London, Edinburgh, Cardiff and Liverpool as the Cities That Make Use of Icons - Essay Example

Is it just a matter of gaining money from tourism, or is there more to it than that? The idea of cultural capital in the sense of a store of valuable ideas means something to locals and visitors. Who buys iconic objects and why? Key concepts: souvenirs, history, memory, and pride.

Four cities to be chosen (initial thoughts are London, Edinburgh, Cardiff, and Liverpool). Think about the criteria for selection, and amend the choice if necessary. Plan a journey to each of the four cities, in such a way as to minimize costs. Devise a small budget to pay for travel and buy icons from 4 tourist shops in each city. Idea: ask the shopkeeper what items under £5.00 people buy most, and note down the answer. Repeat in 4 shops in each city (budget maximum £80 for icons, possibly less if the item is the same in two chosen shops since there is no need to buy twice). Take digital photographs of the city’s main iconic objects or locations. Gather tourist brochures on each city for case study analysis.

On return from field trips, prepare a case study of each city, describing the icons and discussing how each city uses them. When all four case studies are complete, compare and discuss them drawing out similarities and differences. In the conclusion, write up what the impact of the icons has been for each city.