Naming sites: Names as management tools in indigenous tourism sites – An Australian case study

This paper considers the naming history of indigenous rock art sites in the Grampians-Gariwerd National Park in southwest Victoria, Australia. These sites are found to present management problems because many of the names are dysfunctional, and fail as information markers. Rather than contribute to the creation of positive atmosphere and sacralization, many site names have contributed to site vandalism, disfigurement of signage and negative word of mouth promotion. The function of site naming and their role in place making is reconsidered from the insights of leading theorists in attraction systems such as MacCannell, Gunn, and Leiper. Naming, it is argued, is a very important management tool in the protection and promotion of rock art tourism.