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Tourism and Rural Identity in the Waasland, Belgium

The northern portion of Belgium, a region known as Flanders, is one of the most densely settled, industrialized areas in the world. Existing in small, isolated tracts, are "green spaces" mainly devoted to agricultural output.
The Flemish way of life and environment has become increasingly "urbanized." Tourism commissions operating in the countryside have drawn on Flemish heritage and identity, as well as the rural landscape to act as marketing tools. In terms of perception and the notion of a distinctly Flemish rural "space'" how are tourist flow patterns influenced? Does the process of perception result in an exclusive urban to rural pattern, or is there deviation (e.g. rural to rural)? Finally, what mechanisms are utilized by the tourism industry to create the demand for rural tourist activity -- is culture invented, or does an emerging Flemish identity reveal itself as part of the linguistic movement?

Identiferoai:union.ndltd.org:WKU/oai:digitalcommons.wku.edu:theses-1237
Date01 December 2004
CreatorsThomas, Joel Stuart
PublisherTopSCHOLAR®
Source SetsWestern Kentucky University Theses
Detected LanguageEnglish
Typetext
Formatapplication/pdf
SourceMasters Theses & Specialist Projects

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