A spatial approach for the management of groundwater quality in tourist destinations

Water resources and tourism need to be thought of in an integrated way, in order to provide urban planners and tourism managers with tools to promote water security and water equity. The objective of this paper was to apply an index capable of identify problems at the water-tourism interface, based on a spatial approach in GIS, meant to support the management of groundwater quality in tourist destinations. This index was applied to a tourist destination in northeastern Brazil, which uses groundwater to maintain its tourism infrastructure. The geographic phenomenon analyzed showed a spatial pattern between water use and tourism, with probable influences in hydrochemistry of groundwater. We suggest that the use of the propose index associated to GIS may be part of strategic planning efforts contemplating the interaction between tourism, urban management and water security, thus guaranteeing the infrastructure essential to strengthening the economy of a tourist destination.     

Visitors with their ‘Backs to the archaeology’: religious tourism and archaeology

This paper presents a conceptual analysis of the crossover between religious tourism and archaeology. It begins with a clarification of what religious tourism is and continues to consider the link between archaeological sites, religious heritage and religious tourism. It then moves on to a supply-focused typology of sites and a typology of visitors according to their characteristics. It also discusses the primary conflicts existing today between archaeology and religious tourism. In light of this discussion, it concludes with thoughts on possible future research needs. The paper conceptualized the multiple relationships between religious tourism and religious archaeology. Archaeological remains that also serve as attractions for religious tourism appear to have unique characteristics, the understanding of which is important for long-term planning and development that will take into consideration archaeological, religious, political, and tourism needs. A better understanding of these contexts may also ultimately contribute to our understanding of the development versus conservation arguments facing archaeological areas.     

The influence of the political environment and destination governance on sustainable tourism development: a study of Bled,Slovenia

In the context of sustainable tourism development, there are many studies about the exchange process between residents and tourism, yet this issue is practically unexplored with respect to the political environment of tourism. Therefore, this paper introduces and posits that the political environment is a necessary enabler for implementing sustainable tourism. The authors extend the established three-pillar sustainability concept by adding in the political dimension. Then they surveyed how residents' positive and negative perceptions of tourism impacts determine their satisfaction with life in the tourism destination and thus their support for tourism in their community. The model was empirically tested within the context of the long-established Alpine destination of Bled in Slovenia. The findings confirm the importance of the political environment and question the sustainability of Bled's tourism development. It is suggested that the community has relatively weak destination governance due to the underdeveloped political environment. The survey expands and deepens the tourism sustainability debate by adding in the political environment and how it relates to the emerging growth of research on destination governance. The proposed model can be adapted and applied to any destination in order to improve its governance, including the implementation of sustainable tourism development.     

旅游发展背景下政治不信任的形成因素及其影响

信任或者不信任的动态关系变化对于理解现代社会、社会关系和发展过程是十分重要的。信任可以影响到旅游发展的成功或者失败,但是旅游学者很少关注到信任话题。文章以广东汕尾红海湾为例,采用质性研究方法,分析旅游发展背景下政治不信任是如何形成的,又是如何进一步通过空间实践影响旅游发展的过程。研究发现,政治不信任受到权力关系、收益成本感知、政治经济绩效、人际信任和文化导向5个因素的影响,是在特定的制度环境、社会互动和历史文化的复杂关系中交织形成的。政治不信任的存在,使得地方政府与地方社区之间拒绝社会交换以及社会资本的断裂,增加了旅游政策运行成本,延缓了旅游发展进程。研究一方面把政治信任理论视角引入国内旅游研究,另一方面修订和补充了旅游发展与政治信任的理论框架,并提出对政治信任研究的批判性思考。研究有助于推动从旅游管理"过程"的关注向旅游开发"起点"的关注,即政治信任问题一定程度上先天奠定了旅游发展的成功或失败,这为当下旅游开发中的善治问题提供了实践参考。     

Beyond “culture”: A comparative study of forces structuring tourism consumption

Knowledge informing tourism management originating in Anglo-Western and/or capitalist societies is ill-fitted for understanding consumptive practices of tourists from societies with different socio-economic and political systems. Based on 75 interviews, this cross-national (China, Russia, U.S.A.) comparative research aims to delineate how tourism consumption is reflective of the broader social reality. Results shed lights on influential factors beyond personal agencies that include four society- (Economic development, Political shifts, Ideology, Wars/disasters) and three individual-level (Family, Life course mobility, Religion) consumption forming forces. We discuss the extent of these influences across the national contexts. Although the modus operandi in tourism is to understand tourism markets as global affecting a local environment, we argue that tourism consumption remains ingrained within a tourist's local societal contexts.     

