PLEASE GRADE - Touristic Stereotypes of Kyrgyzstan (1)


Touristic Stereotypes of Kyrgyzstan

Everyone loves the feeling of discovering a place that the rest of the world seems to have missed. In contemporary travel media, Kyrgyzstan is often framed exactly this way - a "stunning secret" (Gibson, 2017). Eric Schaad (2008) describes this portrayal as touristic stereotypes, where destinations are presented in ways that make travelers feel like explorers uncovering somewhere new. In this process, travel writers effectively give readers cultural accreditation (Schaad, 2008), acting as guides who introduce and map unfamiliar places for a audience mostly centered for Westerners. 

An example of cultural accreditation that I spotted was Matt Gibson's blog about Kyrgyzstan. The article relies heavily on the hidden-gem trope (Schaad, 2008). An unexplored area sparks curiosity for the readers and when they take in information such as from Gibson's blog, it can create a stereotype of Kyrgyzstan. Gibson's blog is a great example as the narrative of the photo essay feeds the readers with classic adventure imagery - towering mountain ranges and landscapes described as untouched or unspoiled.



(Image from Gibson's blog)


More specifically, Kyrgyzstan's identity in the piece is built through an enthusiastic tone that repeatedly emphasizes how majestic and epic the scenery is. This style of writing and images  clearly appeals to the adventure traveler (like me), and those looking to escape the McDonaldization of tourism (Schaad, 2008).

However, the portrayal is also somewhat flattened since Kyrgyzstan's Soviet history and political complexities are briefly mentioned, creating imperfect information for the readers. Nevertheless, Gibson's approach works well commercially because it transforms a complex nation into a simple, adventure ready secret location, offering readers the promise of privileged access and a more authentic travel experience. 

*I have not used AI in the process of writing this blog post.


References

Gibson, M. (2017). Kyrgyzstan: Central Asia’s Stunning Secret Playground - A Photoessay. XpatMatt. https://xpatmatt.com/photos/kyrgyzstan-photoessay/

Schaad, E. (2008). Perceptions of Scandinavia and the Rhetoric of Touristic Stereotype in Internet Travel Accounts. Scandinavian Studies, 80(2), 201–238. JSTOR. https://doi.org/10.2307/40920805

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