Social differentiation in the consumption of a pastoral idyll through tourist accommodation: Two Portuguese cases

Whilst it is widely recognised in the scholarly literature that idyllic representations of the countryside are an integral part of its consumption through tourism in the contemporary, global world, little empirical research has been conducted on the role that social differentiation plays in shaping the corresponding tourist experience. The purpose of this article is to bridge that knowledge gap while studying the demand for two of the most well-known tourist accommodation products in the Portuguese countryside, namely, TER and the Pousadas. Drawing on a range of sources of material, it shows that the pastoral idyll sought by tourists is experienced differently through the lens of social class representations. In addition, there is evidence here that the choice of accommodation at a destination may well be regarded as a means of social differentiation through tourism.