Dracula Tourism, Folklore and Cultural Heritage

Abstract

In this article, I examine the use of folklore and heritage in the context of Dracula tourism in Romania. I will approach this issue by using the concepts of authenticity and stereotypes. I will also employ the concept of folklore process as coined by Lauri Honko to better define the use of tradition in relation to folklorism and authenticity. My main argument is that tourism may, in fact, construct and affirm heritage and tradition of which folklore is a part. This of course is not a new approach, as tradition has been used in tourism and travel in many ways for a long time, including, for example, in pilgrimages.

***

V prispevku preučujem, kako se uporabljata folklora in dediščina in kako ju je mogoče videti v kontekstu turizma v Romuniji, povezanega z Drakulo. Teh vprašanj se bom lotil z uporabo in definiranjem konceptov avtentičnosti in stereotipov. Da bi laže opredelil izročilo v razmerju s folklorizmom in avtentičnostjo, ob tem uporabljam koncept »folklorni proces«, kakor ga je definiral Lauri Honko. Osrednji poudarek obravnave je, da turizem lahko ustvarja in utrjuje dediščino in izročilo, katerih del je tudi foklora. To seveda ni novost, saj je izročilo že dolgo na različne načine vključeno v turizem in potovanja, kakor npr. na romanjih.