Gender roles when marketing tourism in Malta : an analysis of tourism magazine promotion on a 50 year period

Abstract

In this study, the main aim is to analysis how Malta was marketed through tourism through-out the years with specific reference to gender. Since tourism forms a major part of our economy, the way we promote it, will also have an effect on the image of the country and also on the locals. The method used is content analysis. The research was involved tourist magazines that dated back from the 1960's until today, meaning covering 50 years of tourism marketing. The general findings were that gender was not always present when it comes to adverts. In some decades, gender was more present, also that in the beginning of the research, tourism was not given as much importance, and that it has today. Compared to the literature review that focused mostly on oversees adverts, the adverts that promoted Malta, also saw the woman as being old. During the decade of the 1990's, there was a clear link, between the authenticity of the country and the older generation and with the leisure aspects and the youth generation. Also during the decades of the 1970's and the 1980's, the role of the women in advertising was more linked to the tourism service itself. The women were being promoted as part of the product. Now a day's Malta is focusing more on the cultural and authentic side, the only adverts that depict either women or men in their adverts are the adverts of products or services. However, although most often women are shown here, they are not the main emphasis of the advert. The conclusions reached is that, Malta has done enormous improvements when it comes to Marketing Malta in the right sectors through tourism. Malta now uses it beautiful scenes and interesting information to attract the tourist who wants to be here, not who happens to be here.