The Tourist Gaze

Tourism is both an important component of modern life and a highly lucrative industry for many countries, yet its importance has been generally unrecognized in the academic arena. In The Tourist Gaze John Urry examines the concept of tourism from a sociological perspective, demonstrating that tourism is a unique and central element in contemporary society. With his primary focus on the changing nature of tourism, Urry reveals its connection to the broader cultural changes of postmodernism. The Tourist Gaze is essential reading not only for scholars and researchers in sociology, but to all those interested in the social, cultural, and geographical analysis of contemporary society.