Colour and Tourism

Sociology of tourist hospitality

Abstract

The main objective of the project is to provide an understanding of the characteristics of the tourism phenomenon, with the help of knowledge on colour communication, and its structural dynamics and the processes of transformation that are taking place. Indeed, tourism is a complex social phenomenon, characteristic of modern societies, which must be studied in depth from a sociological standpoint, both theoretically and empirically, and not simply from an economic or corporatist perspective. With this in mind, the present research has a dual perspective. Firstly, an attempt to account for the main theories and sociological interpretations of the colour-related tourism phenomenon. Secondly, to introduce the methods of analysis and the main empirical research. Colour is one of the main factors that determine the way we behave towards our surroundings. It is emphasised that a colour is a form of energy that acts on our body functions (brain activity, autonomic nervous system, hormonal activity) and simultaneously stimulates aesthetic and emotional associations. It acts not only on objective and subjective emotions and impressions but influences our conception of volume, temperature, weight, time and even mood.