The papers in this volume study how all language levels are constantly involved in promoting insignificant places as desirable tourist destinations. Drawing on different communicative practices from various cultures, the case studies show that language use and the concept of the 'tourist gaze' are in a permanent strategic interplay.

GUDRUN HELD, Ph.D. (1952), University of Salzburg, is Professor of Italian and French linguistics at the Department of Romance Languages. Her research draws on linguistic pragmatics (namely politeness- and face-theory), and multimodal media textuality. She has published a monograph (Narr, 1995), several edited volumes and many articles.
Contributors are: Donella Antelmi, Tania Baumann, Sascha Demarmels, Maria Rosaria Compagnone, Marcella Costa, Giuliana Fiorentino, Olga Denti, Uta Helfrich, Ursina Kellerhals, Manfred Kienpointner, Sonja Kolberg, Vesna Mikolič, Miriam Ravetto, Christina Muriel Samson, Francesca Santulli, Martina Temmerman, Sabine Wahl, Adam Wilson.