Hyperreality in the Liminal

Abstract:

Hyperreality and Liminality are two common terms that appear regularly in the tourism literature explaining the experiences that tourist have when in certain zones, yet they have never been studied as one before. When looking into the definitions of hyperreality and liminality it can be seen that there are aspects of them that can be linked closely, and it would seem that there is evidence to prove that the hyperreal state is in fact a form of a liminal zone. This paper will present a discussion for an original idea, setting down the foundations as to show the liminal size of the hyperreal experience, and it will be done so in relation to film-induced tourism.

Keywords: Liminal, Hyperreal, Behaviour, Film-Induced Tourism, Lord of the Rings.

The hyperreal state has been used to describe a replication of �the real’ but yet which turns out to be more perfect than the original (Eco, 1987:9). Hyperreality has been used to define a number of tourism destinations and types, some of these including Disneyland, The Santa Clause Industry and Film-Induced Tourism. Such destinations/destination types have been recreated from their original to represent a �real’ thing or an ideal, but have been presented as a more perfect representation than the original.

Liminality on the other hand has been used to describe a state of �in between-ness’. Shields (1990:48) has described the liminal experience as a place where society becomes displaced, where social rules and conformities are dissolved into a place of social freedom. This applied to tourism would mean that when in certain tourist situations, tourists behave in a different manor than they would normally present themselves in, with behaviour that social rules would not allow. Such places have been documented within the tourism literature, Shields, although not a tourism academic, presents the idea that the beach is a liminal zone, where peoples behaviour changes, as people of different social class integrate, and where dress codes are relaxed as people wear more revealing clothes (Shields, 1990). Pritchard and Morgan (2005) have also presented the idea of the hotel being a liminal space, where people are in between home and fantasy, where a number of different behaviours that would not be accepted in home life are explored.

So why cannot these two terms be linked? On the surface it would seem that these are two very different states of tourist experience, hyperreality being the experiencing of a reproduction of the real presented as more perfect, and liminality being a dilution of social barriers presenting a feeling of in between-ness, yet when analysed in more depth could these two not be more similar than first thought?

The hyperreal state that tourists are presented with could be described as a liminal �in between-ness’. The �in between-ness’ that is presented is the difference between reality and fantasy, where the real is presented as an almost fanatical theme. An example that can be presented to explain this point is film-induced tourism. Film-induced tourism is the tourism created from the reinforcement of ideas and images of a place within the mind of a tourist when they are watching a film, and so they wish to explore their emotional connection with a film further to be able to understand and experience the film further.

An example of a destination that has had a large degree of success from marketing themselves to film tourists is New Zealand, using the film The Lord of the Rings (LOTR). A destination such as this, has had many of the sets used on the film reproduced or preserved from their original usage, and have been modified to meet the needs of tourists. Certain sets such as the �Hobbit Village’ have been presented to tourist as if they are cultural attractions as if they are visiting a real site where hobbits once lived, yet this is not the case. It is presented as a hyperreal attraction, an improved version of New Zealand