«Un enorme cantiere in espansione». Riflessioni etnografiche sul turismo a margine di un’esperienza formativa in Marocco - «A Country Under Construction»: Ethnographic reflections on tourism following a training experience in Morocco
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.1473/ea.v14i1.538Parole chiave:
Anthropology of Tourism, Local Identity, Morocco, GenderAbstract
This article examines the social and cultural implications of tourism development in contemporary Morocco through short ethnographic observations conducted in the imperial city of Meknès. In recent years, Morocco has increasingly invested in tourism as a strategic tool for economic growth and international visibility, particularly in connection with the organization of major international events and the broader strategy of promoting Morocco as a global tourist destination. Focusing on a city that remains relatively peripheral to Morocco’s main tourist circuits, the article explores how tourism imaginaries are locally interpreted and anticipated. Encounters with artisans, hospitality workers, and cultural heritage professionals reveal how practices of hospitality, staged craft performances, and narratives of authenticity sustain the promise of tourism even in contexts where tourist flows remain limited. Particular attention is devoted to the gendered dimensions of tourism-related work: through the experiences of women working in hospitality and cultural management, the article shows how tourism can simultaneously reproduce expectations associated with feminine care and open new spaces of visibility and professional agency. By combining reflections on tourism development with grounded ethnographic insights, the article highlights how global aspirations for tourism are negotiated within the everyday practices of those living and working in emerging tourist landscapes.
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