Abstract
This chapter explores the interface of fantasy and reality in cruise tourism by examining the cruise experience vs the realities of tourism in Ensenada, a medium-size city in Baja California, Mexico. Research for this chapter is based on extended ethnographic fieldwork conducted by the fIrst co-author, including a cruise on one of the cruise ships sailing to the port of Ensenada. In addition, the authors have read and analysed almost all newspaper articles from Ensenada on cruise tourism over a period of 2 years. This combination of closely following one cruise ship, indeed participating in one of the cruises, as well as tracking the reporting, analysis and opinion from the destination allows us to describe and interpret the different but interactive sides of cruise tourism. The first part of this chapter discusses the constructed image of the community by the cruise operator for consumption by the tourist. The subsequent section examines the image of the cruise industry constructed by local business, government and media for the local community. The final discussion addresses the cracks in the image, interactions between tourists and locals that do not conform to the fantasy.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Title of host publication | Cruise Ship Tourism |
| Editors | Ross Kingston Dowling |
| Place of Publication | U.K |
| Publisher | CABI |
| Pages | 315-326 |
| Number of pages | 12 |
| ISBN (Print) | 1845930487 |
| Publication status | Published - 2006 |