IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/zbw/espost/230514.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

The poetics of travel through unravelling visual representations on postcards: A critical semiotics analysis

Author

Listed:
  • Bonarou, Christina

Abstract

Purpose: Visual representations, as the mechanism of tourism discourses, are vital to the constructed realities of tourism. This paper aims to contribute to ongoing research on tourist postcards and tourist imagery, exploring how contemporary photographic tourist postcards act as narratives of cultural representations and national identities, and how they constitute a 'poetics of travel' by communicating 'myths' about particular destinations. Methods: The methodology has followed the semiotic analysis along with a critical approach, focusing on a corpus of approximately 4,200 picture postcards issued between 2003 and 2019. In addition to adopting a discourse approach, the study can be considered as 'auto-ethnographic' since it analyses the postcards as visual texts of Greece, which have been produced within Greece (by Greek editors and Greek photographers) and as the analysis has been made by a Greek researcher. Results: The findings present some similarities and differences to those outlined in previous exploratory research, and clearly establish that throughout the years contemporary Greece keeps focusing on its self-representation as a historic, authentic and romantic tourist destination; as a the 'cradle of western civilization" and as an "unchanged paradise on earth". Implications: Findings indicate that visual representations as the mechanism of tourism discourses are essential to the constructed realities of tourism, constituting a 'poetics of travel'. The fact that Greece is presented as a 'museum-like' destination, requires, however, special attention because the exaggerated language of the tourist discourse limits Greece in an eternal "unchanged" present, partly cancelling the potential image of modern progress.

Suggested Citation

  • Bonarou, Christina, 2021. "The poetics of travel through unravelling visual representations on postcards: A critical semiotics analysis," EconStor Open Access Articles and Book Chapters, ZBW - Leibniz Information Centre for Economics, vol. 7(1), pages 44-53.
  • Handle: RePEc:zbw:espost:230514
    DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.4519317
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://www.econstor.eu/bitstream/10419/230514/1/7-1-5.pdf
    Download Restriction: no

