‘Homesick tourism’: memory,identity and (be)longing

‘Homesick tourism’ commonly refers to the travel of Germans who visit their former homes in what is now Poland and other Eastern European countries, from which they were expelled in the wake of the second World War. The paper first differentiates homesick tourism from related types, with which it is often conflated, notably roots tourism, personal heritage tourism and migrant return travel. Drawing on travel reports written by German homesick tourists, the role of memory is identified as the defining criterion. It is shown that homesick tourists are characterised by a unique ‘tourist gaze’. Such clear definition and differentiation are useful in order to better understand and analyse the homesick tourism phenomenon, because homesick tourism is arguably a much wider international phenomenon, albeit unrecognised and sometimes politically contested. Much can be learnt from the German experience in this regard. As the homesick tourism phenomenon is soon going to be over, due to the passing of the survivor generation, the paper ends with the suggestion that Poland is in an ideal position to develop a genuine form of roots tourism targeted at future German tourists.     

An emerging tourism planning paradigm? A comparative analysis between town and tourism planning

This article examines the roots and the evolution of tourism and town planning theory and practice. It discusses how both fields have interacted with each other, and provides some clues about the way in which tourism and town planning theory and practice are likely to evolve in the future. It is argued that tourism planning theory is still looking for its own identity and ways of evolving in the future. Copyright © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Does security matter in tourism demand?

This paper aims to investigate the relationship between security and international tourist arrivals. The system Generalized Method of Moments technique is applied in two panels of 29 developed and 45 developing countries over the period 2006–2012. Employing social, economic and political security indexes beside other control variables, the results show that the relationship among all the three sub-indexes of security and tourism is positive and significant in developed nations while it is negative and significant in developing countries.     

Does tourism cause growth? Evidence from Turkey

This paper examines the impact of detailed tourism expenditure on the long-run economic growth by employing Autoregressive Distributed Lag (ARDL) approach and causality test for data set of 2003:1 to 2012:4 in Turkey. The detailed tourism expenditure data are firstly employed for the causality of tourism expenditure on economic growth. The results of the bounds test show that there is a stable long-run relationship between accommodation expenses, transport expenditure, expenditure of sporting activities, sightseeing tour expenditure, clothing–footwear expenditure, gift expenditure and economic growth. The results of the causality test, on the other hand, show that there is a bidirectional causality between accommodation expenses, expenditure of sporting activities, gift expenditure and economic growth and a causal flow from transport expenditure to economic growth which is verified growth-led tourism hypothesis. Results reveal that sightseeing tour expenditure and expenditure of sporting activities are more successful on explaining the long-run growth in Turkey in terms of ARDL coefficients size. This result implies a policy that Turkey needs to invest tourism to gain more especially by focusing accommodation, sightseeing tours, sporting activities and transport infrastructure.     

Informal tourism entrepreneurs’ capital usage and conversion

ABSTRACT

This article examines informal entrepreneurs’ capital usage and conversion in the Thai tourism sector. On the Bourdieusian assumption that people perpetually transform tangible and intangible forms of capital, this study seeks to answer how informal tourism entrepreneurs transform intangible capital into tangible capital, and vice versa, at different stages of their development process. A visual dataset of 78 filmed interviews and of 426 photographs of informal entrepreneurs in three tourist-island destinations in Thailand was compiled and analysed using thematic qualitative analysis. The results show the importance of diversification of capital mix at informal entrepreneurs’ different development stages. Whereas cultural and symbolic capital are more salient for freelancers and small-size entrepreneurs, economic and social capital are more important for mid-size and large informal entrepreneurs. Furthermore, this study introduces dream capital as a new form of capital. Developing countries are recommended to introduce a policy on profiling informal tourism entrepreneurs so that the appropriate level of regulation can be applied in order to maintain or increase their benefits to society.     

Reinventing Macau tourism: gambling on creativity?

The paper identifies some major economic, social and environmental effects of gaming-related tourism in Macau, the world’s largest gaming location in respect of casino turnover. The main types of effects of casino development are typically those associated with growth machine theory. The paper also identifies major threats to the sustainable development of Macau as a gaming/tourism destination, arising from a narrow industrial base, competing destinations, community alienation, and what is referred to as the ‘China factor’. The paper discusses the types of strategies that are required if Macau tourism is to counter these threats and develop successfully as a ‘World Centre of Tourism and Leisure’. It is argued that Macau can most effectively achieve this goal if it develops its tourism and gaming industries to be consistent with the key attributes of a creative city.     

