The Language of Tourism: A Sociolinguistic Perspective

Languages convey messages, have a heuristic or semantic content, and operate through a conventional system of symbols and codes. In this book, it is shown that tourism, in the act of promotion, as well as in the accounts of its practitioners and clients, has a discourse of its own. The language of tourism is however much more than just a metaphor. Through pictures, brochures and other media, the language of tourism attempts to seduce millions of people into becoming tourists and subsequently to control their attitudes and behaviour. Tourists, in turn, contribute further to this language through the communication of their experiences. This book provides the first sociolinguistic treatment of tourism. It draws on both semiotic analyses of tourism and on the content of promotional material produced by the tourism industry. The author writes in a way that is both rigorous but accessible. Providing a highly original treatment, the book is of interest to all studying tourism from a social science perspective. In addition, it has important implications for tourism marketing and for professionals in the tourism industry.