All-Inclusive Vacations as a Sociological Phenomenon

Paper Summary:

This paper looks at the all-inclusive vacation as something other than tourism, or travel as it was once known. It shows how these vacations can tell a good deal about what the buyer expects in a culture of consumerism and what capitalists have learned the consumer wants. The paper makes use of critical theory in order to analyze the sociological phenomena that are evident with all-inclusive vacations. The paper maintains that there are things quite wrong with this phenomenon that are explained with the help of critical theory.

Table of Contents:
Introduction
Race and Class
Selling Fantasy
Power
Concluding Remarks

From the Paper:

"As mentioned, an all-inclusive vacation should protect the consumer from anything to upset previous notions of a place or what a vacation should be about. The all-inclusive vacation keeps consumers within one kind of consciousness that is the one known at home. There is little to promote interest in the place or places to which they travel. The vacationer is a transplanted person able to afford the location and activities that are laid on. Perhaps there will be a comment on what was served for sinner, a sun burn, or a comment on whether or not it is 'safe' to venture away from a resort of other institution in which the all-inclusive package has placed them."

Sample of Sources Used:

• Bossevain, Jeremy. (1996). Ed. Coping with Tourists - European Reactions to Mass Tourism. Oxford: Berghahn.
• Burr, V. (1995). What does it mean to have power? in An Introduction to Social Constructionism. New York: Routledge.
• Chapkis, W. (1986). Skin Deep, in Beauty Secrets - Women and the Politics of Appearance. Boston: South End Press.
• Cross, G.S. (1993). Time and Money - the Making of Consumer Culture. London: Routledge.
• Dyer, R. (2000). The Matter of Whiteness, in L. Back and J. Solomos. Eds. Theories of Race and Racism - a Reader. London and New York: Routledge.

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