Authentic and Inauthentic Places in Tourism: From Heritage Sites to Theme Parks

With the rise of post-truth and fake news, a thorough examination of authenticity has never been so relevant. This book explores the geography of authenticity, investigating a wide variety of places used by tourists. Not only does it assess what might be described as the more traditional objects for examination – places such as the city, the countryside and the coast – it also includes chapters on art and place, hipster places, gentrification, heritage sites, film locations, photographed places and eventful places.

Using a wide-angled lens on places reveals linkages and possibilities, enabling the book to skate across the surface of the geography of authenticity, locating the magically real heritage site, the poignant replica, the authenticated theme park, the unmasked carnival. In focusing on authentic and inauthentic places, this text provides a useful contribution to the understanding of how places are changing, how they are perceived, and how authenticity is embodied and performed within them. Authentic and Inauthentic Places in Tourism is an insightful study and an essential read for those involved in the study of geography, tourism, urban studies, culture and heritage.

Jane Lovell is a Senior Lecturer at Canterbury Christ Church University. Jane’s PhD thesis examined staged authenticity in historic cities. She is Chair of Canterbury Heritage Partnership, co-Director of COaST Network – examining culture in Kent’s seaside resorts – and Chair of the Lighting Collective – bringing together academics and practitioners in the field of light shows.

Chris Bull is the former Head of the Department of Sport Science, Tourism and Leisure, Canterbury Christ Church University. He is the co-author of several texts: The Geography of Rural Resources (1984); An Introduction to Leisure Studies (2003); and Sports Tourism: Participants, Policy and Providers (2004 and 2009).