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Literary tourism

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Literary tourism - the visiting of places associated with writers and their writings

Literary tourism is a type of cultural tourism to places related to events or fictional characters in books.

It also involves visiting places and areas related to the lives of the book authors.

One of the best examples of literary tourism are tours and walks in Paris and London based on "Da Vinci Code" bestseller by Dan Brown.

But the literary tourists also go to the places where the authors were born or where (or are) they living. Once again, Dan Brown's case is a good example as this website shows ("Literary Tourism Flourishes in Robert Frost Country").

One of the most interesting types of literary tourism is The Dublin Literary Pub Crawl - a pub tour with two actors who introduce the writers and perform scenes from their works. The following famous Dublin, Ireland writers are featured: Joyce, Beckett, Behan, Mary Lavin, Oscar Wilde, Eavan Boland, Paula Meehan...

According to Jacqueline Maley literary tourism, fuelled by television and film adaptations (Harry Potter and much more...), contributes up to £2.6 billion ($6.3 billion) a year to the British economy.

Photo author: nespyxel from flickr.com

Contents at a Glance

Two varietes of a literary tourist
Travel companies that specialize in lite...
Books on literary tourism - from Amazon....
Literary tourism on Flickr Photos
Very interesting literary tourism resour...

Two varietes of a literary tourist

In one of the most interesting text on literary tourism Read book, will travel, Stephen Coan cites Mike Robinson, chair of tourism studies and director of the Centre for Tourism and Cultural Change at Sheffield Hallam University in Britain who describes literary tourists:

"First is the literary pilgrim who makes a special trip to view places associated with a given author. "There are over 100 Charles Dickens' societies around the world who make special trips and planned tours to London," ... "These are the hardcore literary pilgrims. For the majority it's another dimension to their vacation that they discover when they arrive."

"You also need to make a distinction between literary tourism related to text and literary tourism related to author"..."Sometimes the lives of authors are more interesting than their texts."

Travel companies that specialize in literary tours

Novel Explorations: Great Britain destination specialist providing themed group tours and cruises revolving around literary connections and writers, theater, enjoyment of tea, and gardens.
Casterbridge Tours: Worldwide educational and cultural programs for schools, colleges, adult tour groups and individuals.
HP Fan Trips: Visit the United Kingdom (UK) including Scotland, Oxford, London and more to experience the real-life roots of JK Rowling's Harry Potter series. Take an exclusive ride on the train used as the Hogwarts Express in the filming of the Harry Potter movies".

Books on literary tourism - from Amazon.com

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Very interesting literary tourism resources

Dreaming of Darcy, dreading the gas bill: The Sydney Morning Herald.
Littourism: Literary Kicks (1).
Literary Tourism: Literary Kicks (2).
FRANZ KAFKA'S PRAGUE: A Literary Walking Tour. New York Society Library Travels.
South West Literary Tourism Map: About a map inviting visitors to the South-West to explore the literary landmarks of Devon and Cornwall.
Professor Researches Literary Tourism, Victorian Women Writers: Whitworth University English Department Spotlight.
Dublin Literary Pub Crawl: Walking literary tours of Dublin.
Maire McQueeney's Novel Outings: Literary walks around Sussex.
KZN Literary Tourism: Where literature meets tourism.
New Zealand Literary Map: Literary tourism in the Northland and Auckland region of the Aotearoa, New Zealand.
CFP: Literary Tourism and 19th-C. Culture (UK): About International One-Day Conference at the Institute for English Studies, University of London, U.K. (8th June 2007).
Literary Tourism Flourishes in Robert Frost Country: Literary Tourism in New Hampshire.
Loved the Book? Go There, Literally, with a Literary Tour: From Frommers - great info, as always.