Mens land, ice country. Polar touristic experience in Greenland

• Main Author: Delmas, Antoine
• Other Authors: RURALITES (RURALITES), Université de Poitiers, Allocation ministérielle, Michel Desse, Daniel Peyrusaubes
• Format: Thesis
• Language: French
• Published: HAL CCSD 2014
• Subjects: representation; tourism; polar; Greenland; experience; heritage; polaire; Groenland; patrimoine; tourisme; geo; litt; Découverte
• Online Access: https://tel.archives-ouvertes.fr/tel-01123844/file/TheseAntoineDelmas.pdf; https://tel.archives-ouvertes.fr/tel-01123844

By travelling in polar worlds, only ten million of tourists remain on the sidelines of international tourism flows. The tourists' representations are shaped by old myths and a dynamic polar topicality. When they land their built images are facing up the reality. In Greenland, tourists are attracted by the singularity of ice landscapes. Their touristic experiences are making the "cryotropism". In the continuity of this discovery, a lot of visitors are also looking for authenticity in the island. In their minds Greenland would have been preserved from any kind of modernity. By arranging and highlighting the value of spaces, the professionals of tourism activity are rebuilding places in order to satisfy tourist’s desire. In this way they are the touristic experience producers. Since the beginning of tourism, the offer has been greatly strengthened, services has been multiplied, and a network of tourism actors has been formed. Nowadays those changes are still significant, they are contributing to the emergence of new offers, services and touristic places. Using different scales of analysis structured from local to global and a plurality of investigation methods, these thesis focuses on spaces composition and re- composition resulting by tourism activity. À contre-courant des flux touristiques internationaux seuls dix millions de voyageurs se rendent dans les espaces polaires. Entre les mythes passés et l’actualité dynamique des hautes latitudes, les représentations des touristes se confrontent à la réalité du terrain. Au Groenland, les visiteurs sont attirés par la singularité des paysages de glace. Leur expérience touristique dessine les contours du cryotropisme. Dans la continuité de cette découverte, les visiteurs recherchent toute l’authenticité d’une île qui, dans leurs représentations, serait restée l’un des derniers endroits préservé par la modernité. Pour satisfaire ces désirs, les professionnels du tourisme dévoilent, arrangent ou composent avec la réalité des lieux. Ils fabriquent l’expérience ...