1. University of Tirana 10.01.2011
Faculty of Foreign Languages
Branch: English
Subject: The Language of Tourism
Lecturer: Prof.Irena Kapo
Techniques of the Language of Tourism
"Verbal and Visual Techniques" in
UK’s Brochures
Worked by: Sadiona Abazaj

2. Table of Contents
I Verbal Techniques
Comparison
Key words & keying
Testimony
Humor
Languaging
Ego-Targeting
II Visual Techniques
Color
Format
-Placement
-Dimensions
-Shape
-Content
-Structure
Visual Cliché
Connotation Procedures
-Trick effect
-Pose
-Object
-Aestheticism
-Syntax

3. The language of tourism attempts to persuade and seduce millions of human beings, so it
attempts to convert them from potential into actual clients, it hopes to turn them into tourists.
Considering this purpose, the language of tourism uses certain verbal and visual techniques in
order to lure the tourists by gently talking to them about the possible places they can visit.
Precisely this course assignment is going to throw additional light on the language of tourism in
brochures describing United Kingdom’s sights, nature, culture, food, sports, hotels, resorts,
places of by examining the techniques they employs, ranging from the verbal to the visual
techniques.
Verbal Techniques
Comparison
Comparison is a verbal technique which is often employed to mollify the effects of strangeness
which and it is achieved by means of simile and metaphor. Elgin argues that metaphor is the
most powerful device for changing people’s attitudes. Simile is less absolute than metaphor, is a
weaker verbal technique. But it is certain that simile and metaphor are used in order to manage
the unfamiliarity of a destination for the tourist, because brochure writers attempt to reduce the
effects of strangeness for their clients. I have found comparison by the use of simile and
metaphor in a brochure called "Bekonscot" Model Village and Railway, as follows:
This is a nostalgic, affectionate and amusing take on England long gone. But although historically accurate, we’re
not like a dull museum. We are for fun’.
‘During the Society existence it has grown in stature and reputation and is now generally regarded as a leading Rose
Society in the world’.1
Key word and keying
According to Reilly the secret of effective copy is thinking in the reader’s term. Thus research
before writing should seek to discover key words in order to draw tourist attention Key words in
the language of tourism tire the imagination of the tourist. And the purpose of it is that for
optimal effectiveness, the message should be short, clear, current, active. I have found such
examples of key word as follows:
‘Enjoy’, ‘Discover’, ‘Get active’, ‘Party time’, ‘Explore’, ‘Party time’, ‘Adventure’, ‘Experiences’, ‘Memorable’,
‘Welcome’, ‘Pleasure’2
All of these examples correspond to the requirements of the potential tourist and these master
words communicate promises of romance, excitement and adventure because the main sources of
attraction in travelling abroad are seen as opportunities for the tourist to compare other societies
with herhis own as a means of individual status enhancement.
All allied concept to the use of key words is that of ‘keying’ which according to Cohen written
analogue to oral keying may be found in promotional material which places great emphasis on
words such as ‘genuine’, ‘historical’, ‘real’, ‘authentic’, ‘originally’, ‘unique’, ‘typical’. Thus for
example I found these expressions in the brochures:
1’Royal National Rose Society’, Bekonscot, Model Village and Railway
2 ‘National Maritime Museum,’ ‘Bekonscot Model Village and Railway’, ‘Redwings’ , ‘Adventure Island’, ‘London Aquarium’.

4. ‘Many of our ingredients come from our own estate’, ‘The Swiss-trained chef and his team use local suppliers and
British originally sourced food’, ‘Showing a unique style’, ‘is one of only two of its kind in the country’, ‘The
Salisbury Arms is a good old-fashioned English inn with oak beams, wood panels and original fireplaces’, ‘it offers
everything one could wish for in a typical old country pub’, ‘a family-friend restaurant and traditional snug and bar
with original settles’, The Watts Arms is a pub that in all the best respects, is as traditional as traditional can get’.
‘For a unique dining experience in a beautiful environment, head straight to London Road’, ‘The restaurants in Hat
field and Milton Keynes maintain an authentic Tuscan country’. 3
All these expressions give the impression that tourist are coming into contact with the authentic.
It seems like what is traditional, unique and authentic is what attracts tourist most because the
ordinary the modern is there where they originate.
Testimony
According to Gartner the projection of favorable destination images by the tourist industry may
be carried out by recognizable spokesperson who can lend support to the advertised images.
These spokespeople may be rich, famous and even infamous personalities. In the hands of the
travel writer these forms of testimony may not only be moulded to praise or damn a given
destination, but also contribute towards the fulfillment of the major properties of the brochures-
promotion, information, entertainment.
A type of testimony found in the language of tourism especially in the discourse of travel
advertising, is the satisfied customer. Here are some examples of the satisfied tourist in 2
brochures:4
3 ‘Food and Drink Chilterns’ 2009 4th edition

