Year of Award

2011

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Type

Master of Science (MS)

Degree Name

Geography

Department or School/College

Department of Geography

Committee Chair

Sarah Halvorson

Commitee Members

Jeffrey Gritzner, Keith Bosak

Keywords

image, Peru, place myth, representations, sense of place, tourism

Publisher

University of Montana

Abstract

This thesis examines the place image of the Chachapoyas region in northern Peru by identifying themes found in tourism guidebooks and websites. Photographs and written descriptions of Chachapoyas were found to emphasize certain features of the region while avoiding or hiding others. To further inform the discussion of the place image of Chachapoyas interviews were conducted with international tourists visiting the region. These interviews indicate that Chachapoyas does not have the same level of recognition as sites in southern Peru. The purveyors of representations of Chachapoyas have tried to appropriate the intrigue of a place myth characterized by lost civilizations and exploration that this study refers to as ancient mystery. The study indicates that along with the ancient mystery place myth, the larger scale place image of Peru, referred to as andeanismo, contributes to the place image of Chachapoyas. The study suggests that awareness of the place image is a step toward strategically influencing it to produce favorable outcomes for local people who are impacted by the steady flow of tourists visiting their region.

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© Copyright 2011 Charles Hoadley