ABSTRACT

Chapter 4 illustrated the power of capital and bureaucracy in the production and reproduction of tourism images consumed by the masses. This chapter concentrates on the consumption of heritage by tourists. We take the position that tourists not only purchase and use tourism products but also engage in “the production of meaning, experience, knowledge or objects” through their photography, sightseeing, and other activities at a site (Mansvelt 2005:7). Through these aspects of consumption, tourists build their own identity (called “cultural capital” by Desforges (2000)) and justify or deconstruct the dominant discourse(s) about tourism landscapes.