Today's perceptions of the western tourist and the role tourism has played in shaping western communities will be addressed July 10 in a public event sponsored by the Center of the American West at the University of Colorado at Boulder.
Patrick Long, professor in the CU-Boulder College of Business, and David Wrobel, associate professor of history at the University of Nevada at Las Vegas, will draw from the contents of the center's newly published book "Seeing and Being Seen: Tourism in the American West."
The free event, accompanied by visual images, will be from 7 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. in Old Main Chapel. A reception will follow in the CU-Boulder Heritage Center.
Tourism and tourists have played a significant role in shaping the American West. Seen by some as a blessing and others as a curse, tourism has influenced natural resources, history, culture and local economies. Long and Wrobel will present an historic perspective of tourism and how it has shaped western communities.
The book, "Seeing and Being Seen: Tourism in the American West," is a collection of essays resulting from a conference on tourism sponsored by the Center of the American West in 1997. The book was co-edited by Long and Wrobel and will be available for purchase at the event.
For information call the Center of the American West at (303) 492-4879 or visit .