From ‘logging capital’ to ‘tourism phenomenon’ : the impact of literary tourism on Forks, WA., United States of America

Abstract

Literary tourism refers to any travel inspired by literature. This dissertation considers literary tourism from the perspective of a contemporary literary tourism attraction. It investigates the origins of literary tourism both in the historical context as well as in academic writing as interdisciplinary research between geography and literature. The current state of literary tourism research is also considered and the main research themes at present are identified, that is, authenticity and who the literary tourists are. This study also considers what the future might hold for literary tourism by looking at popular contemporary examples, including the works of J.K. Rowling, G.R.R. Martin, J.R.R. Tolkien, Dan Brown, Stieg Larsson and L.J. Smith. In this context, literary tourism’s reciprocal relationship with film tourism is unpacked. This dissertation then moves on to discuss the main focus of this investigation. A mere decade ago, the world was unaware of a book series called The Twilight Saga by Stephenie Meyer. Yet in a few short years, the literary tourism associated with this series has turned a small town in northwest Washington State into a tourism phenomenon. This study considers the development, extent and impact of literary tourism on this town, called Forks. It also considers other literary and film tourism sites associated with The Twilight Saga to show the vast range of the impact literature can have on tourism.