Tourist Cultures: Identity, Place and the Traveller

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.