CATS will hold the Tourism Online Forum Series (TOFS) vol.61 on Thursday, January 8. Anyone is welcome to attend. We look forward to your participation.

Postindustrial enrichment and the touristization of beer heritage

Abstract:
I this talk, I will use different cases of touristization of beer heritage in order to explore the phenomenon of enrichment as theorized by Luc Boltanski and Arnaud Esquerre. Enrichment refers to a transition in forms of value production in postindustrial countries, where new forms of commodification tend to focus on difference and the uniqueness of products, rather than on the standardization of products, which was characteristic of industrial capitalism. The presentation will contrast three different cases, Heineken Experience in Amsterdam, the Guinness Storehouse in Dublin, and lambic tourism in Belgium. Three components of the process of economic enrichment will be addressed: the use of time as a resource for value extraction, the construction of different spatial narratives of brand singularization, and the valuing of the subjective and individual experience of consumers through experiential environments.

Keywords: tourism, beer, cultural heritage, enrichment, experience

Hosted by: Center for Advanced Tourism Studies (CATS), Hokkaido University

Date/Time: Thursday 8 January 2026  |  9:00-10:30 (JST)

Venue: Online (Zoom Webinar)

Language: English

Capacity: 50 persons

Participation fee: Free to join (pre-registration system)

Speaker: Dr. Van Troi TRAN
Bio:
Van Troi Tran is a Professor in the Department of Urban and Tourism Studies at the University of Quebec in Montreal, where he teaches in the food studies programs. He is the author of two books, Manger et boire aux Expositions universelles [Eating and Drinking at Universal Exhibitions] (2012) and La mondialisation de l’alimentation [The globalization of food] (2024). He is currently President of the Folklore Studies Association of Canada.

Moderator: Dr. Meng Qu

Registration:
Please register at the URL below.
https://us06web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_HuGtAT88TMiu7_Sgd3AHRA

Contact:
Hokkaido University, Center for Advanced Tourism Studies (CATS)
online-forum(at)cats.hokudai.ac.jp
*Please replace the (at) part with @.