Music and (Touristic) Meaning on Cruise Ships: The Musicscape of the MV Carnival Paradise as a Semiotic Tourism Product

Abstract

The cruise industry is a part of the ‘post-tourism’ sector that, in contrast to cultural tourism, does not seek to represent culture for consumption by the tourist, but fabricates it, creating a hyperreal tourist experience. The music is a core aspect of the cruise experience. This paper investigates the music performed on a 2009 cruise of the MV Carnival Paradise and considers how touristic meaning is infused in the live musical product of the cruise ship. It finds that the music of cruise ships is used to construct a cultural cocoon that mediates and protects guests from interaction with the cultures through which they travel. Live musical performance turns attention inwards, constructing the fabricated geography and culture of the ship as the destination. In so doing, it encourages consumption on the ship itself and thereby contributes to the overall profitability of the ship.