Telling the story of Christmas: semiotic narratives and the marketing of festive experiences at historic houses

Christmas has become a vital strategy for heritage attractions seeking to extend visitor seasons and diversify their audiences. This paper examines how the National Trust in the United Kingdom communicates the Christmas experience through online marketing for historic properties. Using qualitative data from forty-five sites promoted during the 2023–2024 festive season, the study employs computer-assisted narrative and semiotic analysis (ATLAS.ti) to identify three interconnected layers of meaning which create a coherent storytelling framework: Festive Experiences, Feelings and Emotions, and Management of Experience. Using a semiotic language grounded in authenticity, nostalgia, and enchantment, National Trust properties are reframed as multisensory stages where visitors help co-produce the seasonal atmosphere. Visual and verbal cues evoke belonging, encouraging audiences to participate in a curated yet intimate festive world. Simultaneously, managerial information such as ticketing, booking, and access details supports the conversion of emotional appeal into actual visitation. In conclusion, this three-layer model makes an original theoretical contribution by demonstrating how narrative coherence of marketing messages enhances visitor engagement, sustains cultural relevance, and supports seasonal revenue generation. Additionally, it offers a transferable framework for improving marketing and interpretive practices across the wider heritage tourism sector.