An analysis of culture as a tourism commodity

Maccarrone-Eaglen, A

Abstract

The notion of culture has been the object of multidisciplinary studies attempting, with difficulty, to
define this polyhedral social concept expressed in symbolic representations. Culture has a significant
role in tourism functioning as an internationally promoted commodity, a role that has often
been the subject of debates among academics concerned about the vilification of culture’s primary
social role. This article analyzes the complexity of the concept of culture in combination with the
characteristics of a product, as conceived in marketing, focusing on the levels of product theory
from Kotler and Armstrong. The research is based on secondary data analysis in the discussion.
This incorporates culture’s symbolic representations, its tangibility and intangibility, its multiplicity
of interpretations and meanings, the ambiguous status of ownership by the buyer and its versatility
to satisfy consumers’ needs while functioning as a unit of identification for a society. As a product
culture presents a unique configuration with a construct of four different dimensions highlighting
the need for special consideration in culture’s marketing process. The research could also be considered
as a platform for future investigations on the subject and as supporting material in education.

Citation

Maccarrone-Eaglen, A. (2009). An analysis of culture as a tourism commodity. Tourism, Culture and Communication, 9(3), 151-163. https://doi.org/10.3727/109830409X12596186103879

• Journal Article Type: Article
• Publication Date: Dec 1, 2009
• Deposit Date: Dec 7, 2011
• Publicly Available Date: Apr 5, 2016
• Journal: Tourism, Culture and Communication
• Print ISSN: 1098-304X
• Electronic ISSN: 1943-4146
• Publisher: Cognizant Communication Corporation
• Peer Reviewed: Peer Reviewed
• Volume: 9
• Issue: 3
• Pages: 151-163
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.3727/109830409X12596186103879
• Publisher URL: http://dx.doi.org/10.3727/109830409X12596186103879
• Related Public URLs: https://cognizantcommunication.com/publication/tourism-culture-communication/
• Additional Information: Access Information : Copyright 2009 Cognizant Communication Corporation. Please note that the article(s) and/or figure(s) cannot be used for resale.