The British on Holiday

Charter Tourism, Identity and Consumption

This book is the only in-depth ethnographic study of British charter tourists. It is based on several months of participant observation of British charter tourists on holiday in Palmanova and Magaluf on the Mediterranean Island of Mallorca. With a focus on space, the body, and food and drink practices, the book explores the experiential nature of touristic practice which provides insight into constructions, understandings and knowledge of the self in relation to national, regional, class, and gender identities. These issues in turn highlight elements of power and control which are mainly articulated through the attempts to manipulate tourists' consumption practices by the mediators of tourists' experiences.