Advertising ecotourism on the internet: commodifying environment and culture
- 1 December 2004
- journal article
- research article
- Published by SAGE Publications in New Media & Society
- Vol. 6 (6), 753-779
- https://doi.org/10.1177/146144804044328
Abstract
The increased attention to environmentalism in western societies has been accompanied by a rise in ecotourism, i.e. ecologically sensitive travel to remote areas to learn about ecosystems, as well as in cultural tourism, focusing on the people who are a part of ecosystems. Increasingly, the internet has partnered with ecotourism companies to provide information about destinations and facilitate travel arrangements. This study reviews the literature linking ecotourism and sustainable development, as well as prior research showing that cultures have been historically commodified in tourism advertising for developing countries destinations. We examine seven websites advertising ecotourism and cultural tourism and conclude that: (1) advertisements for natural and cultural spaces are not always consistent with the discourse of sustainability; and (2) earlier critiques of the commodification of culture in print advertising extend to internet advertising also.This publication has 13 references indexed in Scilit:
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