Destination Marketing Organisations: The Need for a Child-Centred Approach to Diaspora Tourism

ABSTRACT There is sufficient evidence in academic scholarship that points to the important role diaspora tourism plays for the economies of homeland communities and countries. Given previous research shows a decreased level of attachment to the homeland in the second generation of immigrants, this research seeks to explore the effects of childhood experiences on adult behaviours and outcomes in relation to diaspora tourism. The research reveals the important role played by families in transmitting knowledge, memories, traditions and other cultural practices to diaspora children. Destination Marketing Organisations (DMOs), however, are neglecting to engage this lucrative market partly because communication strategies are aimed at adults of the diaspora and not at children. Based on these findings, we propose DMOs take a child-centred approach by actively engaging diaspora children to devise tourism marketing strategies that are child-friendly.