Fifth International Conference on Tourism & Leisure Studies

Abstract

Travelers collect souvenirs to preserve their connection to a particular place. a particular time, and to a particular image of themselves. The tourism industry supplies countless souvenirs–location-marked T-shirts, shot glasses, and magnets–to commemorate visits to popular destinations. But some travelers seek a souvenir that appears more personal and authentic, what Beverly Gordon terms “piece of the rock” souvenirs (1986). These travelers might scoop up sand from the beach, pick up a stone on a trail, or collect a flower from a meadow. What can be the harm in taking a handful of sand, a simple rock, or one of Nature’s beautiful blooms? A significant number of tourists who have collected natural souvenirs report that they feel they have been cursed, that upon returning home with their souvenirs they suffered severe misfortune. They believe the cause and effect is indisputable. This study examines the consequences of taking piece of the rock souvenirs such as lava stones from Kilauea Volcano in Hawaii by analyzing tourists’ accounts posted to social media. What are the attitudes of tourists who take physical objects as souvenirs? Can taking pieces of places really trigger a supernatural curse? What ethical issues does a souvenir curse represent? What does belief in these curses suggest about contemporary cultural attitudes toward souvenir collecting, tourism, and the environment? What anxieties about the self and identity construction do the curses reveal? What does Pele’s Curse tell us?