Improvising Economy: Everyday Encounters and Tourism Consumption

Abstract

As a part of the rising collaborative economy tourism entrepreneurs are faced with increasing demand of providing opportunities of authentic experiences. Tourist experience has always rested on co-creation and everyday encounters and we argue that the collaborative economy can be seen to include multiple rationalities, manifested in improvised tourism encounters. We contend that by following some of the often mundane encounters between visiting guests and the attraction they visit, it is possible to shed light on how interfering rationalities and multiple levels of collaboration affect the growth of tourism economies. The chapter focuses on improvised encounters between a particular entrepreneur, Siggi, who is the director of the Icelandic Museum of Sorcery and Witchcraft and his guests. It is argued that the value of collaboration and sharing in present day tourism economies is about more than economic transaction and needs to be critically examined as such.