Psammotourism: Desert sand as a specific resource and touristic experience
This article describes the conditions for the emergence of a new local territorial resource that is based on the exploitation of the presence of sand dunes and examines its construction. Merzouga, located in the pre-Saharan desert of southeast Morocco, has become a global hotspot for desert tourism....
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| Format: | Article |
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2016-12-01
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| Online Access: | https://journals.openedition.org/viatourism/1372 |
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| author | Laurent Gagnol Pierre-Antoine Landel |
| author_facet | Laurent Gagnol Pierre-Antoine Landel |
| author_sort | Laurent Gagnol |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | This article describes the conditions for the emergence of a new local territorial resource that is based on the exploitation of the presence of sand dunes and examines its construction. Merzouga, located in the pre-Saharan desert of southeast Morocco, has become a global hotspot for desert tourism. The touristic immersion in the sand here is twofold. There is the classic excursions type of tourism, aimed at an international clientele, and the wellness tourism, aimed at Moroccan therapy enthusiasts, which consists of the practice of sand baths. The sand resource is linked up with other cultural and identity-related resources, which anchor it locally and make it a specific territorial resource that is locally controlled and recognised externally. However, the massification of psammotourism, through most notably the creation of a ‘desertfront’ (akin to a holiday resort’s seafront), threatens to banalise the resources that have made this tourist destination so unique and so successful. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-a1cec1aebfaf4e89b9d30776f9f77a43 |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 2259-924X |
| language | deu |
| publishDate | 2016-12-01 |
| publisher | Association Via@ |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Via@ |
| spelling | doaj-art-a1cec1aebfaf4e89b9d30776f9f77a432025-01-30T14:05:52ZdeuAssociation Via@Via@2259-924X2016-12-011010.4000/viatourism.1372Psammotourism: Desert sand as a specific resource and touristic experienceLaurent GagnolPierre-Antoine LandelThis article describes the conditions for the emergence of a new local territorial resource that is based on the exploitation of the presence of sand dunes and examines its construction. Merzouga, located in the pre-Saharan desert of southeast Morocco, has become a global hotspot for desert tourism. The touristic immersion in the sand here is twofold. There is the classic excursions type of tourism, aimed at an international clientele, and the wellness tourism, aimed at Moroccan therapy enthusiasts, which consists of the practice of sand baths. The sand resource is linked up with other cultural and identity-related resources, which anchor it locally and make it a specific territorial resource that is locally controlled and recognised externally. However, the massification of psammotourism, through most notably the creation of a ‘desertfront’ (akin to a holiday resort’s seafront), threatens to banalise the resources that have made this tourist destination so unique and so successful.https://journals.openedition.org/viatourism/1372Moroccosand bathsterritorial resourceSaharan tourismsandMerzouga |
| spellingShingle | Laurent Gagnol Pierre-Antoine Landel Psammotourism: Desert sand as a specific resource and touristic experience Via@ Morocco sand baths territorial resource Saharan tourism sand Merzouga |
| title | Psammotourism: Desert sand as a specific resource and touristic experience |
| title_full | Psammotourism: Desert sand as a specific resource and touristic experience |
| title_fullStr | Psammotourism: Desert sand as a specific resource and touristic experience |
| title_full_unstemmed | Psammotourism: Desert sand as a specific resource and touristic experience |
| title_short | Psammotourism: Desert sand as a specific resource and touristic experience |
| title_sort | psammotourism desert sand as a specific resource and touristic experience |
| topic | Morocco sand baths territorial resource Saharan tourism sand Merzouga |
| url | https://journals.openedition.org/viatourism/1372 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT laurentgagnol psammotourismdesertsandasaspecificresourceandtouristicexperience AT pierreantoinelandel psammotourismdesertsandasaspecificresourceandtouristicexperience |