5. 5
Another type of testimony as I mentioned above was the writer’s direct reference to famous
personalities. Places may be promoted by especially alluding to their loyal sons and daughters,
expatriate residents or renowned repeated visitors. An example of the writer’s reference to
famous personalities is as follows:
6
As we can see the use of testimony is definitely a way of luring potential visitors to a certain
destinations.
Humor
According to Burke man is not just a rational, but also a laughing, animal and a comic relief
takes place in situations of incongruity and in the disruption of social proprieties.Advertiser use
humor as an attention grabbing device in order to create an element of surprise in the reader.
Many advertisers share the majority opinion that humor can be successfully employed in tourism
promotion by the use of pun. The use of pun is not used just to employ humor but also for
providing a suitable context for all that follows. Here there are some extracts from some different
brochure using humor:
‘The easiest way to a worry free day at your favorite Fun Park. NO traffic jams, NO parking, NO hassles!
5
‘Study in London’
6
‘Study in London’

6. ‘We love donkeys…Hands up who wants to be a donkey’
‘Legoland Winsdor is an exciting place with thrills and fun for the whole family. Prepare for a soaking on our wet
and wild water rides. Join a Viking fleet and battle sea monsters and rough waters , then follow a pirate trail that will
leave you wetter than walking the plank! Little ones will also love making a splash in the fountains at Waterworks’.
7
Languaging
Is a term used originally used by Potter to signify a form of one-up manship, a scoring over one’s
rivals through the use of real or factious foreign words of which they have scant knowledge,
thereby inducing feelings of inferiority in one’s opponent. Languaging is often encountered in
travel writing, although it’s most frequent application is in the domain of gastronomy. Thus:
‘Taking classic techniques from France and ancient food wisdom from Asia, Chad Rahman is at the forefront of
innovation in modern French –Asian cuisine. With a rare sensitivity to the nuances of the global gastronomy, the
dishes he produces are a true celebration of multiculturalism’.
‘Dishes of halibut and roast breast of quail with spring pea…To refresh our plates between courses we were served
small portions of delightful treats such as a zingy tomato and pepper gazpacho in an espresso cup, and a light
gooseberry jelly tower and sorbet’.
‘In order to ensure freshness, your food is delivered to your table as soon as it is ready. This means different dishes
may be delivered differently at different times’.
‘The restaurant is a great find for a mix of different cuisine and a variety of tastes’. 8
Languaging however may be extended from Potter’s narrow concept of the impressive use of
foreign words to include a manipulation of the vernacular, a special choice of vocabulary for its
own sake. The use of particular expressions shared by writer and reader, with their occasional
poetic treatment, can be both ego-enhancing and memory sustaining. Thus:
‘Wagamama’, ‘rémoulade’, ‘tandoori’, ‘chot poti’, ‘hedgerows’, beehives’, terranova’, purée’. 9
These terms are provided in the brochures without any explanation about the meaning. This may
be considered as anti-tourism or a negative side of tourism language promotion. Or this kind of
words can lead the tourist to a thought that the restaurant is only for the upper and middle class
who can understand such difficult words.
7
‘Discover London’Ofiical City Guide
8
‘Food and Drink Chilterns’ 2009 4th edition
9
‘Food and Drink Chilterns’ 2009 4th edition

