Tourist attractions in the experience economy
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 24237730 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Vladimir Ilyin (0000-0002-3658-8112, St. Petersburg State University, St. Petersburg, Russia) |
| Year | 2026 |
| Volume | 29 |
| Issue | 3 |
| Pages | 90-118 |
| Publication date | 2026-09-27 |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Zhurnal Sotsiologii i Sotsialnoy Antropologii (The Journal of Sociology and Social Anthropology (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 1029-8053 • E-ISSN: 2306-6946 |
| Publisher | International Foundation for the Support of Social Research and Education Intersozic (PUBLISHER) |
| DOI | 10.31119/jssa.2026.29.3.4 |
| OpenAlex | W7222835121 |
| Language | EN |
| References cited | 14 |
The purpose of this article is to conceptualize tourism as a sector of the experience economy. Currently, the bureaucratic understanding of tourism in terms of mobility prevails, stemming from the convenience of governance and statistical accounting. This article defines tourism as a sector of the experience economy, comprising leisure mobility practices aimed at obtaining impressions from visiting places of interest (attractions). A tourist impression is the “aftertaste” that remains from visiting an attraction. One returns to the attraction in memory after the trip has ended; impressions are materialized in photographs, videos, and souvenirs; they are recounted to friends in person and shared with an indefinite audience through blogs. Tourist attractions are places deemed worthy of visitation. Their classification is possible along various dimensions, one of which is the sphere in which their construction takes place: religion, socio-political and socio-economic relations, artistic culture, historical memory, and the natural environment. The essence of marketing lies in transforming a product (that which has been created) into a commodity that finds a buyer. An attraction becomes a tourist commodity when its drawing power is reinforced by the ability of potential consumers to take advantage of this offering. An attraction is not merely a natural object or a relic of the past. It is a social construct, the creation of which comprises several stages: (1) the formation of a compelling geographical myth through the education system, mass culture, mass media, online platforms, and advertising; (2) the development of transportation infrastructure that renders the object accessible (roads, passenger services); (3) the establishment of a hospitality industry (hotels, campsites, cafés, and restaurants); (4) the training of personnel specializing in local history, folklore, and tour guiding; (5) the organization of appealing events; and (6) the production of souvenir goods. The construction of tourist attractions constitutes a form of investment in territorial development and in the development of a post-agrarian and post-industrial experience economy.
Experience economy · Hospitality industry · leisure mobility · place and memory · Post-industrial economy · souvenir production · territorial development · tourism commodification · tourism marketing · tourist attractions · tourist perceptions · Cultural Identity and Heritage · Diverse Aspects of Tourism Research · Urbanism, Landscape, and Tourism Studies
| Highly cited | No |
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