carapils

One of the most important phenomena of globalization is tourism, which has transformed many countries in the economic and social sphere, supported by the staging and patrimonialization of culture. As I had the opportunity to write on a blog promoted by the Flanders tourist office during my stay in Erasmus in Belgium, I analyzed the channels of perpetuation of unequivocal, playful and depoliticized tourism to subvert them. I use the official tourism office blog as a legitimation tool to include new “meanings” of the Belgian tourist heritage: that is, to value cultural attractions without economic interest from the tourist offices but with a lot of social importance, such as the cheapest beer in the market- very popular among the Belgians- the habit of decorating the windowsills - a tradition of the region- or the metaphorical similarity of the Belgian national identity with the French Fries - most typical food of Belgium. It is an experimental research project where platforms of communication, methods of analysis and narrative constructions are mixed. A self made fanzine publication came out of all this. It was distributed in the tourist offices of the city of Ghent and was identical to the official tourist guide of that year. I also made a visit taking advantage of the authority that gives an umbrella with FREE TOUR written on it in the Grand Place of Brussels to the first tourists who ask for information.