ABSTRACT Title of Dissertation / Thesis: THE ROUTES OF BERMUDIAN SOCIETY: THE THEMING OF BERMUDIAN SOCIETY AS A TOURIST DESTINATION Geoffrey Scott Rothwell, PhD, 2004 Dissertation Directed By: Professor William W. Falk, Sociology In this dissertation I consider the socio-historical development of Bermudian society in response to the demands of mass tourism. There has been an active effort to shape Bermudian society, the ‘natural’ environment, and the tourist industry to conform to an idealized aesthetic that would ensure the continued arrival of visitors. Consequently, there has been a calculated attempt to theme Bermuda, much in the same way that the Disney Amusement Parks are themed to meet the expectations of tourists. The means to establish this theme was the creation of a Tourism Board which utilized the four main components of McDonaldization – calculability, efficiency, predictability and control – to shape Bermudian society to conform to the expectations of Bermuda’s primary tourist market. Consequently, rather than locating mass tourism in terms of a consequence of an increase in available free-time, I have sought to locate tourism within the structural context of modernity. THE ROUTES OF BERMUDIAN SOCIETY: THE THEMING OF BERMUDIAN SOCIETY AS A TOURIST DESTINATION By Geoffrey Scott Rothwell Dissertation submitted to the Faculty of the Graduate School of the University of Maryland, College Park, in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy August, 2004 Advisory Committee: Professor William Falk, Chair Professor Erve Chambers Professor Kurt Finsterbusch Professor Laura Mamo Professor George Ritzer © Copyright by Geoffrey Scott Rothwell 2004 Dedication To my family ii Acknowledgements I would like to start by acknowledging Deryn Higgins, my travel agent, who always managed to find a flight to fit my course schedule. The people at US Air, with whom I flew for two and one half years of weekly commutes from Bermuda to Maryland and never missed a class. Agnes Zane, and Wanda Towles, without whom the long distance correspondence would have been that much longer. I am indebted to Bill Falk for taking me under his wing to chair my committee and provide sage council. To George Ritzer, without whom this dissertation would have a very different look. Erve Chambers, who was always supportive in researching tourism. Laura Mamo and Kurt Finsterbusch for agreeing to serve on my committee. And Sharon Virgil, for her editorial assistance. Finally, I must acknowledge my children, Andrew and Lauren, for tolerating my absence and doing their best to give me the time to complete my work. And last, but by no means least, Linda, for taking on the role of both mother and father for three days a week while I was in Maryland, for occupying said children to give me the necessary time, and for putting up with me in general. iii Table of Contents Dedication..................................................................................................................... ii Acknowledgements......................................................................................................iii Table of Contents......................................................................................................... iv List of Tables ............................................................................................................... vi List of Figures............................................................................................................. vii 1: Introduction............................................................................................................... 1 Theory ................................................................................................................... 4 Theming ................................................................................................................ 9 Statement of the Problem.................................................................................... 11 2: Literature Review ................................................................................................... 12 Tourism and Modernity ...................................................................................... 22 3: Methodology........................................................................................................... 24 Research Design – Case Study ........................................................................... 24 Study Site............................................................................................................ 27 Data ..................................................................................................................... 28 Measures ............................................................................................................. 29 Calculability.................................................................................................... 29 Efficiency........................................................................................................ 30 Predictability................................................................................................... 30 Control ............................................................................................................ 30 Analysis............................................................................................................... 31 4: Historical Development of Bermuda ...................................................................... 34 Tourism in Bermuda ........................................................................................... 44 Historical Development .................................................................................. 45 5: Governance ............................................................................................................. 71 Political Development......................................................................................... 71 6: Rationalization........................................................................................................ 80 Calculability........................................................................................................ 80 Efficiency............................................................................................................ 91 Getting There .................................................................................................. 92 Package Tours................................................................................................. 96 Tourists ........................................................................................................... 98 Monetary Exchange ........................................................................................ 99 Predictability..................................................................................................... 100 “Natural” Environment ................................................................................. 101 The Sea..................................................................................................... 104 Built Environment......................................................................................... 106 Noise......................................................................................................... 109 Front Street .............................................................................................. 109 Hotels ....................................................................................................... 110 Housing .................................................................................................... 112 Holidays ........................................................................................................ 113 People............................................................................................................ 116 iv Bermudians .............................................................................................. 117 Control .............................................................................................................. 121 Locals............................................................................................................ 125 ‘Expats’......................................................................................................... 131 Tourists ......................................................................................................... 132 Code of Conduct ........................................................................................... 133 Population ..................................................................................................... 135 Crime............................................................................................................. 135 The Media ..................................................................................................... 138 Irrationality of Rationality ................................................................................ 139 7: Conclusions........................................................................................................... 142 8: Irrational Consequences: Some Observations ...................................................... 151 Appendix A............................................................................................................... 159 Appendix B ..............................................................................................................