Searching for a New Enterprise

Themed Tourism and the Re-making of One Small Canadian Community

Bibliographic Data

ID5942557
AuthorsHeather Mair (University of Waterloo, corresponding author)
Year2009
Volume11
Issue4
Pages462-483
Publication date2009-11-05
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessNo
TypeARTICLE
VenueTourism Geographies (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 1461-6688 • E-ISSN: 1470-1340
PublisherInforma UK Limited (PUBLISHER • GB)
DOI10.1080/14616680903262638
OpenAlexW2009207286
LanguageEN
Citations received12
References cited44

While many have explored fantasy-based and themed cities, relatively few consider these developments within small communities. This paper investigates the implications for fantasy-themed tourism development in one small community on the Canadian Prairies. Vulcan, Alberta was a product of the agricultural industry but economic hardships have threatened the community, leading to ongoing attempts to 'cash in' on the community's name in connection with the Star Trek television series. Three main features of this case of worldmaking are presented: (1) why and how this image/identity has been brought into the community; (2) how it has been contested and negotiated by visitors and locals; and (3) how this case helps develop our critical understanding of the implications of themed environments. In addition, a critical, interpretivist research methodology is presented as offering valuable insights into the making and re-making of communities through tourism

Aesthetics · Fantasy · Identity (music · Media studies · Political science · Product (mathematics · Public relations · Sociology · Threatened species · Tourism · Computer Science · Diverse Aspects of Tourism Research · Law · Religious Tourism and Spaces · Travel Writing and Literature · Ecology