7. Another verbal languaging technique is alliteration that is widely encountered. It can be used not
only in titles but also in the account proper.
Thus the Thai Eighteen Restaurant’s cuisine is described as; ‘ …superb Thai cuisine in a stylish setting…’, another
alliteration is found in the brochure about Royal Gunpowder Mills, ‘Enjoy our tractor trailer tour’, or Discover the
start of a new narrow gauge railway’. Moreover in the National Maritime brochure I have found this alliteration:
‘Free family fun’. 10
Repetition of an entire word is also encountered. The examples are as follows:
The Woburn Deer Park is described as ‘beautiful art, beautiful gardens’ ,another one is on the brochure called
‘Experience London’ where I have found this repetition of the word new: ‘A new day…a new visit…
This is done on the purpose of eye catching from the tourist, so in order to draw attention by the
repetition of the word more than once.
Ego-Targeting
Williamson observes that the ideology of advertising acts in such a way that it recruits subjects
among all the persons it targets and transforms those individuals into subjects. She calls this
process ‘inter-pellation’ or ‘hailing’. By turning around to answer the ‘hey, you there’, we
become subjects. By recognizing that we are being addresses by the advertisement we become
singled out from the crowd; we become spectator and consumer as part of the product.
Vestegard and Shchroder note that this singling out of the individual is often achieved by some
expression directly treating the reader as a confidante as in this expression that I have found in
different brochures.
‘So if you go out there you can take an interest in the food you eat and make the most of Hertfordshire,
Buckinghamshire and the surrounding areas’, you can cycle around the Europe or, like me, you can cycle around the
city and visit all the monuments’. ‘Enjoy our tractor trailer with a guide to delight you with tales of the site’,
‘whatever time of year you visit there will always be something to see and do’, ‘A magical marine life you will
never forget’, ‘we know what you want’, ‘Using your own car, you can drive around the Reserves where our
animals are only a windscreen’s width away from you’, ‘you can even feed them with nectar’, ‘you can play your
day’, ‘don’t forget you can return as many times as you like on the day’. 11
However, the individual is explicitly involved when the negated interrogative is used: e.g.
‘If you would prefer something traditionally English, why not have a sandwich for lunch?’, ‘Why not stay the night
with one of our local hotel partners and turn your visit into a full-blown adventure?’12
Underlining all these linguistics strategies is the supposition that a strong ethos of individualizing
prevails in society itself that by purchasing the product I will become a bit more myself,
someone special, and realizing my unique potential. In other words the ideology underpinning
such appeals is that the common good is achieved through the pursuit of individual happiness.
What is more Morean in reference to the increasing individualism argues that how travel
brochures use the evocative and expressions which seek to distinguish the individual from the
10
‘Study in London’, ‘Food and Drink’, ‘Royal Gunpowder Mills’, ‘Rhs Garden’ , ‘London Aquarium’,’ Road Safri’, ‘Adventure Island’.
11
Study in London, Food and Drink, ‘Royal Gunpowder Mills’, ‘Rhs Garden’ , ‘London Aquarium’, ‘Road Safri’, ‘Adventure Island’.
12
‘Food and Drink’, ‘Legoland Windsor’

8. crowd. Buck describes such targeting as ‘come on language’. Ego-targeting in the language of
tourism is most evident in the medium of advertising. An example of it is as follows:
‘Come and see our horses, ponies, donkeys and mules for free in 2009-we have excellent facilities al all our visitors
centers where you can find out more about our welfare work. ‘Redwings is very special…Your support will help us
to keep it that away!’ ‘At redwings you can see horses enjoying a natural life. You can have your birthday at
Redwings-we provide everything you need for you and all your party guests’13
Here we see that are just parties involved-‘we’ and ‘you’. The dialogue assumes the form of an
intimate conversation as if ‘you’ were the only person in the world and the horses, donkeys and
mules are there only for you and if you celebrate your birthday at Redwings you and your guest
are going to be the most privileged people in the world. They are going to be there only for
serving and making you happy and also experiencing a never forgettable experience.
Visual Techniques
Before embarking on the most frequently encountered visual techniques under the headings of
colour, format, visual cliché, and connotation procedures, it should be noted that very rarely, if at
all, does the language of tourism speaks through pictures alone. Where photographs are features,
almost without exception they appear in tandem with a verbal language.
Colour
Febas Borra observes that: “Colour is to iconic language what lettering is to the written text“.
Pictures take up over twice as much space as commentary, warm and vivid colours predominate.
The sea is always an intense azure and the bright blue skies invisibly contrast with an absence of
rain clouds. No night shots are displayed. Instead everywhere is depicted as eternal spring. While
in the collection of brochures which I will analyze, there are very few black and white pictures in
the entire. The predominant colour of the surrounding is white, blue, and green. There are also
some glances of red, pink and yellow.
13
Redwings Horse Sanctuary

