Many places around the world are being produced, converted, interpreted and made fit for tourist consumption. This fascinating book analyzes tourist performances such as walking, shopping, sunbathing, photographing, eating and clubbing, and studies why, and indeed how, some places become global centres whilst others don't. Arranged in four distinct parts, it considers:

* Performing Paradise * Performances of Global Heritage * Remaking Playful Places * New Playful Places

Incorporating a wide array of empirical research and innovative international case studies, it illuminates this phenomenon: from Eco-tourism on the beach to shopping in Hong Kong, from the making of 'Cool Reykjavik' to tourism in high-rise suburbs in Paris, and from Inca heritage to medical tourism.

Edited by two world authorities in tourism studies, this revealing book deploys a range of theories related to the 'mobility turn' in the social sciences in order to analyze the contingent and networked nature of how places are stabilized as fit for playful performances. Well-written and researched, with coherent analysis and presentation, this book will appeal to academics, students and those interested in the complex character of global change.