    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.5281/zenodo.4519317?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Ige Pirnar & Sinem Kurtural & Melih Turkey, 2019. "Festivals and destination marketing: An application from Izmir City," Post-Print hal-02458450, HAL.
    2. Eleni Mavragani & Paraskevi Nikolaidou & Efi Theodoraki, 2019. "Traveler segmentation through Social Media for intercultural marketing purposes: The case of Halkidiki," Post-Print hal-02458464, HAL.
    3. Fennell, David A. & Yazdan panah, Hojat, 2020. "Tourism and wildlife photography codes of ethics: Developing a clearer picture," Annals of Tourism Research, Elsevier, vol. 85(C).
    4. Chatzigeorgiou, Chryssoula & Christou, Evangelos & Simeli, Ioanna, 2019. "Confidence and loyalty for agrotourism brands: The Lesvos paradigm," EconStor Open Access Articles and Book Chapters, ZBW - Leibniz Information Centre for Economics, vol. 14(1), pages 151-166.
    5. Mavragani, Eleni & Nikolaidou, Paraskevi & Theodoraki, Efi, 2019. "Traveler segmentation through Social Media for intercultural marketing purposes: The case of Halkidiki," MPRA Paper 93526, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    6. Pirnar, Ige & Kurtural, Sinem & Tutuncuoglu, Melih, 2019. "Festivals and destination marketing: An application from Izmir City," MPRA Paper 93520, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    7. Zwegers, Bart, 2018. "Goldmine or Bottomless Pitt? Exploiting Cornwall’s Mining Heritage," MPRA Paper 88247, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    8. De Ridder, Kaat & Vanneste, Dominique, 2020. "Tourism development through landscape theming: Exploring Art Nouveau experiences in Brussels," MPRA Paper 100679, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    9. Broeder, Peter & Gkogka, Anna, 2020. "The cultural impact of navigation design in global e-commerce," EconStor Open Access Articles and Book Chapters, ZBW - Leibniz Information Centre for Economics, vol. 6(3), pages 46-53.
    10. Maximilian Chami & Gabriel Kaminyoge, 2019. "Closed House of Wonders museum: Implications to the tourism of Zanzibar Stone Town, UNESCO World Heritage Site," Post-Print hal-02458487, HAL.
    11. Chatzigeorgiou, Chryssoula & Christou, Evangelos & Simeli, Ioanna, 2019. "Confidence and loyalty for agrotourism brands: The Lesvos paradigm," MPRA Paper 93898, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    12. Christou, Evangelos & Chatzigeorgiou, Chryssoula & Simeli, Ioanna, 2018. "Destination branding and visitor loyalty: The case of agrotourism," EconStor Conference Papers 215863, ZBW - Leibniz Information Centre for Economics.
    13. Chami, Maximilian & Kaminyoge, Gabriel, 2019. "Closed House of Wonders museum: Implications to the tourism of Zanzibar Stone Town, UNESCO World Heritage Site," MPRA Paper 93887, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    14. Christou, Evangelos & Chatzigeorgiou, Chryssoula & Simeli, Ioanna, 2018. "Destination branding and visitor loyalty: The case of agrotourism," MPRA Paper 98791, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    15. De Ridder, Kaat & Vanneste, Dominique, 2020. "Tourism development through landscape theming: Exploring Art Nouveau experiences in Brussels," EconStor Open Access Articles and Book Chapters, ZBW - Leibniz Information Centre for Economics, vol. 6(2), pages 45-54.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. Manosso, Franciele Cristina & Domareski Ruiz, Thays Cristina, 2021. "Using sentiment analysis in tourism research: A systematic, bibliometric, and integrative review," EconStor Open Access Articles and Book Chapters, ZBW - Leibniz Information Centre for Economics, vol. 7, pages 16-27.
    2. Scholtz, Marco & De Ridder, Kaat, 2021. "Brace for impact! COVID-19, lockdown and the initial reaction and adaptability of Flemish travel consumers," EconStor Open Access Articles and Book Chapters, ZBW - Leibniz Information Centre for Economics, vol. 7, pages 28-37.
    3. Kankam-Kwarteng, Collins & Sarpong, Appiah & Amofah, Ofosu & Acheampong, Stephen, 2021. "Marketing performance of service firms: Recognizing market sensing capability and customer interaction orientation," EconStor Open Access Articles and Book Chapters, ZBW - Leibniz Information Centre for Economics, vol. 7, pages 8-48.
    4. Margarida Anjo, Ana & Sousa, Bruno & Santos, Vasco & Lopes Dias, Álvaro & Valeri, Marco, 2021. "Lisbon as a literary tourism site: Εssays of a digital map of Pessoa as a new trigger," EconStor Open Access Articles and Book Chapters, ZBW - Leibniz Information Centre for Economics, vol. 7, pages 58-67.
    5. Marco Scholtz & Kaat de Ridder, 2021. "Brace for impact! COVID-19, lockdown and the initial reaction and adaptability of Flemish travel consumers," Post-Print hal-03373987, HAL.
    6. Collins Kankam-Kwarteng & Appiah Sarpong & Ofosu Amofah & Stephen Acheampong, 2021. "Marketing performance of service firms: Recognizing market sensing capability and customer interaction orientation," Post-Print hal-03376959, HAL.
    7. Cristina Franciele & Thays Christina Domareski Ruiz, 2021. "Using sentiment analysis in tourism research: A systematic, bibliometric, and integrative review," Post-Print hal-03373984, HAL.

