TABLE OF CONTENTS Section Two, while only constituted of one chapter, provides a bridge between Sections One and Three. In Section One, Social Construction of Quality Tourism Experiences we saw that meaning and interpretations in the world are socially constructed entities which are constantly changing and being mediated by influencing agents. Additionally, in Section One, the mass media was reported as playing a significant role in such constructions. In this Section, Mediating Meaning, the focus continues on social interactions and mediations of experiences. These mediations and interactions bridge across formal and informal participants in the tourism industry and related sectors as well as participants drawn from hosting communities. Further development is given to the latter, particularly, linkages between hosting communities, tourism development and quality tourism experiences in Section Three, Interpretation of Meaning and Place, as well as in Section Four, Quality of life and Interpretation of Quality Tourism Experiences, and variously in Section Five, Political-Economic Construction of Quality Tourism Experiences.
In Chapter Four, Gayle Jennings and Betty Weiler draw on social constructivism and postmodern perspectives to inform their discourse in regard to the social construction of meaning as well as meaning making or sensemaking of tourist experiences as a result of formal and informal mediation or brokering of tourism experiences. In addition, traveler typologies, politics of representation and communication theory as well as the concept of cultural brokering provide additional filters in regard to the interpretations...
