THE ROUTES OF BERMUDIAN SOCIETY: THE THEMING OF BERMUDIAN SOCIETY AS A TOURIST DESTINATION

Abstract

In this dissertation I consider the socio-historical development of Bermudian society in response to the demands of mass tourism. There has been an active effort to shape Bermudian society, the 'natural' environment, and the tourist industry to conform to an idealized aesthetic that would ensure the continued arrival of visitors. Consequently, there has been a calculated attempt to theme Bermuda, much in the same way that the Disney Amusement Parks are themed to meet the expectations of tourists. The means to establish this theme was the creation of a Tourism Board which utilized the four main components of McDonaldization calculability, efficiency, predictability and control to shape Bermudian society to conform to the expectations of Bermuda's primary tourist market. Consequently, rather than locating mass tourism in terms of a consequence of an increase in available free-time, I have sought to locate tourism within the structural context of modernity.