Geography Reference
In-Depth Information
Figure 4.9
Sun City, South Africa.
The
Lost City resort in Sun City
evokes the mystical images of
Africa described in a legend.
© Lindsay Hebberd/Corbis.
Authenticity of Places
During the process of colonization, Europeans tagged the
cultures they encountered as either savage or mystic.
“Authentic” tourist destinations are designed to exploit the
mystical in local cultures. A South African theme park, The
Lost City (built on the site of the resort Sun City), capitalizes
on
mystical images of Africa described in a legend
, thereby “freez-
ing” the continent to a time that never existed (Fig. 4.9).
A local culture need not be “mystical” in order to cre-
ate an authentic place. The city of Branson, Missouri, is
capitalizing on a local culture in the Ozarks that melds a
number of people and perceptions in one place so that tour-
ists can consume the place. Geographer Johnathan Bascom
studied the processes by which the city of Branson has effec-
tively tapped its local customs, such as food preferences, his-
tory, and music, to create an “authentic” identity for Branson
that sets it apart from neighboring towns. Branson becomes
“authentic,” and surrounding towns that try to capitalize on
their rural, country heritage become “copies.”
Guinness saw the sales of its stout beer declining in Ireland
and the United Kingdom and decided to go global.
Guinness formed a partnership with the Irish Pub
Company, which has offi ces in Dublin, Atlanta, the
United Arab Emirates, and Australia. The Irish Pub
Company studied traditional Irish pubs and created fi ve
Irish pub prototypes—including Irish Country Cottage,
Victorian Dublin, traditional pub, Gaelic (based on
what pubs would have looked like had they existed over
2000 years ago in Ireland), and Irish Brewery. For exam-
ple, a hotel owner in Naples, Florida, or a businessper-
son in Dubai, United Arab Emirates (Fig. 4.10) works
Figure 4.10
Dubai, United Arab Emirates.
An old Irish truck marks the
entrance to an Irish Pub Company pub in Dubai.
© Alamy
.
Guinness and the Irish Pub Company
Theme parks and entertainment venues overtly choose a
stereotype and perpetuate it, but a discerning tourist or
consumer may be aware of what is occurring. Often, the
act of corporations commodifying the mystique of local
cultures to drive profi ts is less obvious to the consumer.
The Guinness Brewing Company of Dublin, Ireland, cre-
ated a business plan nearly 20 years ago aimed at capital-
izing on the global mystique of the traditional Irish pub.
