In a world where images are abundant, it seems that travel is only real when you come back with photographs and souvenirs -- some sort of proof that you were really there . Photographs capture time in the same way that the tourist would like tradition to capture time. Both are caught in a space where time has no effect. Images and artifacts become the only way in which one can truly experience life. One can no longer simply say that one did something, for this isn't enough in the post modern world. Representation of experience now rivals real experience. On the one hand, the ethnic tourist seeks souvenirs from the source, from the real actual place. But on the other hand are those who never even go anywhere; they just step outside their front doors, in to their cars and stop by the trendy world store. And somewhere in between the two is the traveler who buys the same shirt as the ethnic tourist, only from a classy store in the international airport.
For the ethnic tourist, the product must be "real." It must originate from the proper source -- it must be authentic, not packaged. The photograph becomes more significant than the pre-fabricated postcard; the shirt bought in a village market becomes more real than the one wrapped in plastic and bought in the airport. There may be real meaning in the shirt bought, but it soon dissipates and comes to represent the totality of the journey. Objects are invested with meaning for limited times; as the tourist changes, travels more, loses memories, the object loses direct meaning. It becomes a symbol of your entire tourist encounter. The shirt, postcard and photograph are symbolic measures of travel. They signify that you have done some thing; they mark you as different from the indistinguishable mass of others.
Culture becomes packaged with the emergence of gift shops. Rushed and forgetful, the tourist can pick up the "traditional" what-have-you in the airport lounge. Or, those who would rather not take the time for travel can just drive into downtown Portland and go to a trendy "world" store in which countries are arranged for your convenience on the shelves. One can wander from Nepal to Thailand to Indonesia in the matter of minutes. These are the kitschy items -- pre-packaged and manufactured as culture without the necessity of effort. Nepal becomes a box of incense, a cheap bracelet, a tapestry. Indonesia becomes a batik, a wood box, a puppet. Thailand is an elephant covered with little mirrors that , if you look closely enough, reflect the real surroundings of Portland. Why are these boutiques so popular? One is able to travel without ever stepping on a plane, bus or boat. It is all arranged from the comfort of your own home. They represent a kind of "world-view" in the midst of political correctness. You choose your items carefully, wondering what trinket best represents your self. Usually, however, the buyer and the product have nothing in common, no past, no memory. The relationship is fabricated and created at the time of purchase. In light of this, tourism becomes a more attractive alternative; at least you are getting up and going, even if you need to return with proof.
Owning Modernity
The Ambiguity of Tradition
Shaping Images of "Us" and "Other": National Geographic and Mass Media
The Effects of Tourism: Indonesian Dance
Bibliographic Materials on Tourism