Framing Portugal - Representational dynamics

Existing research on the representation of tourism destinations by the mass media has primarily focused on the ideological implications of advertising messages. This study adopts framing analysis to determine the representational dynamics utilized in travel articles. The purpose of this study is to identify the frames used in the selected American newspapers-New York Times, Washington Post, Los Angeles Times, and USA Today-travel sections' coverage of tourism in Portugal. As such, this study identifies and discusses some of the general narrative characteristics, as well representations of Portugal and the Portuguese. Findings suggest two types of frames: traditional and contemporary. Their sociocultural significance and implications are discussed. (C) 2004 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.