PERFORMING “LOCALNESS” TOURIST GUIDE PERFORMANCES IN WALKING TOURS

Abstract

The idea of tourism as modern religion as conceptualised by Dean MacCannell sees the experience of authenticity in touristic experiences as something of paramount importance. This thesis thus attempts to uncover ways in which tourist guides conducting walking tours of Chinatown and Little India in Singapore construct “authentic” experiences for tourists amidst modernity and commercialisation. However, these tours do not merely function to introduce tourists to Singapore. Guides engage in sight sacralisation throughout the tour, giving tourists a glimpse into the “backstage” of Singapore, utilising their personal narratives and experiences in the tours, performing not only their “local” identities, but also their emotional attachment to Singapore. Thus, through tours of Chinatown and Little India, Singapore as a totality is sacralised. Furthermore, these tours also showcase the political nature of guiding, and how guides re-present idealised versions of the Singaporean state for touristic consumption. Ultimately, this thesis seeks to reframe discussions about the “local” in tourism literature, arguing that tourist guides do not simply internalise global tourism imaginaries. Rather, they co-opt these imaginaries to engage in status negotiation, imbuing their work with meaning.