Déjà-vu: tourist practices of repeat visitors in the city of Paris T. Freytag Institut für Kulturgeographie, Albert-Ludwigs-Universität Freiburg, Freiburg, Germany
Received: 21 Feb 2008 – Published in Soc. Geogr. Discuss.: 17 Mar 2008 Revised: 09 Nov 2010 – Accepted: 17 Nov 2010 – Published: 01 Dec 2010
Abstract. In the context of sustained growth in European city tourism, competing
travel destinations develop marketing strategies that include measures to
attract an increasing number of repeat visitors. This paper explores the
case of Paris in order to provide a better understanding of the specific
motivations, interests and activities of leisure tourists who had previously
stayed in the capital of France. Drawing on Pierre Bourdieu's concept of
"distinction" it is argued that repeat visitors tend to differentiate
themselves from other tourists. On the basis of substantive field work in
Paris, a set of repeat visitor practices is presented that include
strategies to avoid spatial concentrations of major tourist spots in order
to participate in Parisian everyday life. Moreover, it is suggested to
conceptualize the encounters between repeat visitors and tourism
destinations as a lifelong relationship, which can be renewed and reproduced
through further visits and virtual encounters. The distinct characteristics
of repeat visitor practices have substantial implications for the
organization of tourism in the city and the relationships between first-time
tourists, repeat visitors and the local population.
Citation: Freytag, T.: Déjà-vu: tourist practices of repeat visitors in the city of Paris, Soc. Geogr., 5, 49-58, doi:10.5194/sg-5-49-2010, 2010.