The city of one hundred souvenir shops: authenticity of souvenirs in Prague

Abstract

ABSTRACTSouvenirs are one of the symbols of destination. The method of sale and the range available to tourist are also of significant interest. Tourists take souvenirs home as memories of their trip. The question is whether souvenirs use the local potential of a destination. This article investigates the relationship between souvenirs and local culture and heritage, in a case study of Prague’s historic centre, and thus reveals the causes for introducing ‘falsely authentic’ and ‘geographically displaced’ souvenirs into a particular tourist destination. Prague as a post-socialist urban destination represents a unique case in tourism studies. The survey comprises an analysis of shops and the products offered on the ‘Royal Way’, the most visited part of Prague. This is supplemented by a structured interview with sellers in selected establishments and a questionnaire survey of tourists in this area. The results show that, although there are a number of locally specific souvenirs, the wide range of ‘banal’, ‘globalized’, ‘geographically displaced’ or ‘falsely authentic’ souvenirs reduces the quality of Prague’s souvenirs in general. The reasons for this can be found in the combination of communist heritage and the transformation processes of 1990s.