Obstacles to the touristification of historical borders

Result code in IS VaVaI

<a href="https://www.isvavai.cz/riv?ss=detail&h=RIV%2F00216224%3A14230%2F25%3A00142378" target="_blank" >RIV/00216224:14230/25:00142378 - isvavai.cz</a>

Result on the web

<a href="https://rgs-ibg.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/geoj.70054" target="_blank" >https://rgs-ibg.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/geoj.70054</a>

DOI - Digital Object Identifier

<a href="http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/geoj.70054" target="_blank" >10.1111/geoj.70054</a>

Result language

angličtina

Original language name

Obstacles to the touristification of historical borders

Original language description

Historical boundaries often play a crucial role in shaping regional identities and can be significant tourist attractions. Despite a long tradition of researching borders in tourism, current studies on historical (particularly former de jure administrative and state) boundaries as tourist attractions are insufficient. Hence, this article aims to help fill this lacuna by investigating obstacles to the commodification of historical borders in tourism. A fruitful distinction between two types of historical boundary – relict and phantom borders – is proposed: the relict border refers to a boundary itself (or its relicts in the landscape) which may unite people through tourism, whereas the phantom border continues to divide somehow dissimilar (phantom) regions. Since different people may generally interpret the historical boundary differently, it is crucial to ask ordinary, local people about their perceptions of such a boundary, as it may prevent and resolve potential conflicts among stakeholders. Hindrances to the touristification of historical boundaries are investigated using the boundary between the Czech historical lands of Bohemia and Moravia as an example, asking 454 residents of the historical borderland about the functions and meanings they associate with this boundary. The Bohemian–Moravian boundary may be seen as both a relict border, since it persists and manifests itself in the landscape, and a phantom border, since it separates Bohemia and Moravia with unique regional identities. Two fundamental obstacles to this historical border's commodification in tourism are revealed: an ignorance of its location and a perceived negative meaning associated with Moravian regionalism or even separatism among some respondents. Although the result is context-dependent, it implies that concerning historical boundary touristification in general, people must first learn (or refresh their knowledge about) where a historical boundary lies, consider the potentially negative meanings (fears) associated with such a border, properly evaluate the consequent threats, and prevent any future negative impacts.

Czech name

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Czech description

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Type

J_imp - Article in a specialist periodical, which is included in the Web of Science database

CEP classification

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OECD FORD branch

50701 - Cultural and economic geography

Project

—

Continuities

S - Specificky vyzkum na vysokych skolach

Publication year

2025

Confidentiality

S - Úplné a pravdivé údaje o projektu nepodléhají ochraně podle zvláštních právních předpisů

Name of the periodical

THE GEOGRAPHICAL JOURNAL

ISSN

0016-7398

e-ISSN

1475-4959

Volume of the periodical

191

Issue of the periodical within the volume

4

Country of publishing house

GB - UNITED KINGDOM

Number of pages

14

Pages from-to

1-14

UT code for WoS article

001599536500001

EID of the result in the Scopus database

2-s2.0-105019774277