Performing Tourism
Conflicting Discourses: Michel Houellebecq’s Ambiguous Vision of Tourism in "Lanzarote"
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session Carole Delaitre
Critics often consider Michel Houellebecq’s novel "Lanzarote" to be a condemnation of mass tourism and see his narrator as the epitome of the tourist unable to appreciate the beauty of the island. A close literary analysis, however, provides a more complex picture of the narrator as he intertwines several conflicting discourses, which ultimately create an ambiguous and paradoxical vision of tourism. His praise of mass tourism is weakened by irony, his description of the island appears as a parody of tourist guides, and his ethnological discourse aims at ridiculing travelers. Such complexity also invites the reader to wonder about the narrator’s dishonesty, as he disregards the specificity of Lanzarote’s tourism. Why claim that tourism is insufficiently developed when it is precisely the island’s first source of revenue? Why barely mention César Manrique’s heritage and the status of the island as a UNESCO biosphere protected site, and reduce them to their mere economic aspect? My hypothesis is that Lanzarote can be read as a “tourist narrative,” whose aim is to represent the reality of mass tourism and to denounce its destructiveness through a complex narration that subverts the codes of both travel writing and promotional literature.
Events as Re-creation of Identities: The Rituals of the Redhead Days
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session Ilja Simons
Every year, thousands of people with red hair travel to the city of Breda, The Netherlands, to attend an event that is specifically organised for redheads, the Redhead Days. The event was created in 2005 by a Dutch artist, who placed an advertisement asking for redheaded women for an photo-shoot. He aimed for approximately fifteen, but, instead 150 showed up. Since then, the event has grown into the largest gathering of redheads in the world, attracting visitors from more than eighty different countries, which makes it the most international event of the city of Breda. Following Goffman’s dramaturgical principles, this paper examines the performance of identities during this event. According to Goffman (1959), in any setting, a person is both actor and audience. He describes an individual’s performance as the presentation of the self. This performance includes costumes, props, and manner. The Redhead Days provide an extraordinary setting, in which the attendees, who usually see themselves as a minority, are now part of the majority. The study is based on ethnographic methods. Participant observation took place during three editions of the event, focusing on performance and interaction rituals chains (Collins, 2004). Semi-structured interviews were conducted with twenty event attendees. The data were analysed using the qualitative data analysis program MAXQDA. The analysis shows how the event provides a change in setting, creating a new and different stage for people to interact. This allows the participants to act out new plots in their performances, resulting in a change in self-narratives and feelings of empowerment.
Impacts of Festivals
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session Sinem Kurtural
Festivals are binding bridges between communities, residents, and tourism destinations. Collective perceptions and experiences lived through a festival in a certain city generate knowledge. Therefore, festivals demonstrate local themes and city identity, defined as place icons which contribute to audience memories and experiences that make the place unique in their memories and urge guests to come and visit again. In the global tourism industry with cities competing for tourists, festivals are often placed among the first dynamics of competition. Certain cities sell their festivals through social media in a most competitive ways. Many tourists seek the festivals and buy their tickets a head of time. It is a win-win situation. Both the end user and the city stakeholders win. Perhaps hoteliers, travel agents, and airlines gain both the experience and capital. Izmir’s culture, art, and festivals may affect the city’s identity. This study explores five unique questions. Can a city festival be performed in a central place where everyone can attend easily? Is the weather suitable for the festival? Are the musicians happy with the marketing? Are the musicians satisfied and will they tell their colleagues to attend Izmir Festival? Is there a potential for negative social impacts to result from hosting a festival sitting area? With perceptions of audiences and artists answers the social capital income of the city and artists will increase. Sustainable tourism efforts will increase rapidly.
