CEU Electronic Theses and Dissertations, 2012
| Author | Hill, Susan Elaine |
|---|---|
| Title | BUSINESS AT THE INTERSECTION OF TOURISM AND CULTURE:AN ETHNOGRAPHY OF ALTERNATIVE TOURISM COMPANIES IN BUDAPEST, HUNGARY |
| Summary | Alternative tourism, defined generally by Eadington and Smith (1992:3) as “forms of tourism that are consistent with natural, social, and community values,” has emerged in the past twenty years as a salient descriptor for a diverse array of tourism companies, products, and activities that are positioned, sometimes explicitly, against the traditional mass tourism experience. This relatively new niche in the tourism market has prompted much interest from tourism researchers but confusion remains around how to more precisely define this niche and understand its diverse forms as well as its potential as a vehicle for sustainable development. What is alternative tourism? Who are the social actors and institutions involved in its practice? What does it do that is precisely “alterna tive”? This exploratory study pursues these questions in the context of the burgeoning tourism industry in Budapest, the capital city of Hungary. Ethnographic methods of interview and participant observation have been utilized to closely study four companies in Budapest defining themselves as “alternative tourism providers.” Investigation focuses on the motivations and work of the guides and owners operating these companies and the “alternative” representations of the city that they create and sell. Utilizing Bourdieu’s (1984) theory of distinction and Goffman’s (1974) concept of keying as applied to tourism theory by John Wynn (2005), I will provide an account of “alternative” tourism which highlights mechanisms of class distinction central to its practice as well as the transformative effect such “keyings” of Budapest culture and history have on city space. The study concludes that, despite current definitions of alternative tourism which emphasize the centrality of ethical and environmentally responsible business practices and philosophies, in fact, these diverse companies more clearly share a common aim to produce and sell alternative narratives of the history and culture of Budapest to upper class tourists through private, luxury walking tours. |
| Supervisor | Bodnar, Judit; Zentai, Violetta |
| Department | Sociology MA |
| Full text | https://www.etd.ceu.edu/2012/hill_susan.pdf |
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