1Cultural landscapes of a tourism destination: South Australia’s

Tourism constructs places as destinations which then compete for customers globally and locally. Cultural landscapes are the raw material from which destinations are constructed, and within which visitor experiences and memories are created. Tourism marketers aim to identify points of difference for each destination. The ways in which they do this vary partly with the nature of the place they are selling, and partly with the markets they want to reach. Being able to identify key elements of cultural landscapes should be able to help tourism marketers differentiate their product more effectively, and improve decision making in tourism planning. It should also help the communities who live in destinations to manage tourism in such a way that local identities are acknowledged and respected, so that it is culturally and socially, as well as economically sustainable. Some cultural tourism operators build their tour around interpreting mostly historical cultural landscapes1 and some concentrate on Australian Indigenous art2. But mostly, the term ‘cultural landscapes ’ appears in tourism promotional materials in conjunction with ‘unique ’ or ‘authentic’. These two words are used so widely as to have lost any real meaning, as in ‘You will find the area is unique in Australia ’ (BWTA 1999) and ‘Whether you are looking for quiet indulgence, or a happy family holiday, the Barossa can offer an authentic experience ’ (Fineline Printing 19893). They certainly don’t help would-be travellers make choices about likely destinations, or about what they will see and do when they are there. Why do cultural landscapes matter in tourism? Is a cultural landscape the same for people who live in a tourism destination as it is for those wh