Selling Culture
Selling Culture
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The Digital Era of Travel and the Prevalence of Stereotypes in the Industry
The Digital Era of Travel and the Prevalence of Stereotypes in the Industry
Olivia Cafarelli Manzi
Olivia Cafarelli Manzi
Image from Travel and Leisure
In the age of digital globalization, tourism is more than a leisure activity, it’s a cultural force shaped by media and marketing. As international travel rebounds post-COVID, destination branding has intensified, with governments and tourism boards promoting idealized images across social media, influencer content, and official websites. While visually compelling, these portrayals often rely on cultural stereotypes, flattening diverse societies into marketable clichés designed for a Western gaze.
This study examines how travelers interpret that content. While past research focuses on how tourism images are created, less is known about how travelers receive and respond to them. This project addresses that gap by exploring how modern tourists use digital media to plan trips and whether they recognize or are influenced by stereotyped portrayals.
Image Credit: FreePik
Using semi-structured interviews with frequent American travelers, the research explores how user-generated content, influencer culture, and tourism branding shape perceptions. The study is guided by four questions:
RQ1: What are the most common media forms tourists use to obtain their travel advice?
RQ2: Do tourists obtain their travel information more often from destination branding efforts or non-sponsored, user-generated content?
RQ3a: Do tourists feel as though the content they viewed before traveling to the respective destination accurately reflected the culture?
RQ3b: Do tourists feel as though they saw stereotyped content about the respective culture before, during, or after their trip?
Findings reveal a media-literate audience that relies heavily on user-generated platforms but expresses skepticism toward curated content. Many participants sought authentic, culturally immersive experiences and were critical of content that oversimplified or misrepresented local realities.
While the study offers important insights, it has limitations. The sample was regionally concentrated in the Northeastern U.S. and self-selected, which may affect how broadly the results apply.
To explore this project, use the tabs or table of contents to navigate. Start with the Literature Review for background on media, nation branding, and stereotypes in tourism. Then follow the project through its Research Questions, Methods, and Findings, which are grouped by theme. The final Limitations and Conclusion sections reflect on what the study uncovered and suggest where future research might go.
Whether you're here as a scholar, marketer, or curious traveler, this project invites you to think critically about how cultures are sold—and how we, as travelers, help shape those narratives.
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