Multiple Meanings Called Cavendish: The Interaction of Tourism with Traditional Culture

This paper considers the impact of tourism on local culture in Cavendish, Prince Edward Island, a farming/fishing community turned summer resort. It concludes that the place holds multiple meanings for different constituencies, such as tourists who come to photograph the Green Gables house as proof that they have seen the “real island; young people whose visits are a show of independence, marking the passage from childhood to adult life; and local residents who depend on tourism for their livelihood.” These and other searches for meaning that take place within community boundaries bring about an intersection of tourism and local culture that challenges conventional notions of traditional culture and massification, authenticity and artificiality.

Cet article examine l’influence qu’a exercé le tourisme sur la culture locale de Cavendish, Ile du Prince Edouard. Il discute les diverses significations que possède cet endroit pour les touristes aussi bien que pour les résidents de cette petite communauté.