The quest for tourism authenticity: The mediation and appropriation of literary-induced tourism

Abstract

Authenticity is a much-debated concept across fields as diverse as tourism to philosophy. In the tourism and travel arena, authenticity is primarily viewed through the lens of the tourist rather than the experience of the travel writer. One way in which existential authenticity is realised in tourism experiences is through the evocation of feelings, emotions and states of being in both travel communication and the actual tourism activity. This article looks at how themes from literature and subsequent adaptions into popular culture via film and television are appropriated by tourism communicators to portray an authentic tourism experience. It will examine examples of tourist locations that are appropriated and mediated into literary-based storytelling by travel writers in order to attract visitors. These case studies include the adoption of Tolkien in New Zealand and Shakespeare in Italy. The article also considers how these inter-media adaptations transform and extend the shelf-life of tourism communication campaigns.