Page 38 - Studia Universitatis Hereditati, vol 10(2) (2022)
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rocess where the American imagination de-studia universitatis her editati, letnik 10 (2022), številk a 2 / volume 10 (2022), number 2 38all based or actually adapted to the notion that
manded the real thing but the market fabricat- the modern or actually post-modern (post-tour-
ed the absolute fake. Derived from the Ameri-hereditati ist) is a critical consumer that embraces open-
can concept of prosperity, which is focused on ly the increasingly inauthentic, commercialized
having more than is needed, it produced artifi- and simulated experiences offered by the tour-
cial tourist attractions that try to be extravagant ism industry. And the presentations of the past
and better than the original. He concluded that – including museums, archaeological parks and
it is certain that tourists prefer hyper-realism to reenactment events, are a constituent element of
real sites. And archaeology was actually follow- cultural tourism. Although developed still in the
ing if not even creating the trend – it was the pe- eighties these concepts make more sense in the
riod of reconstructions and reenactments, where last two decades when the post-modern world is
the past, to be presented crated anew following characterized by globalization, hyper-consumer-
the demands and expectations of the consumers ism, the experience economy and new develop-
(Barker 2010; Hartford 2016). ments in technology. Consumers have numerous
choices and possibilities, and often undertake
However, tourists may simply be satisfy- seemingly incompatible activities simultaneous-
ing different types of utility – of form, time and ly in order to capitalize on this array of oppor-
place (Cohen 2002). While seeing a real prehis- tunities. Cultural tourism is no exception (Ko-
toric painted cave in a real setting might be pre- białka 2013).
ferred, it may simply not be possible, given time
and place constraints. Also, it must be admitted, It was in 2007 that in the monumental vol-
the tourist may not wish to suffer the travails of ume Tourism and Politics, Debbie Lisle described
a trip to a remote locale. Seeing a real Roman the rise of dark tourism as the last real experi-
city has a major constraint – since the best pre- ence in the post-tourist world (Lisle 2007). She
served are in the remotest regions of the today demonstrated that the myth of modern tourism
“civilized” world visiting them poses to the aver- is centered on the possibility of encountering au-
age tourist a major problem directly addressing thentic difference, a claim actually less possible if
the time, money and efforts the tourists are able we take into consideration the fact that tourism
(and willing) to invest. And since there are no is a global industry from the 1990s. She claimed
time machines to take travelers back to the “real that the only “real” places in the world are con-
thing,” with the help of hyper-realism the tour- flict areas and war zones affiliated with death
ist satisfices his experience, while perhaps actual- and violence and that the Dark tourism tell us a
ly learning something about the “real thing.” The great deal about the relationship between tour-
end of century, with the development of technol- ism and conflict. They illustrate that places of
ogy and with the introduction of practices that conflict are not excised by the tourist gaze, but
explained and promoted archaeological heritage, are instead integral to it.
enabled experiences that were better than real,
authentic in their own way. In the same year James Gilmore and Joseph
Pine published the book Authenticity: What
But it was John Urry (2002) that described Consumers Really Want – they were not only
the trends in the new millennium, claiming thinking of tourism, but of consumer culture in
that the post-tourist knows that they are a tour- general (Gilomre and Pine 2007). They claimed
ist and that tourism is a game, or rather a whole that people increasingly see the world in terms
series of games with multiple texts and no sin- of real and fake, and because of the shift to the
gle, authentic tourist experience. Further he not- experience economy want to buy something real
ed that the post-tourist takes pleasure in the fact from someone genuine. Today goods and ser-
that so many tourist experiences are available so vices are no longer enough – what consumers
all of these motivations can be satisfied. It was want today are experiences described as memo-
manded the real thing but the market fabricat- the modern or actually post-modern (post-tour-
ed the absolute fake. Derived from the Ameri-hereditati ist) is a critical consumer that embraces open-
can concept of prosperity, which is focused on ly the increasingly inauthentic, commercialized
having more than is needed, it produced artifi- and simulated experiences offered by the tour-
cial tourist attractions that try to be extravagant ism industry. And the presentations of the past
and better than the original. He concluded that – including museums, archaeological parks and
it is certain that tourists prefer hyper-realism to reenactment events, are a constituent element of
real sites. And archaeology was actually follow- cultural tourism. Although developed still in the
ing if not even creating the trend – it was the pe- eighties these concepts make more sense in the
riod of reconstructions and reenactments, where last two decades when the post-modern world is
the past, to be presented crated anew following characterized by globalization, hyper-consumer-
the demands and expectations of the consumers ism, the experience economy and new develop-
(Barker 2010; Hartford 2016). ments in technology. Consumers have numerous
choices and possibilities, and often undertake
However, tourists may simply be satisfy- seemingly incompatible activities simultaneous-
ing different types of utility – of form, time and ly in order to capitalize on this array of oppor-
place (Cohen 2002). While seeing a real prehis- tunities. Cultural tourism is no exception (Ko-
toric painted cave in a real setting might be pre- białka 2013).
ferred, it may simply not be possible, given time
and place constraints. Also, it must be admitted, It was in 2007 that in the monumental vol-
the tourist may not wish to suffer the travails of ume Tourism and Politics, Debbie Lisle described
a trip to a remote locale. Seeing a real Roman the rise of dark tourism as the last real experi-
city has a major constraint – since the best pre- ence in the post-tourist world (Lisle 2007). She
served are in the remotest regions of the today demonstrated that the myth of modern tourism
“civilized” world visiting them poses to the aver- is centered on the possibility of encountering au-
age tourist a major problem directly addressing thentic difference, a claim actually less possible if
the time, money and efforts the tourists are able we take into consideration the fact that tourism
(and willing) to invest. And since there are no is a global industry from the 1990s. She claimed
time machines to take travelers back to the “real that the only “real” places in the world are con-
thing,” with the help of hyper-realism the tour- flict areas and war zones affiliated with death
ist satisfices his experience, while perhaps actual- and violence and that the Dark tourism tell us a
ly learning something about the “real thing.” The great deal about the relationship between tour-
end of century, with the development of technol- ism and conflict. They illustrate that places of
ogy and with the introduction of practices that conflict are not excised by the tourist gaze, but
explained and promoted archaeological heritage, are instead integral to it.
enabled experiences that were better than real,
authentic in their own way. In the same year James Gilmore and Joseph
Pine published the book Authenticity: What
But it was John Urry (2002) that described Consumers Really Want – they were not only
the trends in the new millennium, claiming thinking of tourism, but of consumer culture in
that the post-tourist knows that they are a tour- general (Gilomre and Pine 2007). They claimed
ist and that tourism is a game, or rather a whole that people increasingly see the world in terms
series of games with multiple texts and no sin- of real and fake, and because of the shift to the
gle, authentic tourist experience. Further he not- experience economy want to buy something real
ed that the post-tourist takes pleasure in the fact from someone genuine. Today goods and ser-
that so many tourist experiences are available so vices are no longer enough – what consumers
all of these motivations can be satisfied. It was want today are experiences described as memo-
