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Om away from home : Indian tourists, affect and the politics of mobility in Gokarna.

University of British Columbia

Tourism has emerged as an integral part of globalization and elicits complex responses from affected societies, especially in towns and regions that are undergoing significant social and economic change. As the world’s largest movement of people, tourism influences and is influenced by societies in every part of the world (Appadurai 1997; Patil 2011; Urry 2002). In the context of a rising Indian middle class, young Indians are travelling in increasing numbers both internationally and domestically. Indian tourists are one of the greatest contributors to south India’s tourism revenue (de Groot and van der Horst 2014: Saldanha 2005). This research will explore the varying ways Indian youth, ages eighteen to thirty-two, participate in tourism mobilities and what their motivations are for visiting a place like Gokarna in the state of Karnataka. How do tourists in Gokarna situate themselves physically (in where they stay, and what they do) and conceptually, in relation to locals and other tourists? How does the spatial environment of Gokarna, which appeals to both religious and recreational desires, give rise to certain social relations and heightened differences? Through the sacred backdrop of Gokarna town and the popularity of its neighboring beaches, this research provides an ethnographic study on the interrelationship between place, affect and the growing importance of tourism for Indian youth.

Text

2020-10-23

Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International

http://hdl.handle.net/2429/76353

Interdisciplinary Studies

University of British Columbia

UBCO

http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/