States, Stories and Sightseeing: tourism policy and narrative control in foreign policy

Abstract

Abstract

This dissertation explores the possibility of the use of tourism policy as a tool of foreign policy. By examining the case study of Saudi Arabia, it shows how a state’s tourism policy could perform similar functions as public diplomacy, allowing a state to address foreign publics. The dissertation proposes a new model, ‘The Narrative Control Mechanism’ to summarize how this is done.

In examining the case of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia closely, the dissertation shows that several of the Kingdom’s foreign policy goals can be affected by how the Saudi state is perceived among Western public audiences. It suggests that Saudi Arabia’s opening up to tourists, hosting of celebrities and high level events, and engagement in intensive marketing and PR operations to promote its tourism product have several objectives. It proposes that these tourism related developments are not only intended for domestic economic goals but are also tied to the objective of changing the state’s image among Western public audiences.

This dissertation is multidisciplinary, combining elements from international relations and foreign policy analysis; tourism; and communications. It draws on literature on ‘Informal Diplomacies’ and contributes to discussions in diplomatic studies about how different aspects of tourism could be used as vehicles of public diplomacy. It also provides a model that adds to the discussions about sports washing and whitewashing, by proposing a mechanism that summarizes how sports and tourism activities can alter a state’s image among foreign audiences. By using the case of Saudi Arabia, this research addresses the recent interest of a number of states in the Arabian Gulf in hosting large scale sports and entertainment events and their focus on expanding their tourism industries. The research also contributes to the political communications literature, especially that which looks at the different tools used by autocratic states to manage their image internationally.