International Tourism and Political Science Research

This paper points out that political scientists have been more negligent than other social researchers in investigating the phenomena of international mass tourism. They have not yet isolated tourism as a cluster of human activity from larger concerns such as general international relations, development, or foreign policy.There are three obvious levels of political activity related to tourism: politics of tourism in the marketplace, that is, in the metropolitan countries; politics and tourism in developing host nations; and ideological perception of international mass tourism. While there are other kinds or levels of politics involved in world tourism, these three deserve immediate political research.     

Government intervention in investment by Chinese listed companies that have diversified into tourism

This paper presents the outcome of empirical research into the influences of government intervention on tourism investment using a sample of Chinese listed companies that have diversified into the tourism sector. Government intervention is measured on the basis of the CEO’s political connections, the relationship between the government and the market, and the degree of financial market development. The results show that state-owned enterprises (SOEs) with strong political connections are likely to diversify into the tourism industry, especially in the area in which the government intervenes in the market excessively and the financial market is well-developed, although the tourism businesses of these firms tend to operate poorly after diversification. Amongst non-SOEs, in contrast, government intervention factors are not found to facilitate diversification into the tourism sector to any significant degree. Less government intervention is found to be beneficial for these firms, allowing them to improve their performance in the tourism sector. It is thus concluded that greater local government awareness of policy implementation is necessary to avoid unfair competition between SOEs and non-SOEs and to target the long-term positive development of the Chinese tourism sector.     

The political impact of tourism dependence in Latin America

This research seeks to test empirically the validity of hypotheses drawn from dependency theory that suggest that economic reliance on tourism creates political dependence. Specifically, it seeks to determine whether the Carribean region, strongly dependent on U.S. tourism, is demonstrably more compliant politically with the United States than other, less dependent, Latin American nations. In addition, the paper examines the relation between political compliance and other indicators of dependence, e.g., investment, aid, and trade. Compliance is measured basically by correlating each nation's voting behavior in the UN General Assembly with that of the United States. A series of tests on a number of relevant economic and political variables yields no confirmation of the dependency argument in the political realm.     

Politics and sustainable tourism development – Can they co-exist? Voices from North Cyprus

This paper investigates ways in which political obstacles inhibit the formulation and implementation of sustainable tourism development in small-island developing states through the example of North Cyprus. The methodology draws on in-depth interviews and participant observation of significant actors in the tourism sector. The research findings suggest that understanding the intricate political system and power structure in a society is the key to understanding sustainable tourism policy development, planning and implementation. In the case of North Cyprus, policy development was found to be a product of political influence (referred to as ego-driven politics in the text), specifically the use of public resources as an instrument for political power, retention and that the politicisation of the public sector is the underlying cause of the weakened progress in sustainable tourism development. It is therefore essential to have a clear understanding of political issues, key political actors’ interests and how to mitigate personal interests to facilitate and maintain sustainable tourism development in such small states.     

Targeting sustainable outcomes with adventure tourism: A political ecology approach

Sustainability is a dominant paradigm in tourism research yet a lack of research on alternative tourism sectors to deliver sustainable outcomes hinders sustainable tourism research, planning, implementation, policy and management. This research uses a political ecology lens, to dissect how destinations can harness adventure tourism to achieve relevant sustainability objectives. Adventure tourism is not in itself sustainable but by targeting adventure travel that attracts passionate, high-paying tourists to participate in activities specifically suited to local landscapes, communities have the potential to create bespoke tourism products that fit the socio-ecological system and produce clear conservation and sustainable development outcomes.     

边境旅游研究进展与启示——以SSCI论文为例

边境旅游是促进区域一体化发展和强化跨境旅游合作的主要手段,深入分析国际边境旅游研究脉络与研究热点,对促进富民兴边、睦邻安邦及对接国际国内旅游“双循环”具有重要借鉴意义。本文以1995—2021年发表的1 124篇SSCI英文文献为基础,对边境旅游研究领域的时间分布、关键词突现、聚类特征等进行可视化分析。研究发现,英文文献中对边境旅游的研究可分为起步阶段、发展阶段与创新阶段;主要研究议题包括边境旅游吸引物、边境旅游影响、边境旅游安全及跨境旅游合作;边境旅游研究趋势发生两大转变,一是研究视角从单一向多元转向,二是理论探索从功能说向效应说深入。建议国内对边境旅游的研究应结合国家战略拓展边境旅游研究议题,强调中国边境旅游特色的同时贡献“中国智慧”。     

