The West is popularly perceived as America's last outpost of
unfettered opportunity, but twentieth-century corporate tourism has
transformed it into America's "land of opportunism." From Sun
Valley to Santa Fe, towns throughout the West have been turned over
to outsiders-and not just to those who visit and move on, but to
those who stay and control.
Although tourism has been a blessing for many, bringing economic
and cultural prosperity to communities without obvious means of
support or allowing towns on the brink of extinction to renew
themselves; the costs on more intangible levels may be said to
outweigh the benefits and be a devil's bargain in the making.
Hal Rothman examines the effect of twentieth-century tourism on
the West and exposes that industry's darker side. He tells how
tourism evolved from Grand Canyon rail trips to Sun Valley ski
weekends and Disneyland vacations, and how the post-World War II
boom in air travel and luxury hotels capitalized on a surge in
discretionary income for many Americans, combined with newfound
leisure time.
From major destinations like Las Vegas to revitalized towns like
Aspen and Moab, Rothman reveals how the introduction of tourism
into a community may seem innocuous, but residents gradually
realize, as they seek to preserve the authenticity of their
communities, that decision-making power has subtly shifted from the
community itself to the newly arrived corporate financiers. And
because tourism often results in a redistribution of wealth and
power to "outsiders," observes Rothman, it represents a new form of
colonialism for the region.
By depicting the nature of tourism in the American West through
true stories of places and individuals that have felt its grasp,
Rothman doesn't just document the effects of tourism but provides
us with an enlightened explanation of the shape these changes take.
Deftly balancing historical perspective with an eye for what's
happening in the region right now, his book sets new standards for
the study of tourism and is one that no citizen of the West whose
life is touched by that industry can afford to ignore.
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