Kitsch landscapes as tourist destinations in South and Southeast Asia (China, Vietnam, Nepal)
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Abstract
Carried out within the framework of the AQAPA programme 2014-2019 of the French National Agency for Research (Agence Nationale de la Recherche, ANR), this study focuses on the stereotypical kitsch-based “staging” of tourist sites and resorts, taking as examples three Asian tourist regions characterized by the presence of ethnic minorities: Da Lat in Vietnam, Pokhara in Nepal and Sandu in China. This staging notably relies on the use of false décors (Baudrillard, 1981) – what Umberto Eco (1985) called an “artistic lie” – and aims to provide the tourist with “a reassuring but artificial vision of things” (Menon, 2006). This article thus looks at this kitschifying of landscapes developed for tourism at the rural/urban interface (scenography, experience provided for tourists, processes mobilized) and the objectives it serves, in order to start to understand and interpret the underlying message(s).
Keywords: landscape, kitsch, tourism development, governance, Vietnam, China, Nepal.
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