ABSTRACT
In the last decade, a number of academics have argued that leisure-related activities are becoming increasingly commodified reflecting the emergence of a global ‘culture of consumption’ (S.Britton 1991; Boorstein 1964; Cohen 1995; Featherstone 1991; Pretes 1995; Urry 1995; Zukin 1988). Certain authors (Feifer 1985; Mullins 1991; Urry 1988 and 1990) contend that tourism has itself undergone significant changes mirroring a broader process of societal reorganization, particularly the shift towards post-modernism. In the leisure and travel industry, a focal point has been the growing emphasis on the creation and marketing of tourist experiences through place commodification. Prototypes of these landscapes include but are not limited to: amusement and theme parks; casinos; spectacle events such as the Olympics; and festival marketplaces like Boston’s Faneuil Hall, London’s Covent Garden, and Baltimore’s Inner Harbor.
