Tourist Gaze

Tourist gaze expresses the dynamics associated with construction of tourist experience, the complexity of the social organization of tourism, and the systematic nature of these processes. It allows us to articulate what separates tourist experience from everyday living and to illuminate ways in which production and consumption of tourist goods and services have wide implications for social relations. The social organization of these processes encompasses a number of elements, including carefully chosen images about places to see; narratives that speak about the uniqueness of their history, culture, and heritage; varieties of performative practices through which tourist experiences are embodied; and a network of professionals and institutions providing services to ensure that particular tourist experiences can be generated. These developments are closely related to the emergence ...