Luxury Tourism Research

Visual Sociology Gallery

This section presents visual material collected during my fieldwork in Monte Carlo.
The images are organised into thematic galleries that illustrate key ideas in the sociology of luxury tourism: visibility, performance, distinction, power and exclusion.

Visibility & Status Display

Images that capture how luxury is made visible in public space: cars, yachts, terraces and bodies that perform status in Monte Carlo.

Entrance to the iconic Café de Paris on Place du Casino
Entrance area to the Hôtel de Paris within the exclusive guest perimeter inside of Place du Casino.
The elite tourist observes and is observed.

All visual references discussed in this article originate from the author’s fieldwork archive. They form part of the Monte Carlo Gallery Collection, the visual archive of Xavier Reinaldo-Virgili (2017–2025). Selected materials are accessible through the project’s visual repository on Instagram: @nice_monaco .

All photographs and video content belong to the author’s fieldwork archive.
© Xavier Reinaldo Virgili 2017–2025.