Transporting Me There

On the bus ride to the transport centre I immediately notice how clean and luscious the landscape is around and leading into Hamilton city centre. I feel as if this represents a sense of pride in both the people of Hamilton and the Hamilton City Council in the presentation and living environment. This can be seen as a formation of identity, an identity of place and place value; the importance of the environment and visual perceptions. Arriving at the Transport Centre I notice the abundance of information, guides and brochures that are readily accessible, and it is here that I gather pamphlets and absorb the multitudes of advertisements. It is at this point where I, as the tourist, must decide the course of my travels, meaning whether I want to travel according to a set budget and participate in the cheaper and free activities and sights provided, or whether I want to join guided tours and paid activity packages. I believe that it is this decision, this choice of travel style that will shape my experience as a tourist, that it will expose me to different feelings and emotions which will shape my character and define my identity as a tourist in Hamilton.

Arriving in Hamilton

Landing in Hamilton International Airport brings a mixture of thoughts and impressions. The size of the airport makes me have to re-read the sign that says Hamilton INTERNATIONAL Airport, it's hard to imagine international flights travelling here at a larger scale. And yet the amount of promotional materials that cover the walls about the experiences to be had in Hamilton create quite the picture! The promotional slogan; Hamilton, seems to be a particular image and characteristic that Hamilton is trying to portray, an image of being a city where events and entertainment are a central dominating identity and subsequently lifestyle revolves around this. I am highly interested to see the events that take place here and how these events have thus shaped Hamilton's identity as an event orientated city. I'm also intrigued as to how this 'events identity' has impacted the identity of the local community and thus affected the identity the people of the city hold for themselves.

(photo from google images)