The Role of Handcrafts in Changing the Tourist Mental Image of Al Ahsa, Saudi Arabia

(Hatem Tawfik Ahmed and Ashraf Aly Mohamed Aly)

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Abstract

The study aimed to assess the current status of Al Ahsa handicrafts, which have been known since ancient times, to identify the factors that can help handicrafts development and activate the tourist sector. This is as well as demonstrating the role of tourism media in changing the mental image, to achieve sustainable tourism development for Al Ahsa. The study carried out through field interviews with artisans and stakeholders and statistical analysis of answers to questionnaires distributed to different categories, to identify gaps that change the mental image of Al Ahsa, and, factors that help create a positive tourist mental image of handicrafts. The results showed a gap between the media and the promotion of handicrafts. The idea of designing posters was applied as a tourist media tool, which can spread the idea over those who were targeted, all over the world, to change the mental image of Al Ahsa as a tourist destination by highlighting the role of handicrafts. The study also showed the existence of an effort by the competent of Tourism Commission, but there are still many problems experienced by craftsmen and the lack of appetite of new generations to inherit crafts. The result also concluded that the media and marketing should adopt strategies on handicrafts that help to increase the demand for such an important heritage-rich city as Al Ahsa. KEYWORDS tourism revitalisation, handicrafts, Al Ahsa tourist destination, mental images
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