Urban Decline on Screen and Tourism Imaginaries Beyond the Tourist Bubble: A Conceptual Analysis of The Wire and Baltimore

Abstract

Film-induced tourism has been widely examined in relation to iconic destinations and positive place branding. However, significantly less attention has been paid to audiovisual productions that portray urban decline, social exclusion, and institutional failure, where tourism impacts tend to be indirect, unofficial, and ethically contested. This gap is particularly relevant in post-industrial cities whose global visibility is shaped not only by promotional strategies but also by critical media representations. This article adopts a conceptual approach combined with a critical case study to examine how the television series The Wire contributes to the construction of alternative urban tourism imaginaries in the city of Baltimore. Drawing on an integrated review of the literature on film-induced tourism, dark tourism, and slum tourism, the study explores how The Wire functions as a symbolic catalyst that challenges the dominant “tourist bubble” narrative traditionally associated with Baltimore’s Inner Harbor and visitor-oriented urban regeneration strategies. Rather than attempting to quantify tourism demand, the analysis focuses on the symbolic, discursive, and governance dimensions through which representations of urban decline and social inequality shape destination perceptions and potential tourism practices. The study offers actionable insights for destination managers and policymakers dealing with non-institutionalized tourism dynamics shaped by critical audiovisual representations in post-industrial cities.