Challenging the Metaphor: A critical assessment of tourist traps in Iceland
Author
Valsdóttir, Vordís Rut
Term
4. term
Education
Publication year
2019
Submitted on
2019-06-03
Pages
55
Abstract
Dette speciale undersøger og nuancerer metaforen “turistfælde” ved at skifte fokus fra turisters til lokalbefolkningens perspektiv, med Den Gyldne Cirkel i Island som case. Med udgangspunkt i den teoretiske ramme “the local gaze”, afledt af Urrys “tourist gaze”, analyseres både medieformidlede repræsentationer og lokale borgeres levede erfaringer. Metodisk kombineres kvalitativ indholdsanalyse med semistrukturerede interviews for at belyse, hvordan populære attraktioner opleves af lokalsamfundet. Analysen peger på, at området i høj grad præges af et underliggende magtforhold mellem den dominerende turismeindustri (som værtsstruktur) og turisterne, hvor lokale sjældent er synlige eller aktivt til stede i disse rum, selv om stederne fortsat rummer værdi og kulturel betydning for dem. Lokales tilknytning og følelser overskygges af relationen mellem vært og gæst, og turismens monopoliserende “enklaver” skaber symbolske frem for fysiske barrierer, hvilket kan udløse modstand mod en bredere turismeudvikling blandt aktører uden for industrien. Specialet foreslår derfor en opdateret og mere præcis metafor end “turistfælde”, der bedre indfanger de komplekse, lokale erfaringer i populære turistområder.
This thesis critically reassesses the “tourist trap” metaphor by foregrounding local residents’ perspectives rather than tourists’, using Iceland’s Golden Circle as a case. Drawing on the theoretical lens of the local gaze, derived from Urry’s tourist gaze, it analyzes both mediatized representations and the lived experiences of locals. Methodologically, it combines qualitative content analysis with semi-structured interviews to explore how popular attractions are experienced from within the community. The analysis indicates that the area is shaped by an underlying power dynamic between the dominant tourism industry (as host structure) and tourists, in which locals are seldom visible or actively engaged, even though these places retain value and cultural meaning for them. Local attachments are overshadowed by host–guest relations, and the monopolizing effects of tourism enclaves create symbolic rather than physical barriers, contributing to resistance to broader tourism development among non-industry actors. The study therefore proposes an updated, more precise metaphor than “tourist trap” to better capture the complex, locally grounded realities of popular tourism spaces.
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