Page 37 - Studia Universitatis Hereditati, vol 10(2) (2022)
P. 37
ia universitatisdently underestimated the potential of cultural tourist motivation. His tourist was not a vic-
what do you r eally want? 37 tourism and the potential of the interested tour- tim of a contrived and illusory culture, but in-
ists to influence the development of the tourist stead on a quest for authenticity that involved
sector. Especially in regard to the role of cultural paying homage to the symbols of modernity.
tourism based in the presentation of cultural her- Still it was the first time that he introduced the
itage and its role in the sustainable development. concept of staged authenticity in tourism (Mac-
Cannell 1973). The term “staged authenticity” is
It was Daniel J. Boorstin that already in one used by tourism and cultural resource man-
1961 mentioned that the Americans suffer from agement researchers to define a way that tradi-
extravagant expectations (Boorstin 2002) and tional, or in the case of archaeology past, cul-
that members of a modern society individually tures are presented (i.e. staged) to outsiders. It
provide the market and create demands for the can be manufactured by tourism professionals
illusions that flood our experiences, illusions (in theme parks, performances and such), but it
that deceive ourselves. Derived from his percep- can be the way that locals perceive what tourists
tion of the modern society was also the conclu- want to see and experience. Consequently, tour-
sion that modern tourists do not seek authentic- ists are not allowed to see real life as lived by the
ity at all – in their search of only entertainment natives, to see the original archaeological herit-
and enjoyment they are easily satisfied by an in- age since these “back regions” are hidden from
authentic tourism experience. In the past, he tourists and reserved only for the indigenous
claimed, the traveler was active and traveling populations or for professional specialists. At
required much planning, time and money. In best, tourists are shown “front regions” that are
modern times the tourist expects all planning designed to look like the real thing. The indus-
to be done for him with no risk involved. Even try specialized in the efforts providing the tour-
when not being part of mass-tourism, the tour- ist with the feeling he had an authentic tourist
ist has guidebooks to tell him what to see, with a experience, and prohibiting him to realize he has
star system so he knows what is most important. failed in his quest.
Based more on his perception of the American
society, he assumed that people were no longer But how was the motivation for tour-
experiencing reality in their lives; in their quest ism perceived at the end of the seventies. John
for the unfamiliar they were being presented a Compton (1979) suggested several motives, in-
series of pseudo-events. Tourism, especially large cluding: escape (from the drudgery of everyday
scale, mass tourism, was seen as being just an- life), relaxation, prestige, especially among those
other example of how American life had become who do not travel, regression (i.e., being able to
overpowered by pseudo-events and contrived ex- act immaturely without being judged by one’s
periences. He concluded that the tourists only reference groups), education and novelty. Actu-
seldom liked authenticity of to them often unin- ally, with the notion of novelty he turned the
telligible foreign cultures, but instead preferred whole narrative upside down – novelty was a rel-
their own provincial expectations. Translated ative concept without any semantic relation to
in to the language of archaeology we could ob- authenticity. Everything goes – everything was a
serve that the public presentations were focused novelty for the tourist. The past was slowly con-
on the “modern” aspects of the past, archaeolo- quering it’s grandeur.
gy was pushing the limits of modern behavior,
modern practices and modern relations back in But in the beginning of eighties Umberto
to the past. The past was being appropriated in Eco (1983) published a series of essays with a hy-
the basic sense of the word. percritical description of the contemporary tour-
ist industry. Discussing mostly American post-
A decade later it was Dean MacCannell, modern tourist attraction, he described them as
that presented a revised view of tourism and being hyper-real. Their deliberate creation was
what do you r eally want? 37 tourism and the potential of the interested tour- tim of a contrived and illusory culture, but in-
ists to influence the development of the tourist stead on a quest for authenticity that involved
sector. Especially in regard to the role of cultural paying homage to the symbols of modernity.
tourism based in the presentation of cultural her- Still it was the first time that he introduced the
itage and its role in the sustainable development. concept of staged authenticity in tourism (Mac-
Cannell 1973). The term “staged authenticity” is
It was Daniel J. Boorstin that already in one used by tourism and cultural resource man-
1961 mentioned that the Americans suffer from agement researchers to define a way that tradi-
extravagant expectations (Boorstin 2002) and tional, or in the case of archaeology past, cul-
that members of a modern society individually tures are presented (i.e. staged) to outsiders. It
provide the market and create demands for the can be manufactured by tourism professionals
illusions that flood our experiences, illusions (in theme parks, performances and such), but it
that deceive ourselves. Derived from his percep- can be the way that locals perceive what tourists
tion of the modern society was also the conclu- want to see and experience. Consequently, tour-
sion that modern tourists do not seek authentic- ists are not allowed to see real life as lived by the
ity at all – in their search of only entertainment natives, to see the original archaeological herit-
and enjoyment they are easily satisfied by an in- age since these “back regions” are hidden from
authentic tourism experience. In the past, he tourists and reserved only for the indigenous
claimed, the traveler was active and traveling populations or for professional specialists. At
required much planning, time and money. In best, tourists are shown “front regions” that are
modern times the tourist expects all planning designed to look like the real thing. The indus-
to be done for him with no risk involved. Even try specialized in the efforts providing the tour-
when not being part of mass-tourism, the tour- ist with the feeling he had an authentic tourist
ist has guidebooks to tell him what to see, with a experience, and prohibiting him to realize he has
star system so he knows what is most important. failed in his quest.
Based more on his perception of the American
society, he assumed that people were no longer But how was the motivation for tour-
experiencing reality in their lives; in their quest ism perceived at the end of the seventies. John
for the unfamiliar they were being presented a Compton (1979) suggested several motives, in-
series of pseudo-events. Tourism, especially large cluding: escape (from the drudgery of everyday
scale, mass tourism, was seen as being just an- life), relaxation, prestige, especially among those
other example of how American life had become who do not travel, regression (i.e., being able to
overpowered by pseudo-events and contrived ex- act immaturely without being judged by one’s
periences. He concluded that the tourists only reference groups), education and novelty. Actu-
seldom liked authenticity of to them often unin- ally, with the notion of novelty he turned the
telligible foreign cultures, but instead preferred whole narrative upside down – novelty was a rel-
their own provincial expectations. Translated ative concept without any semantic relation to
in to the language of archaeology we could ob- authenticity. Everything goes – everything was a
serve that the public presentations were focused novelty for the tourist. The past was slowly con-
on the “modern” aspects of the past, archaeolo- quering it’s grandeur.
gy was pushing the limits of modern behavior,
modern practices and modern relations back in But in the beginning of eighties Umberto
to the past. The past was being appropriated in Eco (1983) published a series of essays with a hy-
the basic sense of the word. percritical description of the contemporary tour-
ist industry. Discussing mostly American post-
A decade later it was Dean MacCannell, modern tourist attraction, he described them as
that presented a revised view of tourism and being hyper-real. Their deliberate creation was
