired use is covered by copyright. It is the author, as rights holder, who must provide use permission if such use is covered by copyright.

Repository Name University of Southern California Digital Library

Repository Location USC Digital Library, University of Southern California, University Park Campus MC 2810, 3434 South Grand Avenue, 2nd Floor, Los Angeles, California 90089-2810, USA

Repository Email cisadmin@lib.usc.edu