Discovering the ‘heart’ in heartland tourism

ABSTRACT The emergence of the Singapore heartland as a tourist environment is explored. The ‘heartland’ refers to suburban residential neighbourhoods, often sited away from mainstream attractions and iconic landmarks, and seldom visited by mass tourists. The increasing trend of visitors to the heartlands and companies offering heartland tours is studied. Applying the concepts of ‘frontstage’ (featuring mainstream attractions) and ‘backstage’ (offering alternative sites), the production and consumption of heartland spaces are interrogated. The notion of ‘tourism place making’ is also introduced as we look at how tour companies attempt to ‘make places’ in the heartlands that appeal to visitors, and how tourists in turn ‘place make’ as they experience the landscapes. We argue, however, that there are limits to place making. Just as tour companies are incapable of transforming spaces into affective landscapes of tourism, likewise travellers encounter cultural shocks and other difficulties that mitigate against their place attachment. Further research on tourism place making in non-mainstream sites is required if we are to fully appreciate the complex relations between tourism, people and places.