Tourist Cultures
Identity, Place and the Traveller
- Stephen Wearing - University of Technology, Sydney, Australia
- Deborah Stevenson - University of Western Sydney, Australia
- Tamara Young - University of Newcastle, Australia
Sociology of Culture
Sharp, engaging, and relevant Tourist Cultures presents valuable critical insights into tourism—arguing that within the imagined real spaces of the traveler self it becomes possible to envision tourist cultures and futures that will empower and engage.
This volume presents a framework for understanding tourism which is subject-centered, dynamic, and capable of dealing with the complexity of contemporary tourist cultures.
The book argues that tourists are not passive consumers of either destinations or their interpretations. Rather, they are actively occupied in a multi-sensory, embodied experience. It delves into what tourists are looking for when they travel, be they on a package tour, or immersing themselves in the places, cultures, and lifestyles of the exotic.
Tourism is examined through a consideration of the spaces and selves of travel, exploring the cultures of meaning, mobilities, and engagement that frame and define the tourist experience and traveler identities.
This book draws on the explanatory traditions of sociology, human geography, and tourism studies to provide useful insights into the experiential and the lived dimensions of tourism and travel.
Written in an accessible and engaging style, this is a welcome contribution to the growing literature on tourism and will be important reading for students in a range of social science and humanities courses.
'This book makes an important contribution to understanding the experiences of tourists with places, spaces and peoples. Focusing on the multi-faceted, dynamic nature of host-guest interactions, it offers a trenchant critique of subject-object dualities and opens a dialogue for a sustainability-oriented approach to the travel and tourism encounter' - Tazim Jamal, Associate Professor, Department of Recreation, Park and Tourism Sciences, Texas A&M University
'This is a timely and easily accessible book that addresses a number of issues that are of central concern to the development of tourism studies. It will also be of interest to those in cultural studies, social geography and social anthropology who are concerned with the relationship between the production and consumption of place' - Kevin Meethan, University of Plymouth
The nature of host guest relations is of critical importance in tourism. This book provides a detail well written discussion on sustainability and tourism encounters. Highly recommended for students learning tourism planning or cultural tourism
This book presents an interesting perspective for tourism studies, particularly to sociology of tourism, giving important insights on tourism as a social practice and as a dynamic activity. Here, tourism experience is engaged in tourist's own cultural systems. This way of looking to tourism contributes to understand the links between identity, place and the traveller.
Raising valid issues and in-depth coverage for Master's level Tourist Behaviour classes.
While very insightful, I found only two chapters useful for the course since the course is designed to provide an overview of global economic development, of which tourism is only one aspect.
Will put on the supplemental list for nezt term, August- December 2011
great book, a must read for my students
the structure is a bit too fuzzy to make it the standard read, but I will definatelly recommend it to my students
The offers a multidimensional insight into the various facets of tourist cultures today.
A thought provoking book that raises many issues for critical consideration.
Highly informative.