Urban heritage and cultural tourism development: a case study of Valletta’s role in Malta’s tourism

ABSTRACT

Despite significant potential for cultural tourism, the predominant form of tourism in Malta is sun and sea. This paper evaluates Malta’s potential for cultural tourism with a focus on Valletta, a fortified historic city that overlooks the Grand Harbour. Valletta’s rich urban heritage and historic narrative makes it ideal for the development of a more culture-oriented tourism. The paper explores how, over more than half a century of tourism activity in Malta, culture and heritage retained a secondary role. Since the mid-nineties, Malta’s tourism policy shifted with culture and heritage being given greater importance, even if the sun and sea tourism remained a priority. Public and private investment brought about changes in Valletta that made it more amenable to cultural activity and tourism. Although European Capital of Culture Valletta 2018 provides new opportunities for cultural tourism to Malta, it is unclear whether this will bring a lasting legacy for Malta’s tourism. This Valletta case study shows that, for destinations with an established form of tourism, the development of cultural tourism meets with difficulties, in spite the presence of a rich urban heritage.     

Is blockchain technology a watershed for tourism development?

ABSTRACT

The rise of blockchain technology could radically disrupt the global economy. As an emergent technology, blockchain is of broad and current interest in the tourism industry. Small island economies are at the forefront of adopting this digital asset and technology. For instance, the Caribbean economies are launching their first digital legal tender, and Aruba is developing a blockchain platform to boost tourism revenue. Given the velocity of adoption, blockchain technology holds significant implications for tourism development. This research letter provides a discourse on the adoption of blockchain technology among small island economies concerning the opportunities and potential challenges faced and offers practical implications for tourism stakeholders.     

Disentangling the tourism sector’s fragmentation: a hands-on coding/post-coding guide for interview and policy document analysis in tourism†

Qualitative tourism research is inevitably multidimensional. The fragmentation of the tourism sector across policy domains, scales, space and stakeholders leads to ‘blurry’ and aggregated datasets. Yet, tourism studies have a weak record in describing how results emanate from raw qualitative data. This paper presents a coding/post-coding scheme that proved robust in disentangling multidimensional tourism datasets in a middle-range research project that necessitated reflecting on the position of the researcher and the literature study during the data analysis. It describes the pragmatic decisions taken to organise the qualitative data from a research project on cross-border tourism and regional development processes. The paper also functions as a reflexive account of how this scheme came into existence. It contributes to the tools available to practically acknowledge the fragmentation of the tourism sector and the resulting multidimensional qualitative data, and calls for a more open accounting of the data analysis process and the underlying research values in tourism studies.     

Does personality predict tourism information search and feedback behaviour?

There is little research on how personality traits influence information search and feedback behaviour of tourism information consumers. Using various online and offline information and feedback sources, this study contributes to the literature by considering how personality influences Taiwanese view pre-trip and on-site information sources’ ability to provide desired information before and during the trip and whether post-trip feedback channels are suitable feedback instruments. Even though personality alone may not fully explain tourism information search behaviour, hierarchical regression analyses showed the usefulness of Big Five personality traits in this aspect. Openness to experience and conscientiousness traits particularly stood out. Openness to experience significantly affects perception of word-of-mouth-related sources and conscientiousness for less accessible sources. Extraversion and neuroticism negatively predict popular culture sources. These outcomes might be due to the attributes of information sources or feedback channels.     

Panda and elephant – contesting animal icons in Thai tourism

In May 2009, during a period of rising political polarization in Thailand, a cub was unexpectedly born in Chiang Mai's Zoo to a pair of Chinese pandas. The authorities used the occasion to boost the crisis-ridden tourism to the northern Thai city, instigating an unprecedented national craze around the tiny cub, and promoting a massive pilgrimage of domestic visitors to the zoo. In a conspicuous act of protest against the prioritization of the foreign pandas, some elephant keepers in the Ayutthya kraal, painted their animals in panda colors, leading to an implicit contest between the two animal icons. In this case study, the wider theoretical and comparative implications of that contest are analyzed. Whereas previous studies of tourists engagement with captive wild animals paid scant attention to its wider social context, the article examines the cultural and economic background of the contest, and the manner in which it became implicated in the process of political polarization between the societal center and the periphery.     

Simple living and tourism in times of ‘austerity’

The sharp increase in domestic tourism in the UK in 2009 and 2010 has prompted speculations about an embryonic quest for ‘simpler pleasures’ and greener, less exotic holidays. Absent from these debates is a more thorough reflection about the complex ways through which people negotiate everyday senses of normalcy, simplicity and excess in consumption and travelling. This is important to understand the political, economic, cultural and technological contexts that may facilitate a shift towards simpler, sustainable lifestyles. The paper presents results of fieldwork looking at ways in which tourists negotiate what is normal and excessive in holidaymaking. Data suggest that tourism is a highly valued symbolic aspect of modern life which few people are ready to sacrifice on environmental grounds and which is inextricably entangled with contested notions of accessibility, citizenship, equality and fairness.     

