Theorizing Tourism: Analyzing Iconic Destinations [Hardcover]

A useful introduction to the critical study of tourism, this brief text applies semiotics and cultural theory to deal with some of our most iconic global destinations. It offers accessible analyses of 18 famous tourist locations from the Taj Mahal to Red Square, and from the Eiffel Tower to Antarctica. Written in Berger’s friendly style, it allows students to critically examine the political, cultural and economic significance these locales and understand their importance to tourism. Study questions add more pedagogical value to the highly readable text.

A useful introduction to the study of tourism that applies semiotics and cultural theory to deal with some of our most iconic tourist destinations from the Taj Mahal to Las Vegas, and from the Eiffel Tower to Antarctica.

“A useful introduction to the study of tourism that applies semiotics and cultural theory to deal with some of our most iconic tourist destinations such as the Eiffel Tower, Disneyland, the Taj Mahal, Angkor Wat, the Bilbao Guggenheim Museum, and Brasilia.” —Kaye Chon, Dean, School of Hotel and Tourism Management, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University

Arthur Asa Berger  is professor emeritus of Broadcast and Electronic Communication Arts at San Francisco State University, where he taught between 1965 and 2003. He has been a visiting professor in Italy, Germany, Hong Kong, and China and has lectured in more than a dozen countries. Berger is author of over one hundred articles and has authored or edited more than seventy five books on media, popular culture, social theory, humor, and tourism. His books have been translated into nine languages. Among his recent books areSeeing is Believing: An Introduction to Visual Communication;What Objects Mean: An Introduction to Material Culture;The Objects of Affection; Media and Society; Media and Communication Research Methods;Bloom’s Morning; Ads, Fads and l³î