10. As we can in the first six brochures is the blue, red and green that predominate. And only the last
two contain the black and white colour. This is done on purpose to introduce the past years what
has already gone, so to introduce the noble environment. And as a result is obvious that those
brochure that use bright colours are far more successful in attracting the potential tourist’s initial
attention than are black and white pictures.
Format
Format is a technique which comprises such consideration as: positioning of visual promotion
material, as well as size, shape, content, structure.
As regard to the placement of travel advertisements, Smith suggests that optimal positioning is
directly opposite or adjacent to the editorial or article which complements its pictorial message.
Thus for example:
It is obvious that in the first brochure about Food and Drinks in United Kingdom there is the text
in the right and the picture in the left or the opposite. Even in the other brochure about National
Maritime Museum we see the same structure of format, the text in one side and the picture on the
other.
Another position that I have rarely found, is when the pictures are above or below the editorial or
article.

11. With respect to shape, attention should be paid to harmony, sequence, and balance. Most
publicity pictures are rectangular framework, there are two traditional subtypes: the Italian style
photograph, with a longer horizontal side, and the French style photograph, with a longer vertical
side. The other shapes are: the rectangle which is the most popular shape in promotional
photography, the Square that is in the second place and the circle or oval that are very rarely used
in tourism promotion.
In these examples we can simply pick the French and Italian shape of the photographs in the two
brochures, whereas in the third brochure we easily distinguish only one photograph in the square
shape. This shape is also found in three photographs in the last brochure. But in the entire
collection of brochures there are only these two brochures which exercise this shape, as a result
this visual technique is rarely found and used in promotional materials.
Concerning the dimensions of a promotional material Dilley reckons that the influence of a
promotional picture varies directly with its size. Since space is allocated as a function of cost, it
naturally follows that, once circular figures and the quality of readership are taken into account,
the greater the influential outlay the more successful the impact. As a matter of fact the brochure

12. in the left is much more attracting than a brochure containing very small pictures inside, like the
one in the right.
As to pictorial content, Dilley finds that brochure allocate 32% of their space to landscapes, 36%
to culture and 16% each to recreation and services. This is definitely true as regarding the British
promotional materials, because nature, sights, culture, hotels, zoos and places for fun, are key
themes in British promotional material. The beach, food and sport are not key themes in British
promotional material, while nature, Sights and culture are the most important key themes in
British brochures.
In terms of structure, most tourism publicity follows the well-known AIDA pattern of
advertising. However, Boyer and Viallon stress the need to centralize the most important element
of the visual message. While Vestergaard and Schroder, on the other hand, refer to a diagonal
structure which begins at the top left and continues to the bottom right of the picture.For them
unimportant features of the image can be placed in the shadow or out of focus.These kinds of
structuring are all found in British brochures as follows:

13. Visual cliché
Visual cliché is made possible via indexical transference, where the symbolism in question is so
often repeated as to render the message trite or even devoid of meaning. Thus for example some
verbal and pictorial clichés are as follows:
E.g.: green hills, woods bubble near the lakes, great museums, magnificent mysteries, beautiful roses, amazing
encounters, wild world, adventure playground… 14
Other visual cliché have been identified by researches. Pearce refers to the ubiquitous smiles on
the face of locals, which not only indicate supposed friendliness on their part, but are also
intended to symbolize the non-problematic nature of subsequent host-guest encounters. For
example,here there are four pictures of locals smiling in a single brochure.
14
‘London City Guide 2009’, ‘Rhs Garten Hyde Hall’, ‘Royal Rose Society’, ‘Foot Safari’

