Zsuzsa Deli-Gray (ed.)

Cases in Tourism Marketing III

Prague – Beer, Garlic Soup, and the Poetics of Film

Prague was Anna’s penultimate stop. When she stepped out of the main railway station that morning, a soft mist hung over the Vltava, and the castle towers shimmered faintly through the grey light. The city seemed to whisper, as if inviting her into its story. Later, she found herself in a small tavern in the old town, lit by brass lamps and filled with the comforting scent of roasted meat and beer. She sat alone at a wooden table, the surface sticky from years of use, the windows fogged with condensation. The waitress, a young woman named Jana with light-brown hair and a gentle smile, placed a bowl before her. “Česnečka – garlic soup,” she said. “A true Czech soul-warmer.” Anna tasted it. The broth was thick, earthy with cumin, warming her from within. “You know,” Jana continued, “my grandmother made this soup, then my mother, and someday I’ll make it for my daughter. But tourists mostly order it because of Kolya – that scene where the little boy tastes home for the first time. That was this soup.” Anna smiled; she knew she was in the right place. She scribbled on her napkin: “Films can transform a taste into a memory. We don’t just see – we taste, both on screen and in reality.” Jana soon brought the main dish: dumplings with pork stew and sauerkraut. “This one’s a classic too,” she said. “Czech films often show not just history, but what we were eating while living it. Real life itself. Like in Prague Stories – old streets, old flavours, yet somehow always familiar.” Soft music played. Beer foamed from the tap. Anna felt less like a tourist and more like someone returning to a place she had already visited – through a frame of film. The dumplings were soft, the meat tender, the air heavy with the aroma of roast and bread. “Film doesn’t just depict; it promises – and sometimes, if we’re lucky, the place fulfils that promise,” she later wrote in her notes. And within that promise lies gastronomy itself: the warmth of česnečka, the weight of dumplings, the cool bitterness of Czech beer.

After dinner, Anna strolled along the Vltava. The city lights rippled on the water, tourists and locals mingled on Charles Bridge as if sharing the same cinematic stage. She remembered that Prague had often appeared in international productions, sometimes disguised as another city. “Films rarely show exact reality,” she thought, “but an illusion of it – and yet, when you arrive, it feels like coming home to an old memory.” She stopped near a violinist playing famous film themes. Later, in a cozy pub decorated with vintage movie posters, she overheard a group of young Polish travellers chatting excitedly about visiting Prague because of Mission: Impossible. Listening to them, Anna realised that films open different doors for everyone: for some, nostalgia; for others, adventure, cuisine, or music. In that evening moment, Prague was no longer just a city – it had become a tapestry of shared experiences, where the screen and reality intertwined so seamlessly that it was hard to tell where one ended and the other began.

Tartalomjegyzék

Kiadó: Akadémiai Kiadó

Online megjelenés éve: 2026

ISBN: 978 963 664 217 4

Marketing Turizmus

The publication of the third volume of Cases in Tourism Marketing is truly welcome news from both an educational and a professional perspective. Through real-world, timely, and thought-provoking cases, this collection helps readers – students and practitioners alike – gain a deeper understanding of the complex world of decision-making in tourism marketing. The case studies not only convey professional knowledge but also develop analytical skills, problem-solving abilities, and critical thinking. One of the volume’s key strengths is its focus on issues that define contemporary tourism, including the role of digitalization, artificial intelligence, destination branding, and stakeholder collaboration in tourism marketing. Long-awaited and highly relevant, this third volume is a worthy continuation of the previous collections and will undoubtedly serve as a valuable resource in higher education in tourism, while also being highly recommended to professionals who enjoy reflecting on challenges and opportunities beyond their own immediate field of expertise.

Tamara Ratz PhD

Director, Centre for International Relations, Kodolányi János University

Head of Tourism Department, Professor of Tourism

It is an honor for me to recommend this volume to everyone who wishes to understand tourism marketing not only in theory, but also through its real business and human dimensions. The worlds of tourism and hospitality have undergone fundamental changes in recent years, which makes case studies based on real market situations, decision-making dilemmas and current challenges especially valuable in supporting both learning and critical thinking. This book provides not only professional knowledge, but also encourages a complex mindset, creative problem-solving and the ability to think in connections — exactly the skills today’s tourism professionals need most. I wholeheartedly recommend this volume to students, educators and tourism professionals alike.

Judit Fodor (Liptai)

Group Director of Sales and Marketing, Danubius Hotels

Hivatkozás: https://mersz.hu/deli-gray-cases-in-toursim-marketing-iii//

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