Marketing Dickens: Dickensian literary tourism in Deventer

Abstract

Many literary tourists visit Deventer each year for the Dickens Festijn and the Charles Dickens Kabinet. These must therefore be promoted to reach all of these visitors. The following research question was answered: What image of Charles Dickens in Deventer do Deventer Marketing, dEVENTer, and VVV Deventer create to attract visitors to the city? I examined how the DMOs used traditional and social media. Moreover, a dEVENTer and Deventer Marketing employee were interviewed. I did online and in-person visitor research, analysed the Charles Dickens Kabinet and interviewed one of the museum's owners. The most relevant conclusion was that in Dutch society, Dickens is synonymous with Christmas, which the Deventer DMOs concentrate on by promoting a Dickensian Christmas during the Dickens Festijn. The Charles Dickens Kabinet, however, nuances this image by providing an environment in which visitors can learn about Dickens' works.