14. Cazes points to ‘pasteurized images’ which temper the effect of strangeness. There are tourist
maps which employ naïve symbolism in their markers, pictures featuring vast horizons and
limitless beaches as emblematic of accessible emptiness, and icons of natyre, which connote its
preserved virginity in contrast to the polluted environment from which so many tourist
originate.For each of these pasteurized images I have found an example in the brochures as
follows:

15. It is obvious that the first brochure is the example of tourist map with naive symbolism in their
markers. There are some simple markers in this brochure that even a child can understand them,
which in a way temper the effect of strangeness. In the other brochure is the picture of a vast
horizon. It seems like London is in your hand, it is all yours and it is nothing you can fear about.
The two last brochures contain icons of nature. We see the deer, the monkeys, the birds and the
lake. These images are all images symbolizing preserve virginity in contrast to the polluted
environment where the tourist comes from.
According to Febas Borra the constant presence of the sun in brochures becomes a synonym for
a virtual good weather. The sun is often presented on its own without any accompanying verbal
message, a rare case in the language of tourism where the icons speaks for itself. Yet because
there are many types of sun depicted-seductive sun, superlatives sun, suns with distribute warmth

16. suns which offer light, suns which guarantee success and suns which indicate that the holiday
maker will lack nothing in the unlimited pursuit of pleasure-we can say that the sun as a signifier
is polysemic. I have found two pictures in the brochures that present sunshine, which can lead to
multiply interpretation, as follows:
Connotation Procedures
According to Barthes, since a photograph is an analogy of reality, a denote message without a
code, its follows that any second order meaning must be imposed by the photographer by means
of connotation procedures. In the first three procedures, trick effect, pose and objects,
connotation is effected by the manipulation of reality itself. In the second trio, photogenia,
aestheticism and syntax connotation is achieved via the photographic production process.
Trick effect
Barthes identifies image superimposition as atypical instance of trick effect. In my collection of
brochures I have found many photographs featuring trick effect. The examples are as follows:

18. These are the six brochures in which I have found an image superimposition. In the first
brochure it seems like all the animals cohabit happily with each other, as the car is near the
elephant, near the lion and it is everything in peace there. Whereas in the second one it seems
like the dragon is attacking in reality and it is near them. While in the third one we have the
small image of the parents and their children walking and laughing, while above them there are
the images of the animals, very big images in contrast the human’s image. As to the forth
brochure, it seems like children are inside the aquarium looking at the sea animals, a really
beautiful superimposition. And in the last two there is also the superimposition of the people in
an area and the superimposition of the children images in a zoo.
The second of Barthes’ connotation procedure is pose, where people portrayed adopt the same
stance as figures in classical paintings. Thus here is the example that I have found:
It is obvious that the images of the people in this brochure are real, but they seem like painting
portraying classical figures, done for the purpose of representing the old and the noble.
Under objects, Barthes discusses what we have previously termed ‘indexical transference’
extended. So there are objects to include destination people, whose presence in the brochure
signifies the real touristic destination. In the example below there is a retired serviceman called
Sergeant Charles McLaughiln. He is wearing his traditional job clothes and is for sure
representing British citizens. So as a matter of fact he is a representation of the destination
people.

19. ‘The other connotation procedure is that of aestheticism,’ says Barthes, is the portrayal of beauty
or spirituality in the photograph as if it were a work of art, both in is texture and composition. In
the example that I have encountered there is the London sky line, which the highest point of the
most great and praised attraction are over the clouds. It is a wonderful image connoting that these
attraction are the greatest attraction to be visited in London. They are so great that it seems like
you are in a paradise flying over the clouds in the sky.

20. The last connotation procedure is syntax.Barthes refer to the sequencing of several photographs
in order to yeald an overall meaning at the level of ‘concatenation’.Uzell provides that four such
photographs, which, when combined, through association of ideas can tell a whole story.
Thus, if we see the images of this brochure, from the first to the last, without having a look at the
text, we immediately understand what we can do at the National Maritime Museum. So the
pictures work as a whole to show a whole story of what can be done at a certain destination.
To conclude, the foregoing perusal of some of the more frequently encountered verbal and visual
techniques, employed by the language of tourism, thus brings us to the stage where we can
appreciate that the manner in which a message is uttered can be just as significant as what is
actually said.
THE END