{"id":{"repo_id":"wku-diss","oai_identifier":"oai:digitalcommons.wku.edu:theses-1237"},"canonical_url":"https://search.dev.ndltd.org/etd/wku-diss/oai:digitalcommons.wku.edu:theses-1237","repository":{"repo_id":"wku-diss","name":"Western Kentucky University","base_url":"https://digitalcommons.wku.edu/do/oai/"},"display":{"title":"Tourism and Rural Identity in the Waasland, Belgium","abstract":"The northern portion of Belgium, a region known as Flanders, is one of the most densely settled, industrialized areas in the world. Existing in small, isolated tracts, are \"green spaces\" mainly devoted to agricultural output. The Flemish way of life and environment has become increasingly \"urbanized.\" Tourism commissions operating in the countryside have drawn on Flemish heritage and identity, as well as the rural landscape to act as marketing tools. In terms of perception and the notion of a distinctly Flemish rural \"space'\" how are tourist flow patterns influenced? Does the process of perception result in an exclusive urban to rural pattern, or is there deviation (e.g. rural to rural)? Finally, what mechanisms are utilized by the tourism industry to create the demand for rural tourist activity -- is culture invented, or does an emerging Flemish identity reveal itself as part of the linguistic movement?","abstract_html":"The northern portion of Belgium, a region known as Flanders, is one of the most densely settled, industrialized areas in the world. Existing in small, isolated tracts, are "green spaces" mainly devoted to agricultural output. The Flemish way of life and environment has become increasingly "urbanized." Tourism commissions operating in the countryside have drawn on Flemish heritage and identity, as well as the rural landscape to act as marketing tools. In terms of perception and the notion of a distinctly Flemish rural "space'" how are tourist flow patterns influenced? Does the process of perception result in an exclusive urban to rural pattern, or is there deviation (e.g. rural to rural)? Finally, what mechanisms are utilized by the tourism industry to create the demand for rural tourist activity -- is culture invented, or does an emerging Flemish identity reveal itself as part of the linguistic movement?","abstract_has_math":false,"creators":["Thomas, Joel Stuart"],"institution":null,"degree_name":"Master of Science","degree_level":null,"degree_discipline":"Department of Geography and Geology","degree_department":null,"school":null,"contributors":["Dr. Katie Algeo (Director), Dr. David Keeling, Dr. Stuart Foster, Dr. Richard Deal"],"advisors":[],"committee_chairs":[],"committee_members":[],"year":2004,"date_issued":"2004-12-01T08:00:00Z","date_published":"2004-12-01T08:00:00Z","updated_at":"2026-07-24T06:07:16Z","subjects":["Rural tourism","Cultural tourism","Geography","Human Geography"],"languages":[],"rights":[],"rights_urls":[],"identifier_entries":[]},"links":{"outbound_url":"https://digitalcommons.wku.edu/theses/233","outbound_label":"Repository record","outbound_source":"dc:identifier"},"metadata_groups":[{"id":"people","label":"People","entries":[{"key":"dc:contributor","label":"Contributor","values":["Dr. Katie Algeo (Director), Dr. David Keeling, Dr. Stuart Foster, Dr. Richard Deal"]},{"key":"dc:creator","label":"Author","values":["Thomas, Joel Stuart"]}]},{"id":"academic_context","label":"Academic Context","entries":[{"key":"dc:type","label":"Dc Type","values":["Thesis"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_discipline","label":"Discipline","values":["Department of Geography and Geology"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_name","label":"Degree Name","values":["Master of Science"]}]},{"id":"subjects_keywords","label":"Subjects and Keywords","entries":[{"key":"dc:subject","label":"Dc Subject","values":["Rural tourism","Cultural tourism","Geography","Human Geography"]}]},{"id":"identifiers","label":"Identifiers","entries":[{"key":"dc:identifier","label":"Identifier","values":["https://digitalcommons.wku.edu/theses/233"]}]},{"id":"additional","label":"Additional Metadata","entries":[{"key":"dc:description.abstract","label":"Abstract","values":["The northern portion of Belgium, a region known as Flanders, is one of the most densely settled, industrialized areas in the world. Existing in small, isolated tracts, are \"green spaces\" mainly devoted to agricultural output. The Flemish way of life and environment has become increasingly \"urbanized.\" Tourism commissions operating in the countryside have drawn on Flemish heritage and identity, as well as the rural landscape to act as marketing tools. In terms of perception and the notion of a distinctly Flemish rural \"space'\" how are tourist flow patterns influenced? Does the process of perception result in an exclusive urban to rural pattern, or is there deviation (e.g. rural to rural)? Finally, what mechanisms are utilized by the tourism industry to create the demand for rural tourist activity -- is culture invented, or does an emerging Flemish identity reveal itself as part of the linguistic movement?"]},{"key":"dc:title","label":"Title","values":["Tourism and Rural Identity in the Waasland, Belgium"]}]}],"canonical_facts":{"dc:contributor":["Dr. Katie Algeo (Director), Dr. David Keeling, Dr. Stuart Foster, Dr. Richard Deal"],"dc:creator":["Thomas, Joel Stuart"],"dc:description.abstract":["The northern portion of Belgium, a region known as Flanders, is one of the most densely settled, industrialized areas in the world. Existing in small, isolated tracts, are \"green spaces\" mainly devoted to agricultural output. The Flemish way of life and environment has become increasingly \"urbanized.\" Tourism commissions operating in the countryside have drawn on Flemish heritage and identity, as well as the rural landscape to act as marketing tools. In terms of perception and the notion of a distinctly Flemish rural \"space'\" how are tourist flow patterns influenced? Does the process of perception result in an exclusive urban to rural pattern, or is there deviation (e.g. rural to rural)? Finally, what mechanisms are utilized by the tourism industry to create the demand for rural tourist activity -- is culture invented, or does an emerging Flemish identity reveal itself as part of the linguistic movement?"],"dc:identifier":["https://digitalcommons.wku.edu/theses/233"],"dc:subject":["Rural tourism","Cultural tourism","Geography","Human Geography"],"dc:title":["Tourism and Rural Identity in the Waasland, Belgium"],"dc:type":["Thesis"],"thesis:degree_discipline":["Department of Geography and Geology"],"thesis:degree_name":["Master of Science"]},"updated_at":"2026-07-24T06:07:16Z"}