COMM2497
Exploring Asian Popular
Culture (T1 2025)
Where are we going this week?
• Tutorial: Review pre-class activity
and explore key concepts like the
tourist gaze, digital imperialism, and
commodity nostalgia. They are
critical for understanding
contemporary tourism as a popular
culture practice.
• Tutorial: Draw on course concepts
to draft and communicate a tourism
experience
2
The Tourism Gaze
• This concepts shows how “gazes
organize the encounters of visitors with
the “other,” providing some sense of
competence, pleasure and structure to
those experiences” (Urry & Larsen,
2013).
• Consider how popular culture artifacts
like films, television, social media, and
travel-based media (which includes
Airbnb & Trip Advisor) contribute to the
‘construction’ of a particular destination;
this involves emphasizing some aspects
while downplaying others.
• These media narratives are critical for
a country’s success in developing
tourism, yet they also result in a
‘standardized’ tourist experience.
3
The Tourism Gaze
• Media narratives catering and
contributing to the ‘tourist gaze’ can
lead to the reinforcement of stereotypes
and unrealistic expectations about
destinations and their inhabitants. How
can these stereotypes impact local
communities and perpetuate cultural
misunderstandings?
• Cultural practices, traditions, and
artifacts are sometimes reduced to
marketable commodities, catering to
tourists' desires for "authentic"
experiences.
• As a concept, the ‘tourist gaze’ raises
awareness towards issues such as
cultural appropriation, the exploitation of
local communities for tourist
entertainment, and the importance of
respecting and preserving cultural
heritage.
4
The Tourist Gaze, alternatives?
Consider alternatives beyond the
tourist gaze: can we seek authentic
interactions with local communities,
support sustainable tourism
practices, and engage in cultural
exchange rather than passive
consumption? If yes, how are they
communicated?
Have we seen trends via emerging
media platforms that are reflective of
changing consumer preferences? Are
new media platforms shaping the
way destinations are represented and
perceived?
5
Digital Imperialism & Tourism
Impact of the digital divide: disparities in access to
technology and online platforms can marginalize voices, with
certain groups benefiting from digital tourism while others are
marginalized or excluded.
Users of apps like Instagram and Tiktok frequently upload
content framed by imposed narratives, thus stripping places
and people of agency and voice (see Ogden 2021). In the
Southeast and South Asian context, poverty fetishism is one
example.
Impact of review culture: the prominence of online reviews
and ratings often result in destinations and businesses
conforming to certain standards and catering to mass-market
tastes, potentially eradicating unique cultural identities and
cultural diversity.
Profit driven motives: destinations and attractions increasingly
prioritize marketability and online visibility over authenticity,
leading to the commercialization of cultural practices, traditions,
and artifacts.
Impact of Airbnb: The rise of platforms like Airbnb have been
regarded as contributing to gentrification and the displacement
of residents, as well as how the dominance of online booking
platforms can marginalize smaller, locally-owned businesses. Redefine the Skyline (2019)
Redefine the Skyline (2019)
6
Digital Imperialism & Tourism
Positive changes? Community-
led tourism initiatives, sustainable
tourism practices, and new
platforms allow for local
engagement and authenticity over
mass-market appeal (ex:
adventure tourism and culinary
tourism)
Policy needs? Are policies and
regulations needed to give local
communities agency, promote
responsible tourism practices, and
ensure fair competition in the
digital marketplace?
7
Commodity nostalgia in tourism
What is commodity nostalgia, exactly? This concept reflects a desire
for products or experiences that evoke a sense of familiarity, comfort,
or a perceived simpler time. In a consumer-driven context, the tourism
industry, specifically, may capitalize on this sentiment by reintroducing
or reproducing vintage-inspired or informed visuals to tap into
nostalgic feelings (Boym 2001).
We can view this phenomenon via commercial exploitation of past
cultural elements, capitalizing on on consumers' longing for familiar
and emotionally resonant experiences from the past (ex: Hoi An in
Vietnam, Star Wars Galaxy’s Edge in the USA)
Nostalgic experiences (such as that which is obtained at Disneyland)
offer tourists a sense of comfort, familiarity, and emotional connection,
making them attractive destinations for travelers seeking a break from
the complexities of modern life.
8
Other forms of tourism more directly
associated with ‘pop culture’
• Travelling for concerts
• Heritage tourism
• Fandom tourism (comic-cons)
• Well-ness tourism
• Dark tourism
• Culinary tourism
• ‘Location vacations,’ or visiting sites
featured in popular culture artifacts
(movies, television, literature)
9
Tutorial: Use course concepts as guides to draft
and communicate a tourism experience. Create a
key visual and supporting document to justify
your choices.
Make connections to the course client's aims:
1) reaching audiences to build positive effects; 2)
organizing high quality, closely related and
effective programs; and 3) facilitate people's
ability to find opportunities in life.
Consider tourism beyond 'travel,' such as music
festivals, fandom, and culinary tourism.
