Customer Reviews

Dultural Tourism & Tourism Cultures: The Business of Mediating Experiences in Copenhagen and Singapore

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Tourists want to enjoy themselves, they have little local knowledge and their visits are relatively short, these are the starting premises of this book. Consequently, the author argues, tourists need and want help when they visit new places, so as to enhance their experiences. Thinking about myself as a tourist, I do need help from "cultural mediators" (the term used in the book), otherwise I might as well feel as lost as I am on Mars, rather than in some exotic and friendly country. Tourism experiences are being influenced by cultural mediators; even backpackers rely on their Lonely Planets!

Another idea that runs through this book is that tourists do not consume culture, they consume only senses of culture. So, for example, tourists who want and are experiencing authenticity are really only having a sense of authenticity. Mediators help them achieve this sense. This is a radical but refreshing argument! The author presents the discussions compellingly, as he/she provides many examples (brand identities, everyday life, history and art) from Denmark and Singapore.

After reading and thinking about the ideas offered in the book, I am convinced that mediation is in the centre of tourism experiences. It is time that people move away from the "tourist gaze". This book offers a persuasive alternative.