ABSTRACT
The upsurge of different forms of popular culture (film, music, sports, video games, events, etc.) nowadays is inextricably linked to the post-modern production and commodification of cultural signs that are consumed by a range of global audiences (Debord, 1983/1967). These processes make popular culture a destination commodification apparatus. Simply put, the range of cultural meanings underpinning popular culture products is being marketed to induce tourism-related benefits for those destinations associated with them. This poses questions of how to incorporate popular culture associations into the overall destination product and service mix and which strategies should advance popular culture-based tourism development. To effectively answer these questions, there is a need to thoroughly examine the intersections between cultural production/consumption processes and the socio-economic and political conditions required for developing subsequent destination strategies. In this regard, an inter-disciplinary approach to investigating popular culture and tourism may be undertaken to incorporate disciplines such as cultural geography, psychology, marketing, film, media, fan, and tourism studies.
