Author Description

With more than 230 million international tourists a year, the Mediterranean region is the largest tourist destination in the world. Indeed, it is now less united by olive, grain and vine cultivation than the fortnightly pulse of the package tour, the circulation of resort types and the shared culture of sun-seeking tourism. This book argues that its economic importance is matched by its significance as cultural and aesthetic phenomena. Mass tourism has brought about new social and cultural formations that mix global, national and local influences. There has, as yet, been little analysis of these new cultural formations. This book offers a series of insights into some of the key sites of mass Mediterranean tourism, including the beach, the island, the tourist resort and the coastal hotel.