The Tourist Milieu: a Geographical Approach

Abstract

Although the milieu of a tourism destination is clearly an essential component of its attractiveness, the concept of the tourist milieu has remained a relatively under-represented notion in tourism research. We believe that the tourist milieu may be defined as the objective projection of the subjectively experienced tourist space; it emerges as individual visitor perceptions are integrated at a higher level of societal consciousness. Consequently, the tourist milieu of a destination is based on an informative consensus that reflects the visitors' emotions and impressions. In this paper summarises the key factors contributing to the development of a destination's successfully marketable tourist milieu. The study aims to analyse the objectification process of subjective visitor perceptions through which the perceived image becomes a component of social awareness. The hierarchical relationships of milieu, image, sense of place and local identity are also assessed, with particular emphasis on the role of visitor involvement and experience in theory formulation. In order to investigate and show the notion and the perceived components of the Mediterranean milieu, a qualitative survey was carried out with 219 respondents in Hungary in 2004.