| This thesis is a semiotic and discursive analysis of tourism promotional materials from Qiandongnan, a prefecture in Guizhou Province, China. I argue that the representation of tourism in promotional materials comprises two distinct actions, the classification of tourism elements and the legitimation of those elements' existence or occurrence. While classification identifies elements such as actors, activities, and settings, legitimation makes claims as to the desirability of those elements. Representations in tourism promotional materials articulate producers' understandings both of activities made possible by tourism destinations and of tourist motivations. In the case of Qiandongnan, representations articulate understandings of both destinations and motivations as highly diverse, and producers characterize tourism as a multifaceted and peripatetic experience. I develop a framework for the analysis of tourism literature as a tool of persuasion, through which producers with particular roles and interests communicate knowledge and beliefs about the world to readers. |