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Gartner, Simone & Nicholson, Alexander & Christou, Eleftherios, 2020. "Tourism marketing and distribution through social media: Assessing business economic performance," MPRA Paper 99194, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    2. Johnson, Catherine & McLaughlin, James, 2020. "Tourism branding and promotion: A critical approach," MPRA Paper 100706, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    3. Longman, John & Williams, Timothy, 2020. "Tourism destination branding through advertising strategies," MPRA Paper 99367, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    4. Mugobi, Thereza & Mlozi, Shogo, 2021. "The impact of external factors on ICT usage practices at UNESCO World Heritage Sites," EconStor Open Access Articles and Book Chapters, ZBW - Leibniz Information Centre for Economics, vol. 7(1), pages 3-12.
    5. Chatzigeorgiou, Chryssoula & Christou, Evangelos, 2019. "Social media in tourism marketing: Travellers’ attitudes and encounters," MPRA Paper 98793, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    6. Chatzigeorgiou, Chryssoula & Christou, Evangelos, 2020. "Adoption of social media as distribution channels in tourism marketing: A qualitative analysis of consumers’ experiences," EconStor Open Access Articles and Book Chapters, ZBW - Leibniz Information Centre for Economics, vol. 6(1), pages 25-32.
    7. Chatzigeorgiou, Chryssoula & Christou, Evangelos & Simeli, Ioanna, 2019. "Confidence and loyalty for agrotourism brands: The Lesvos paradigm," EconStor Open Access Articles and Book Chapters, ZBW - Leibniz Information Centre for Economics, vol. 14(1), pages 151-166.
    8. Zouni, Georgia & Digkas, Dimitrios, 2019. "Marketing suggestions for multi-religious tourism development: The case of Thessaloniki," MPRA Paper 98042, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    9. Sinclair-Maragh, Gaunette & Simpson, Shaniel Bernard, 2021. "Heritage tourism and ethnic identity: A deductive thematic analysis of Jamaican Maroons," EconStor Open Access Articles and Book Chapters, ZBW - Leibniz Information Centre for Economics, vol. 7(1), pages 64-75.
    10. De Ridder, Kaat & Vanneste, Dominique, 2020. "Tourism development through landscape theming: Exploring Art Nouveau experiences in Brussels," EconStor Open Access Articles and Book Chapters, ZBW - Leibniz Information Centre for Economics, vol. 6(2), pages 45-54.
    11. De Ridder, Kaat & Vanneste, Dominique, 2020. "Tourism development through landscape theming: Exploring Art Nouveau experiences in Brussels," MPRA Paper 100679, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    12. Chatzigeorgiou, Chryssoula & Christou, Evangelos & Simeli, Ioanna, 2019. "Confidence and loyalty for agrotourism brands: The Lesvos paradigm," MPRA Paper 93898, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    13. Nikolaos Apostolopoulos & Panagiotis Liargovas & Stavros Stavroyiannis & Ilias Makris & Sotiris Apostolopoulos & Dimitrios Petropoulos & Eleni Anastasopoulou, 2020. "Sustaining Rural Areas, Rural Tourism Enterprises and EU Development Policies: A Multi-Layer Conceptualisation of the Obstacles in Greece," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(18), pages 1-19, September.
    14. Spyros Avdimiotis, 2019. "Emotional intelligence and tacit knowledge management in hospitality," Post-Print hal-02441027, HAL.
    15. Daskalaki, Vasiliki V. & Voutsa, Maria C. & Boutsouki, Christina & Hatzithomas, Leonidas, 2020. "Service quality, visitor satisfaction and future behavior in the museum sector," MPRA Paper 98246, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    16. Avdimiotis, Spyros, 2019. "Emotional intelligence and tacit knowledge management in hospitality," EconStor Open Access Articles and Book Chapters, ZBW - Leibniz Information Centre for Economics, vol. 5(2), pages 3-10.
    17. Seraphin, Hugues, 2020. "Childhood experience and (de)diasporisation: Potential impacts on the tourism industry," MPRA Paper 103780, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    18. Nechoud, Lamia & Ghidouche, Faouzi & Seraphin, Hugues, 2021. "The influence of eWOM credibility on visit intention: An integrative moderated mediation model," EconStor Open Access Articles and Book Chapters, ZBW - Leibniz Information Centre for Economics, vol. 7(1), pages 54-63.
    19. Salah, Marwa & Abou-Shouk, Mohamed A., 2019. "The effect of customer relationship management practices on airline customer loyalty," EconStor Open Access Articles and Book Chapters, ZBW - Leibniz Information Centre for Economics, vol. 5(2), pages 11-19.
    20. Milwood, Pauline A. & Crick, Anne P., 2021. "Culinary tourism and post-pandemic travel: Ecosystem responses to an external shock," EconStor Open Access Articles and Book Chapters, ZBW - Leibniz Information Centre for Economics, vol. 7(1), pages 23-32.

    More about this item

    Keywords

    visual representations; tourist imagery; semiotic analysis; tourism discourse; postcards; Greece;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • R41 - Urban, Rural, Regional, Real Estate, and Transportation Economics - - Transportation Economics - - - Transportation: Demand, Supply, and Congestion; Travel Time; Safety and Accidents; Transportation Noise
    • L83 - Industrial Organization - - Industry Studies: Services - - - Sports; Gambling; Restaurants; Recreation; Tourism
    • Z39 - Other Special Topics - - Tourism Economics - - - Other

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:zbw:espost:230514. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: ZBW - Leibniz Information Centre for Economics (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://edirc.repec.org/data/zbwkide.html .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.