Remembering the Fire: Music Tourism and the Bob Marley heritage in Jamaica

Despite the growing significance of music tourism,few detailed studies have investigated the phenomenon and its contribution in particular localities, whether in terms of its impact on local economies and society, or in the appreciation and experiences of tourists in particular sites. Why do tourists visit places associated with music and what do they gain from this experience? How does such tourism contribute to local development? Based on fieldwork conducted in 2003, this paper explores musical tourism in the Caribbean, and specifically at its most important physical site, the Bob Marley Museum in Kingston. It offers an analysis of the role of nostalgia and memory in tourism, and of the manner in which religious and political themes transcend music and inform tourism. Further, the paper seeks to examine the significance of tourism at the Bob Marley Museum making arguments about the role of such sites for tourists and the local economy. Ultimately, the paper acknowledges the economic, cultural and political roles of music tourism in reshaping particular geographies while stimulating nostalgia, invigorating the local musical industry and celebrating the memory and legacy of a Jamaican icon