Abstract:
Wherever one goes, the first and foremost, most immediate and intimately felt geography is the body. This lies at the heart of every experience. On the one hand, one can ‘feel at home’ in a cosy atmosphere but on the other hand one can ‘feel intimidated’ in a crowded room. Yet another person can intuitively ´feel´ more drawn to a certain experience ´x´ above another experience ´y´. These are all hidden factors derived from within the body – the visceral – that need to be brought to light in order to further our understanding of the tourist experience. Visceral is defined as the bodily realm where feelings, sensations, moods and states of being and so on are experienced. This research focuses on exploring the ‘visceral realms’ of the body that dictate the course of a tourist experience. The Vatican Museums in Rome is used as a case.
