Abstract
Popular culture tourism destinations are made up of constructed realities transforming local communities into fictional servicescapes. The purpose of this study is to demonstrate how the unpacking of a key concept (servicescape), applied to destination management, can support the transition to sustainable destination development in the face of popular culture tourism. The aim is to unpack the servicescape concept by exploring how it is constructed focusing on Twilight Saga representations and production processes at four destinations. The data consists of photographs and video clips of the servicescapes and interviews with key stakeholders. The findings support previous servicescape research dimensions and elements but also identify critical areas of power, control, and conflict when introducing a process approach to the servicescape concept. The study provides insights into the complex exchanges that take place in the development of servicescapes at popular culture tourism destinations. The study thereby contributes to an elaborated and holistic servicescape model, stressing the importance of strategic design and local stakeholders’ early involvement in the preproduction of popular culture tourism phenomena.
Highlights
A substantial part of international tourism is stimulated by the consumption of popular culture and considered a road to success by many tourist destinations worldwide [1,2,3,4]
The purpose of this study is to demonstrate how the unpacking of a key concept, applied to destination management, can support the transition to sustainable destination development in the face of popular culture tourism
In the case of the Twilight Saga, the power over popular culture tourism servicescapes involves a network of stakeholders, across time and space, creating a complex power structure challenging local destination management
Summary
A substantial part of international tourism is stimulated by the consumption of popular culture and considered a road to success by many tourist destinations worldwide [1,2,3,4]. Managing tourism destinations sustainably is complex in times where many communities are struggling with both overtourism and undertourism and even more so in the face of an increased demand for niche tourism, such as popular culture tourism, challenging the identity of place [5]. This calls for destination management applying a holistic approach and broader place-making and governance strategies. The narrow definition of the tourism industry, the lack of collaboration between the tourism and the cultural sectors, risk creating a problematic lock-in, hampering sustainable destination management [8]
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