Souvenirs and place: suppliers’ perspectives

Cultural and creative products (CC products) are popular souvenirs in China. Most of them are mass-produced but are somewhat connected to place and represent certain elements of local culture. Tourism scholars usually ignore mass-produced souvenirs, which are often considered ‘banal’, ‘generic’, ‘inauthentic’ or ‘trashy’. Likewise, most souvenir studies are done from the perspective of consumers, yet suppliers’ perceptions of CC products can provide insight into souvenirs sold in the marketplace. Thus, this study explores suppliers’ perceptions of the role of place in souvenir production. Most study participants stressed the importance of place when designing CC products. Micro-innovation and homogenization emerged as important new themes. Micro-innovation is considered a good way to reduce homogenization–a common problem with mass-produced souvenirs.