INTRODUCTION FESTIVAL TOURISM: PRODUCING, TRANSLATING, AND CONSUMING EXPRESSIONS OF CULTURE(S)

Festivals are commonly thought of as occasions that bring together and (re)interpret various symbolic elements of social existence of a group or community, with the effect of re-creating social relations and the symbolic foundations underpinning everyday life (Turner, 1969). The experience of so-called ``local'' and ``ethnic'' festivals has also become an important part of ``cultural tourism'' and hence of the international system of economic exchange and communication operated by tourism (Appadurai, 1996). However, many festivals are not constructed around distinctively ``local'' and/or ``ethnic'' sign patterns. Generic and socially decontextualised—``placeless''—festival forms are increasingly being invented and scheduled with a main purpose of attracting tourist audiences, as well as catering for various types of communities.