Birtingarmyndir kyngervis og þversagnir í markaðsefni íslenskrar ferðaþjónustu

Abstract

This article explores images in Icelandic tourism promotion and marketing. The empirical material presented is of two origins. First, images from tourist brochures promoting rural tourism in Iceland are explored. Second, the content of national marketing campaigns associated with marketing diversification in Icelandic tourism in the first years of the millennium, is detailed. The exploration is specifically focused on female representations in the marketing material and the discussion hinges on theories of images and gender in tourism studies. What is demonstrated is the paradox of women being objectified in a nation internationally recognised for successes in introducing gender equality. Thus an interesting perspective emerges for those studying processes of othering, which is traditionally associated with exoticism and race, effectively highlighting the role of gender and representations of femininity. The article concludes with some thoughts on how tourism promoters in Iceland could possibly make use of the country’s reputation in terms of gender equality and thus how tourism could help undermine hegemonic patriarchal discourses, which seemingly sustain the paradox observed.

Keywords

• Gender
• Iceland
• images
• politics
• post-colonialism
• sex
• tourism