Urry (1991:51) notes,” the search for authenticity" is too simple a foundation for explaining contemporary tourism, it is still critical when it comes to explaining cultural, ethnic or historical tourism. However, it is clear that what is presented as real and authentic is often a kind of staged authenticity (MacCannell, 1999) which is created and performed by local people in conjunction with the tourism industry to fulfill the fantasies and desires of visitors.
The tourism industry very much dependent on the creation and perpetuation such fantasy ideals and the production and consumption of tourism images sustains a multibillion-dollar global industry. Edwards suggests that the long-haul travel industry is increasingly dependent on ethnographic imagery to its product. Urry argues that tourism is all about the consumption of signs images and texts, and therefore much of what is involved in examining the issue of authenticity in tourism is about an investigation of cultural