Always on holiday
Forget hidden tribes or ancient civilizations. Anthropologist Janne J. Liburd studies international tourism, the fastest-growing industry in the world today. And don’t think she can’t get technical
JANNE J. LIBURD IS NOT WHAT YOU EXPECT from an anthropologist. She doesn’t spend months in a tribal village trying to speak like a native. Nor does she attempt to rediscover ancient civilizations using broken pottery as inspiration. Instead, the 35 year old – slim, classically dressed and oozing moderation - is a young professional firmly rooted in contemporary global tourism, the fastest-growing industry in the world today.
But what has anthropology to do with beaches, bathing and budget flights? And what does a tourism researcher do all day? It’s all about observing people’s habits and values, says Liburd, lecturer in international tourism at the Institute for Business Communication and Information Science at the University of Southern Denmark in Esbjerg. Tourism is a contemporary phenomenon that can be studied and documented just like ancient civilisations. And if that means jetting off to the Caribbean, lounging on the beach and observing the habits of package-deal tourists, so be it. It’s all in a day’s work.
“As a tourism researcher, you do more or less the same as tourists. You hang out, take pictures, collect memorabilia,” says the international tourism researcher. For two and a half years she swapped rainforest and ancient civilisation for sandy beaches and palm trees to complete her PhD on sustainable tourism development while based on St Croix, a Caribbean island sold by Denmark to the US in 1917.
“But many people consider tourism research frivolous. It’s too much fun, sun and relaxation, they think. Yet to gain a holistic understanding of an industry or culture, the time-honoured method of participant observation is the only way to do serious anthropological research. And the industry urgently needs forward-thinking research. Without knowledge or expertise, we risk permanently damaging communities and ecosystems across the world.”
Serious business
She pauses. Just a few minutes into the conversation and tourism – a subject many of today’s globetrotters feel expert in - is no longer straightforward. Already Liburd is using technical language far removed from family discussions about the annual beach holiday or camping trip. ‘Typologies’, ‘nominal group technique’ and ‘conceptual development’ are just some of the academic terms that rattle off Liburd’s tongue in perfect English as she gives a whistle-stop tour of the global tourism industry.
Liburd takes tourism seriously, which explains her appointment in 2005 as chair of the international tourism research network B.E.S.T. E.N, Business Enterprises for Sustainable Travel Education Network. It is the first time an anthropologist has held the position. For the next three years Liburd will steer and coordinate 75 multidisciplinary researchers across the world from the organisation’s headquarters at the University in Esbjerg.
Until now, the organisation has been developing teaching materials on sustainable tourism for undergraduate level. However, at the network’s fifth annual meeting in Jamaica in 2005 the focus changed to crisis management. The catastrophic tsunami in Asia, the deadly SARS virus and intermittent terrorist attacks have put security, planning and warning systems at the heart of the tourism debate today.
“We don’t know where the next catastrophe will be. We need to recognise the risks involved in millions of people travelling abroad each year. Developing standards for crisis management is vital if we want to ensure sustainable tourism development,” says Liburd.
“Most travel operators and accommodation providers have a protocol for how employees should dress or how toilet paper should be folded. But the same employees are not trained in handling a crisis or cultural differences during and after a catastrophe. We want that to change.”
Techno tourists
Not all of Liburd’s work revolves around disaster, however. The anthropologist is currently leading 19 public and private partners in developing digital technology for tourists visiting Denmark. After completing a user profile, tourists receive personalised information via their mobile phone before, during and after their stay. This helps plan a journey and ensures tourists don’t miss out on attractions while on the road.
The device, already launched for pilot testing in four towns in Denmark, will be available in a few years. Similar devices are under development in Europe, but none has the same volume and quality of information as the University’s model, says Liburd. Finally, tourists will be able to replace cumbersome guidebooks with technology that revolutionises the way they plan, experience and relive a holiday.
“Many people consider tourism research frivolous.
Yet without knowledge and expertise, we risk damaging communities and ecosystems across the world.”
“The guide gives tourists opportunities they didn’t know they had. Tourists receive information related to their location and interests so they get the most out of their holiday. They can then communicate this information to friends back home and other tourists,” says Liburd.
“It’s not just well-established attractions that are in the guide. It also includes gems off the beaten track and a link to tourist operations adhering to good and sustainable management.
“This device has great potential and can help Denmark become a frontrunner in global tourism. Demand for such technology is high. More and more people want to individualise their holiday. Rather than planning a holiday according to destination, an increasing number of people plan according to interests and activities. This guide makes that possible.”
Sense of adventure
Liburd’s first major travel experience was, like many school-leavers, backpacking around the world. Having worked as a gardener to buy the plane ticket, the 19 year old left her native Denmark to explore Canada, Hawaii, New Zealand, Indonesia and other foreign climes. Money ran out but Liburd worked her way to Australia, finally coming home after 14 months on the road.
But her travels didn’t stop there. Anthropology took her to the Caribbean, where she met her husband, an Englishman of Caribbean descent. The next stop was Houston in the United States, where a “physical and psychological distance” from field work enabled her to write her PhD. After completing her doctorate, she worked at the University of Houston, developing curricula and teaching contemporary anthropology and environmental studies at undergraduate and graduate level.
Houston to Fanø
With Liburd at the helm, the University of Southern Denmark launched the country’s first MA in International Tourism and Leisure Management in 2003. The course, which is taught in English and German, is attracting an increasing number of postgraduate students from across the country each year.
Today Liburd lives on Fanø, a small and idyllic island off the west coast of Jutland, and commutes to work by ferry every day. Ironically, her parents used to have a holiday cottage there. Having spent many summers exploring the island’s countryside, she was well prepared for the many tourists who descend each year.
DID YOU KNOW?
Tourism generates 11 per cent of global gross domestic product (GDP), employs 200 million people and transports nearly 700 million international travellers a year – a figure that is expected to double by 2020.
Where will she be holidaying this summer? Sunny England, she replies with a smile. Liburd has visited England many times, mostly to visit her husband’s family. This year the family is going camping to see more of England’s green countryside - a change from last year’s city break in Italy. But according to Liburd, that’s quite normal.
“In the 80s, when tourism was less developed, tourists were easy to categorise. Today there are so many choices out there that tourists are less homogeneous. The segmentation categories are becoming obsolete,” she says.
“In that respect I’m a typical contemporary tourist. Married with two children, I don’t go to the same holiday destination twice – unless it was an exceptionally successful holiday. One year I might take a city break, while the next I might go camping. No, the variation doesn’t make my job easier - but it certainly makes it interesting.”
Age: 35
Title: International tourism researcher
Wants: Tourism practitioners to prioritise sustainability for the benefit of future generations