DECODBVG AND MANUFACTURING CULTURES: BVTERPRETING SBVGAPORE FOR TOURISTS

Tourists visit a destination for only relatively short periods of time and they lack the local knowledge to truly appreciate the destination's local cul-tures. Under such conditions, tourists can easily misinterpret, ignore or not even notice many cultural aspects of the host society. However, tourists rely on cultural mediators and interpreters to help them understand and appreci-ate the destination's local cultures. This paper examines how the Singapore Tourism Board mediates the tourist cultural experience in Singapore. The process of helping tourists interpret and decode local cultures is not simple or straight-forward. This process not only describes local cultures to tourists, it also involves enticing tourists and drawing economic benefits from the enterprise. These goals may lead to the manufacturing of cultures for tourist consump-tion. This paper argües that the decoding of cultures for tourists extends beyond describing local cultures to tourists, it can initiate change in local soci-ety too. In sum, this paper asks these questions: What types of interpretations are offered to tourists? How would new tourist cultural producís, which are invented to enhance the promoted image of the destination, fit into and influ-ence the host society