Paradox of the spectacle: Western tourists’ simulated experience of Asian cultural performances

Background of the study: Contemporary research within tourism refers cross-cultural experiences as complex, overwhelming and stressful because acculturation could be so hard when tourists travel to a foreign culture where they might feel disoriented and anxious since host culture does not fit into their native home culture (Furnham & Bochner, 1986; Zane & Mak, 2003). Nevertheless, we argue that transition in tourist’s behavior and desire to engage in new type of experiences may transform such experiences into intense extraordinary positive experiences. Purpose of the study: The purpose of this paper is to explore and refer Asian weddings as a package of spectacular and fascinating experiences for the Western tourists. Weddings are well-known as religious ceremonies, however, distinct cultural practices and a series of rituals that are performed in Asian weddings can be so fascinating for the Western attendees to immerse into the experience and transform it into intense extraordinary positive experience. Main research question: How was your experience of taking part in the Asian wedding? Methodology: The empirical data is collected in Norway through in-depth semi-structured interviews and participant observations from the Western people who travelled to an unfamiliar culture to experience Asian weddings. Prior to the research, author developed his pre-understanding of the phenomenon through archival data available on the internet sources including information on distinct Asian/Western cultures and rituals, wedding magazines, and movies on cross-cultural weddings. The data analysis is based on hermeneutic interpretation derived from participants' stories of their experience within socio-cultural practices. Results: The findings indicate that most tourists negated the cross-cultural wedding experience as stressful and overwhelming. Despite, they referred such experience as once-in-a-lifetime experience. They described that the Asian wedding they attended was a series of fascinating and spectacular experiences that resulted into deep immersion because of various cultural performances and rituals which transformed their experience into extremely enjoyable experience and also provided opportunities for new learnings. Conclusions: This paper demonstrates and concludes that rich cultural activities performed in the Asian weddings become a Western spectacle which motivate the tourists from the Western countries to travel for engaging in cross-cultural experiences. Research implications and limitations: This paper highlights that how Asian weddings become a Western spectacle. Weddings are generally known as religious ceremonies, however, this paper explores that how distinct cultural practices and a series of rituals that are performed in Asian weddings can transform a religious event into a spectacular experience. References: Furnham, A., & Bochner, S. (1986). Culture shock. Psychological reactions to unfamiliar environments. Culture shock. Psychological reactions to unfamiliar environments. Zane, N., & Mak, W. (2003). Major approaches to the measurement of acculturation among ethnic minority populations: A content analysis and an alternative empirical strategy.