Premium
Tourism and national identity in Uganda
Author(s) -
Lepp Andrew,
Harris John
Publication year - 2008
Publication title -
international journal of tourism research
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.155
H-Index - 58
eISSN - 1522-1970
pISSN - 1099-2340
DOI - 10.1002/jtr.693
Subject(s) - tourism , government (linguistics) , tourism geography , national identity , consumption (sociology) , identity (music) , economic growth , political science , business , sociology , economics , politics , social science , philosophy , linguistics , physics , acoustics , law
Over the last decade, international tourism has grown rapidly in Uganda. This has been planned by a small consortium of tourism officials working with the central government. Through data obtained from interviews with Ugandan tourism officials, this paper critically assesses their understandings of tourism's role in Uganda's development. Officials conceptualise tourism as a means of constructing a positive national identity for foreign consumption, and hope that a positive national identity abroad will increase foreign investment and spark development. This research considers (re)presentations of the nation and the way(s) in which Uganda is being developed as a tourist destination. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.