Billboards and Tourism in the Missouri Ozarks: Boon or Blight?
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Morgan, Mark [1]
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[1] University of Missouri
University of Missouri
Township of Columbia, Estados Unidos
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- Localización: Tourism analysis, ISSN 1083-5423, Vol. 21, Nº. 6, 2016, págs. 675-680
- Idioma: inglés
- Texto completo no disponible (Saber más ...)
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Resumen
Billboards are a common form of roadside advertising because information can be conveyed to a target population in a timely and cost-effective manner. Although designed to increase profit, many individuals find billboards to be a source of visual pollution and argue for their removal. The issue is divisive, pitting usefulness against aesthetics. A pilot study was conducted to (1) count the total number of billboards along a 50-mile portion of US Highway 65 between Springfield and Branson, Missouri, and (2) determine whether these messages influenced tourist behavior. Out of 230 advertisements, 46 (20%) were for live shows and performances. Results from this study suggest that billboards played a minor role in visitors' ticket purchase behavior. Decisions regarding billboard advertising should be made by the live entertainment industry in Branson, not using subjective arguments that focus exclusively on aesthetics.
