Abstract
The subject of this research is how TV series and movies can influence the tourism industry and the identity proposed by tourist places. An iconic city in the industry, Atlantic City, is analyzed. This case study focuses on the presumed or actual impacts on the tourism industry of the New Jersey City through the appeal of the TV series “Boardwalk Empire” (2010-2014) and the movie “American Hustle” (2013). The two cultural products, not filmed in A. C. but recounting it, evoke the 1920s and 1970s. These authorial narratives “piloted” and “accompanied” the attempt to bring a new tourism to a city that was partially “reborn” in the 1990s and 2000s, but in the 2000s again entered a major crisis due to natural, economic and financial disasters. Both the city and tourists have come to terms with the image it would like to renew, while the concentration of disadvantaged and unemployed citizens increases. Atlantic City appears to be suspended between being the playground of the United States and the “historically intriguing” embodiment of some dark and fascinating moments in U.S. history; it relied ten years ago on the major film and television majors to try to reconstruct one that was also felt by the public/tourists as attractive-a challenge not entirely met. The primary sources on which the topic is studied include: local and national periodicals (years 2000-2010); films (not only those mentioned); excerpts from the annual “Atlantic City: Past, Present and Future” conferences; and excerpts from City Council minutes.
Presenters
Sheyla MoroniAssistant Professor/Professor, Dipartimento di Scienze Politiche e Sociali, University of Florence, Firenze, Italy
Details
Presentation Type
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session
Theme
2024 Special Focus—Tourism, Leisure and Change: Transforming People and Places
KEYWORDS
Atlantic City, City Identities, Audiovisual Imaginary, Tourism
