Ekoturism som underhållning : en analys av ekoturismens visuella gestaltning

Sammanfattning: Because of the mass tourism industry that exploits sensitive locations all over our planet a new kind of tourism came into focus in the 1980’s. This new form of tourism was named ecotourism, and as the name reveals ecotourism deals with low-impact travel. Today, all sorts of places can be gazed upon in a flick of a switch; all you need is a television set. It is well known that destination marketing successfully uses visual media as a tool to sell trips to potential tourists. Therefore, this essay examines how ecotourism benefits from the great power of the television. The analyzed material contains of six different TV shows, sorted into two groups – travel shows and discussion programs. With the theory of the tourist gaze, semiotics, destination marketing and the experience economy the study resulted in the conclusion that all TV shows are built upon collective cultural representations found in the exotic and the authentic. With the help of the visual language, travel shows can give new meaning to a specific destination expressed in a system of mutual understanding and shared culture.