ABSTRACT

This chapter investigates how tourist places are produced through policies, industries, and by building facilities. It aims to question the theoretical assumptions in policy discourses. In the discourse of tourist policies and tourism management, tourist places are normally treated as 'destinations'. Informed by empirical studies in three 'destination' areas of Denmark, the chapter examines the types of networking that organize 'destinations'. The three 'destination' areas are Jammerbugten, Roskilde and Bornholm. In the three 'destination' areas, six different types of networking are identifiable, namely: vertical, horizontal, marketing, informal, political connections and networking with tourists. The concept of 'destination' is used for place marketing, where the contributions of businesses, museums and other attractions are combined in brochures and websites by tourist agencies. The chapter suggests an alternative understanding of how tourist networking produces tourist places. The tourism industry is produced when political networks exercise power by coming together and using the discourse of 'the tourist industry'.