Journey into Parenthood: Commodification of Reproduction as a New Tourism Niche Market

ABSTRACT

This article examines the phenomenon of viewing life cycle stages associated with reproduction as commodities, and how this has paved the way for developing and marketing new tourism products and experiences. It traces the genesis of this trend and provides a conceptual review of this development by way of four examples—“babymoons,” hotel baby programs, reproductive tourism, and procreation tourism programs. It argues that parents-to-be and new parents form a new tourism niche market, and that these new products occupy the moral boundary of tourism marketing—packaging up previously sacred and non-commodified events for tourist consumption.

KEYWORDS:

• Life cycle stage
• commodification
• reproduction
• pregnancy
• childbirth
• niche
• medical tourism