Tourism and Architectural Simulacra

Tourism has inspired built environments that have suggested reinvented relationships with their original architectural inspirations. Copies, reinterpretations, and simulacra still constitute some of the most familiar and popular tourist attractions in the world. Replicas, duplitecture, and simulacra can have symbolic meaning for tourists, as merely inspiring an atmosphere or as truly authentic, and their relationship to original functions, for worship, accommodation, leisure, or shopping. This book explores the relationship between tourism and architecture, adopting an interdisciplinary approach to offer original insights into the complex relationship between the two.

Format: Paperback / softback
Length: 116 pages
Publication date: 25 September 2023
Publisher: Taylor & Francis Ltd

Since its inception, tourism has sparked the creation of built environments that have challenged and reimagined the original architectural inspirations upon which they were built. Copies, reinterpretations, and simulacra continue to be some of the most well-known and beloved tourist attractions worldwide.

Some reinterpret archetypes such as the ancient palace, the Renaissance villa, or the Mediterranean village. Others replicate the cities in which we once lived or still reside today. And still, others envision utopias such as Shangri-La, Eden, or Paradise. Replicas, or duplitecture, and simulacra can hold symbolic significance for tourists, serving as mere inspirations for atmosphere or as genuinely authentic representations of the original functions, such as worship, accommodation, leisure, or shopping.

Tourism and Architectural Simulacra delves into the complex relationship between tourism and architectural reproduction, exploring the ways in which these environments are constructed or adapted for and by tourism. The book showcases a wide range of geographical areas, eras, and subjects, demonstrating that the expositions of simulacra and hyper reality offered by Baudrillard, Deleuze, and Eco are surpassed by the intricate and multifaceted world we inhabit. By adopting an interdisciplinary approach, the chapters in this book offer original insights into the intricate relationship between tourism and architecture.

These chapters were originally published as a special issue of the Journal of Tourism and Cultural Change, further emphasizing the importance of this topic in the field of tourism studies.

Weight: 453g
Dimension: 246 x 174 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9780367694579