Exploring the Behaviors of Tourists at Historical Sites Vandalism or Expression of Attachment Toward Place (A Case Study of Written Words on Si-o-Se-Pol Bridge)

Abstract

Some tourists etch their names on the walls of historical buildings as a permanent mark without any significance. Sociologists refer to these individuals as vandals. This study discusses this topic from the perspective of environmental psychology and assumes that these scribbled written words are one of the signs of attachment to a place. Therefore, the research aims at examining the reasons why such behaviors occur to take a step towards controlling, reducing, and preventing destruction by tourists by writing or inscribing words. For this purpose, this research attempted to answer two questions: What motivates some tourists to leave written words on historical sites and monuments (such as the Si-o-se-pol bridge)? Which vandalistic motivations or sense of attachment to the place dominates this bridge? To analyze the data, the written words were categorized into groups (A.B.C.D), and a visible sense of attachment was observed in all of these groups. Qualitative content analysis was used to uncover hidden meanings. After studying the remaining written words on the bridge walls, semi-structured interviews (open-response) were carried out with vandal tourists. The results indicate that the written words are driven by a sense of attachment to the place. According to theoretical definitions, this type of behavior, recording memories with a name and date, reflects the feelings of people who have visited the place repeatedly.

Keywords

• vandalism
• written words
• sense of attachment to place
• si-o-se-pol