ABSTRACT
SUMMARY. Place and region have recently been rediscovered as major frameworks of analysis within the social sciences. However, both the geography of tourism and marketing have failed to adequately contextualise the concept of place within current social and cultural theory, including the concepts of production, consumption and postmodemism. This article argues that much of the place marketing literature emerges from an empiricist tradition which commodifies place as a product and fails to critically evaluate the implications of selling places on the people which constitute places. The paper concludes by arguing that contextualisation and the encouragement of argument within the disciplines is critical to their continued relevance to the public sphere. [Article copies available/or alee/rom The Haworth Document Delivery Service: /-800-342-9678. E-mail address: getin/o@haworth.com}
of tourism and marketing. Indeed, throughout the social sciences there has been an increased focus on the significance of place and region. Moreover, government and industry have also focussed on the concept of place within the context of regional development and promotion.
