What is Old and What is New? Representations of Masculinity in Travel Brochures

One aim of this chapter is to understand how men and masculinities are portrayed in Italian travel brochures. A second aim is to understand if new and changing masculinities are an area of interest for the tourism industry. Previous research (Richter, 1995) demonstrates that, despite the diversity of the market, the portrayal of the industry-produced marketing materials, aimed at potential tourists, privileges the gaze of hegemonic masculinity over others. However, according to Pritchard and Morgan (2000), further analyses of gendered tourism marketing are needed: today, in many countries, gender identities and relationships are formed and maintained in an environment of greater choice of how people can live their lives than has been possible in past generations. Following Pritchard et al. (2007), research on tourism-based representation of gender needs to further explore the ways in which masculinities are recreated in the everyday practices of men. Research should aim to generate greater and more nuanced insights into men’s lives and the complexities of contemporary masculinities (Thurnell-Read, 2011).