Unconference Organization of Thoughts

Saturday’s unconference was really helpful for me. I was quite intimidated by the idea of sitting and writing with someone looking over my shoulder, but it was actually really nice to be able to talk out my idea and narrow down my questions into something that makes sense, which I was struggling with and do not think I did clear enough in my project proposal. I am still trying to make my questions as clear as possible, but I now know I want to focus on the transnationality of tourism, and how tourism is used to help legitimize authoritarian governments. To do this I will use two case studies, looking specifically at the Soviet Union and Spain and looking at how these two governments created their own tourism bureaus because they saw the necessity of tourism in the promotion of their country and their ideals. I found some Soviet tourism advertisements from the interwar period specifically targeting the United States and encouraging Americans to visit for a vacation and also see the implications of socialism within the community. The soviet propaganda was earnest in selling their ideologies to American citizens, to try and disprove what capitalist governments were perpetuating. In Spain, resorts were being developed to take advantage of their coastlines, selling their beaches and the warmth of a Spanish summer to Northern countries. The government also worked with TWA and Hilton Hotels to create a travel industry within Spain that would appeal to Western citizens, encouraging Americans to visit because of the familiarity. How did these countries use tourism as a way to be legitimized by western, capitalist countries, and did it work? The interaction foreign tourist and becoming a part of the global world was a vital part for countries in the latter half of the twentieth century. 

Another aspect that I find important when analyzing the government interest is the response from foreigners. Were tourists convinced when visiting the country? What were their takeaways from visiting a country with this kind of dictatorship put in place? And did these visitors feel that their experiences were authentic? When traveling to another country, even in modern times, there is an idealized view of travel, of someone who is able to go off the beaten track and delve deep into the true culture of a place. There is a desire to venture away from the tourist traps, find the hole-in-the wall restaurants and explore not just the famous sites. But can one person really see the true aspect of a culture after a week or two in one place? I believe that it is really hard to leave out one’s own opinions, stereotypes, and prejudice when traveling, and part of the culture of a community is living within the mundane and the day-to-day lives of a community. However, not a lot of people go into this much depth when thinking about traveling. So for those who were able to glimpse into the Soviet Union or Franco’s Spain, did they question the reality in which they were seeing? I want to look into tourists’ awareness of the cultures they were traveling to, and if they changed their mind about the preconceived notions they knew about these countries. To summarize, the reactions of tourists once they visited the Soviet Union or Spain. Did the government efforts to increase tourism work and were they able to convince foreigners of their countries legitimacy? Going further, looking into the foreigners’ understanding of the country they were visiting, and if they believed that what they saw was a truly authentic experience. 

With more research I will be able to narrow down my ideas and continue to make it even clearer. Tourism is all about the interaction between nations, and for the Soviet Union and Franco’s Spain, there was an understanding around the importance of these types of interactions. I want to find out more about how they capitalized on these interactions and what was the response. I also need to make sure I do not try to cover too much, and with more research I will be able to decide the limits of my essay.