Interpretation

All layers of the visitor experience are important – the sense of place, infrastructure, type and standard of services, and interpretation. However, interpretation is where guides, front-line staff, visitor services staff and bookings officers can make a big difference.

In the past, the Tasmanian tourism industry focused its products largely on supporting infrastructure, such as accommodation. However visitor research shows that while visitors expect to encounter Tasmanian nature, cultural heritage, food and wine and be provided with good infrastructure and services, they nevertheless consider interpretation and the engagement it provides as the greatest contributor to their experience.

Thematic Interpretation Planning

It’s assumed that by now you or your organisation have determined your target market and know what that market wants in the way of an experience, and have considered what you can best offer across the four crucial layers of the visitor experience – sense of place, infrastructure, services and interpretation.

Now let’s look at the interpretation layer – the one we know visitors value highly – and how to use the world’s best practice approach of thematic interpretation to make it effective.

New experiences

Tasmania’s tourism operators and tourism-related organisations use thematic interpretation planning, mainly theme development, in the early development stage for a tourism product.

Identifying interpretive themes early on can help bring focus to the strengths of the experience and help shape all its elements.

For example, a theme may suggest taking a particular architectural approach to infrastructure, like orientation to a view line or the use of certain materials and designs, or it may suggest an emphasis on special food - food that tells a local story, or on a new way to interact with your visitors.

Existing experiences

A tourism activity may be already operating before introducing interpretation as part of the mix. Where many elements of the visitor experience have already been determined, then interpretive planning occurs within this established framework. In these situations, interpretation aims to build on the existing experience, its branding and its market positioning.

Limits of interpetative planning

Interpretive planning often informs, and is informed by, other experience layers. For example, once a business has undertaken interpretive planning, they may find that the sequencing of a tour should change, or that interpretation delivery could involve reception staff and others who could be trained to deliver a theme or themes as part of an integrated interpretation system.

* Rob Pennicott , Bruny Island Charters, is passionate about his product – the Natural Environment. Having been a fisherman most of his life it was an easy transition to work with what he loves and establish his business to show visitors what makes Tasmania unique – the animals and the scenery.

Although interpretation is an integral part of product development, it cannot be considered in isolation from the other layers of the experience.

It must also be aligned to your brand and the delivery of the experience on-site must be consistent with the ‘promise’ made in your marketing communications.

A high standard of interpretation may delight your customers and exceed their expectations, however if the toilet is dirty, the waiter unfriendly, or the kayak, building or walking track poorly maintained - then the overall experience is diminished.

Tasmania’s brand - Build ‘Island-ness’ into the story

‘Island-ness’ is at the centre of Tasmania’s tourism brand, Island of Inspiration.

To capitalise on the identity of the brand, and the substantial marketing effort that drives it, it makes sense to build into interpretation a sense of this ‘island-ness’.

This can be done by highlighting what is distinctively Tasmanian in your visitor experience. For example, it might be endemic wildlife found here because our island isolation has protected the animal population, or it might be the quirky or creative characters that flourish in the resourcefulness generated by island life.

Linking your visitor experience to the bigger story of Tasmania as an Island of Inspiration adds greater power to your interpretation – and helps build the bigger visitor experience that applies to the visitor’s entire holiday.

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