Culture, Economy and Tourism Commodities

Abstract

The contemporary global economy has become characterized by an intensity and sophistication of the processes of commodification of consumption where production is increasingly aestheticized, attaching meanings and symbolic associations to material objects. The traditional interpretations of cultural commodification suggest disempowerment of traditional cultures and cultural practices through the integration with global tourism. This study goes beyond these assumptions to explore social relations connecting production and consumption of tourist commodities. It follows the journey of tourist goods from the cultural context of their creation, to their consumption and appropriation in new locations where they become surrogates of human relations and representations of identity.