Taste

This sociological metaphor is used to investigate choice or preference for different activities or products.

Taste is an elusive concept ...."it could eb said to be a superficial sign of deeper intrinsic human traits, needs adn values which are the product of education and cultural conditioning" Voase p43

Taste is a predisposition of the tourist to find certain things attractive or unattractive linked to perceptions, preferences and prejudices.

Taste is also linked to time (fashions and trends). It determines the rise and fall of destinations. The trends are usually set by the elite with money and time. As a destination becomes more popular the allocentrics move to visit a different destination to avoid the masses.

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4 categories of attractions

LITERARY SHRINES - e.g. Stratford (William Shakespear), Lake District (Beatrix Potter), Llandudno (Alice in Wonderland), Netherlands (Anne Frank), Birmingham (Tolkien). In the past this was based around books as the most prominent media but now films are influencing peoples desire to visit locations.

COUNTRY HOUSES - in the 1700s people visited country houses to see how the upperclasses were designing their gardens so they could consider copying them (what things should be like). Now people visit country houses to see how people used to live (what things were like).

NATURAL LANDSCAPE - perceptions of the landscape changed after the Enlightenment when people started to believe that man could control his environment. Developmet of National Parks to protect the countryside.

HERITAGE SITES - that which is passed down from generation to generation: religious heritage, industrial heritage etc

The term travel comes from travail (to work). Wang (2000) suggests that as tourism is commodatised, we loose the "art of travel". Many other authors distinguish between the tourist (often classed as low taste) and the traveller (classed as high taste). The traveller is seen as someone who works hard in contrast to the tourist who does not put in so much effort.

Taste is usually the result of exposure to discourse in the media, tavel writings and brochures.

A very important question raised is WHO DETERMINES WHAT IS GOOD TASTE? This is often influnced by elite but increasingly by celebreties. Often the holidays we take are used to make judgements about us.

High Taste
simple means of transport such as sailing boat, steam train, walking or cycling travelling independantly
experience hardship, risk and adventure, an active quest for discovery and self-reliance.
contact with local people and culture seeking genuine experiences
seeking authentic and original attractions

Low Taste
more secure and protected transport such as charter flights and bookings through tour operators
seeking standard package deals and hoping to relax adn want luxury
looking for themed or created attractions, theme parks or casinos