Differential tourism zones on the western Canada–US border

This paper examines how a single international border can exact different policies, practices, spatial variations, and tourism spaces at various points along its length. Based on an examination of the westernmost portion of the Canada–US frontier, this constructivist study investigates how the juxtaposition of barriers, attractions, transit spaces, and tourism landscapes is created concurrently on a single stretch of an international boundary. Four coterminous ‘zones’ of tourism were identified, including an area of illegal activity, ports of entry or crossing points, the peace park, and the exclave zone. Theoretical and practical implications are drawn from this study for border managers, tourism planners, and border agencies.     

Economic measures of tourism yield: what markets to target?

An understanding of the yield potential of different source markets and segments can underpin destination marketing by both public and private sector organisations. The standard yield measure relates to expenditure injected into a destination from different market segments. This measure has several limitations, which are discussed in the paper. With the increasing sophistication of economic models such as computable general equilibrium, models, it is now feasible to develop new and more useful measures of tourism yield, which directly measure the gains to different stakeholders. Several economy‐wide impact measures of yield are developed and contrasted for selected Australian inbound tourism markets. The measures produce conflicting signals for public and private sector tourism marketers and planners. The reward from further research in developing and operationalising yield measures is more informed policy‐making by destination managers in respect of destination marketing and new product development, resulting in greater economic gains from inbound tourism. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Volunteer tourism: at the crossroads of commercialisation and service?

Volunteer tourism as a phenomenon and as a market has come a long way since its ideologically driven early days. It is now an established and ever commercialised market that meets the demand for a different travel experience for the more morally conscious traveller, while at the same time it provides opportunities for economic gain for the organisations that act as brokers of such experiences. This interaction raises several ethical issues in terms of serving a mission while making economic gains. In general, there is an acceptable relationship between monetary gain and altruistic service, within the context of enlightened self-interest provided that the beneficiary of economic gains diverts profits into serving their mission. This paper examines the supply for volunteer tourism for evidence of commercialisation and profit-driven behaviour and investigates a relationship between monetary gain and serving a mission by creating public goods.     

Cultural tourism in an ethnic theme park: tourists’ views

The quest for cultural exoticism has inspired mass Han Chinese visits to regions in China, such as Yunnan, where several ‘ethnic theme parks’ have been developed. Employing surveys, informal interviews, observations and secondary sources, this study explores tourists’ views of their experiences, including their perceptions of cultural authenticity at an ethnic theme park in Yunnan, China. Mixed reactions existed to the experience of park patronage, with greater satisfaction with the overall experience than with the specific qualities and authenticity of park offerings. Most tourists had a favorable view of the site and enjoyed their overall experience. Many appreciated a packaged version of minority cultures. However, some visitors were concerned about misrepresentation, insufficient interpretation, poor service, high costs and inauthentic souvenirs. Tourists’ perceptions of authenticity and their satisfaction were significantly influenced by their individual backgrounds. The study raises important issues concerning management and promotion of ethnic attractions, given that modern tourists may have diverse needs and expectations.     

Challenges faced by world tourism cities – London’s perspective

World tourism cities perform multiple functions and exhibit various characteristics that influence tourism development within their boundaries. They are the main gateway for tourists visiting a country and their success has a direct impact on the visitor economy of that destination. London, the focus of this research, has been one of the world’s top tourism cities for many years, and a key gateway for domestic and international visitors. But despite the important role tourism plays in the economy of the city, there is limited research on the development of this activity in the capital. Using London as an exploratory case study, this paper contributes to better understanding the challenges faced by policy makers when planning and managing tourism in world cities. The adopted research method offers the advantage of gathering insightful information using multiple data collection techniques. Examining this new evidence contributes to expanding the knowledge on the particularities of tourism development in one of the top world cities, which could help policy makers in their efforts to better prepare for potential challenges faced by these complex but important destinations.     

How do monetary operations impact tourism demand? The case of Turkey

All monetary operations such as revaluation and devaluation have some degree of impact on tourism demand at different significance levels. The purpose of this study was to explain how devaluation and revaluation affect tourism demand (domestic and international) and what the government should do to obtain the greatest benefits from them. Turkey has one of the fastest growing tourism industries in the world, and has been experiencing high inflation at a very significant level since the 1970s. The Turkish Government sometimes makes value adjustments on the Turkish national currency, the ‘Lira’, and these adjustments have influenced domestic and international tourism demand in Turkey. The case of Turkey is discussed specifically. Copyright © 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.