Section 1: What are the key concepts in the study of tourism?

Before we begin, here are some key definitions to help you understand this section.

1.1 What are tourism studies?

Tourism as the subject of cultural studies is relatively new, although the history of tourism itself is much longer.

Interest in tourism studies began in the 1970s, and the body of research grew in the subsequent decades, corresponding to the globalization of mass tourism itself (Urry 2002).

The study of tourism is a multidisciplinary field, which can include sociology, history, cultural studies, etc.

The study of tourism can contribute to the understanding of broader themes and problems. Economic and social history explores:

• the popularization of tourism as a form of leisure;
• the development of tourist infrastructure;
• the place of tourism in the global market.

1.2 What is meant by the ‘tourist gaze’?

The history of consumption and consumerism became a popular framework in tourism studies which treated travel as a form of consumption.

Often, this is combined with criticism of mass tourism, particularly focusing on the concept of the ‘tourist gaze’ suggested by the sociologist John Urry.

Let’s look at this concept of the tourist gaze in more detail:

The ‘tourist gaze’ is a particular, selective way of looking at the place that is culturally constructed through art, literature, and various media.

It directs the attention of tourists/consumers to particular aspects of the landscape or local behavior – for example, the search for the ‘Orient’ or ‘Frenchness’.

A crucial aspect of the tourist experience is its distinction from everyday life and work, with the tourist gaze directed at things associated with leisure (Urry 2002).

There are different types of ‘tourist gaze’ organized by different discourses such as national, health, education, etc.

The types relevant for this unit are as follows:

• The ‘romantic gaze’. This is one of the earliest expressions of this concept in relation to tourism. It is usually solitary, seeking emotion and the sublime which can be discovered in nature.
• The ‘collective gaze’. This requires large numbers of people to create the necessary atmosphere of carnival and celebration.
• The ‘environmental gaze’ draws attention to environmental changes (Urry, 1990).
• The postcolonial perspective can provide useful insights into how tourist practices reinforce power relations in a colonial setting. The tourist gaze in such situations becomes a means of exoticization and exploitation (Coleman and Crang 2002).

1.3 What is the role of authenticity in the relationship between tourists and place?

The ‘tourist gaze’ approach usually represents only the position of the viewer. The other useful research perspective is to explore the relationship between tourists and place.

This can be interpreted in different ways, ranging from the perception of tourists and those who disturb the authenticity of the place, to the mutual influence of locals and tourists on each other.

Authenticity is an important concept in the study of tourism, since tourists are looking for the ‘authentic’, ‘original’ meaning of the place and way of life.

However, tourists are often detached from the locals in their activities, have different behaviors and different lifestyles.

The desire of tourists for the ‘authenticity’ of the locals encourages the locals to stage authentic scenes for them (Urry 2002).

This desire for authenticity is ultimately unattainable, but it also raises questions about the impact of tourism on places.

1.4 Are there other, more positive, models of authenticity?

Authenticity can be understood as a process that is constantly being created (Chaney 2002).

This approach suggests a different form of interaction between tourists and locals and calls for a different metaphor – the ‘tourist glance’ rather than the ‘tourist gaze’.

The tourist glance in this model is non-appropriative and reciprocal, as locals observe tourists in return (Chaney 2002).

The concept of performance is one way to overcome the critique of tourism as a consumerist practice that deprives place and locals of authenticity.

The ‘local’ is, according to this model, not something fixed, but is constantly changing, including through the influence of people who visit, buy things, and observe the place (Coleman and Crang 2002).

This approach suggests a more multifocal relationship between ‘tourists’ and ‘locals’ as these categories are also fluid.

The link between ‘cultures’ and ‘places’ is also not static; cultures may belong to more than one place.

Review Exercises

Before we move on to section 2, here are a couple of exercises to check your comprehension of what we have looked at so far.