Progress in dark tourism and thanatourism research: An uneasy relationship with heritage tourism

This paper reviews academic research into dark tourism and thanatourism over the 1996–2016 period. The aims of this paper are threefold. First, it reviews the evolution of the concepts of dark tourism and thanatourism, highlighting similarities and differences between them. Second it evaluates progress in 6 key themes and debates. These are: issues of the definition and scope of the concepts; ethical issues associated with such forms of tourism; the political and ideological dimensions of dark tourism and thanatourism; the nature of demand for places of death and suffering; the management of such places; and the methods of research used for investigating such tourism. Third, research gaps and issues that demand fuller scrutiny are identified. The paper argues that two decades of research have not convincingly demonstrated that dark tourism and thanatourism are distinct forms of tourism, and in many ways they appear to be little different from heritage tourism.     

Tourism's vulnerability and resilience to terrorism

Personal security is a major concern for tourists. Most tourists will seek safe and secure destinations and avoid those that have been plagued by terrorism. This research quantifies the relationship between terrorism and tourism in 95 different countries and territories using international tourism demand models. After controlling for income, we find there is no long run effect of terrorism on international tourism demand and the short run effect is quite limited from a global perspective using panel data models. Only nine countries out of the 95 show a long run impact of terrorism on tourism and 25 countries out of the 95 show a short run impact using time series models, implying that international tourism is resilient to terrorism. The influence of terrorism is diverse in destinations with different political instability, income levels and tourism intensities.     

The economic impact of tourism in SIDS

Small Island Developing States (SIDS) are faced with many challenges to economic development. Tourism is seen as a viable, and sometimes, only means of economic growth. This research compares the economic impact of tourism to seven SIDS. The research employs input output analysis, linkage analysis and a CGE model to assess the macroeconomic and sectoral impacts of increased tourism in these islands. The findings show that the transportation sector remains a key sector. The tourism income multipliers show that tourism generates a large amount of economic activity but the income that remains in the destinations is often very small. The results show that taking advantage of economies of scale maybe a way to maximize the benefits from tourism.     

Cultural political economy and urban heritage tourism

The paper explains a cultural political economy “framing” for interpreting heritage tourism in urban contexts. Key ideas behind this research perspective are explained and illustrated through discussion of past research studies of urban heritage tourism. It is underpinned by a relational view of the inter-connectedness of societal relations, and an emphasis on taking seriously both the cultural/semiotic and the economic/political in the co-constitution of urban heritage tourism’s social practices and features. A case study of heritage tourism in Nanjing, China considers cultural political economy’s relevance and value, including the distinctive research questions it raises. It reveals, for example, how economic relations in the built environment were related to tourist meaning-making and identities in the cultural/semiotic sphere.     

The Tourism Climate Change Knowledge System

Effective climate change action relies on the production of relevant knowledge. This review provides an interdisciplinary meta-analysis to critically assess tourism and climate change knowledge production across three knowledge domains: academic, practical and political. Building on existing tourism knowledge frameworks and applying systems thinking, the Tourism Climate Change Knowledge System is developed consisting of five knowledge dimensions: Source of knowledge, Knowledge creation, Influence on knowledge, Knowledge content and Knowledge impact. Results reveal how knowledge differs across domains and what barriers impede effective knowledge generation. While some links could be identified, there remains a disconnect between academic knowledge outputs and practical and political knowledge needs. The holistic lens enables the formulation of recommendations to enhance the production and use of knowledge.     

Friction in the forest: a confluence of structural and discursive political ecologies of tourism in the Ecuadorian Amazon

Abstract

Tourism in the Anthropocene is a powerful driver of global connections that has direct consequences for social and environmental well-being across the planet. This political ecological analysis of tourism in the Ecuadorian Amazonian presents ethnographic vignettes to account for the ways that interwoven global discourses related to biodiversity conservation and community development are encountered, contested, and leveraged to advance particular approaches to tourism at the local level. We invoke Tsing’s theory of friction to frame these discursive encounters in the context of tourism-related decision-making in the community of Misahuallí, including instances of discursive shifts being leveraged into improved well-being of local residents. This paper makes an important contribution to the scholarship on the political ecology of tourism by bringing the emic perspectives of local residents to the forefront and by demonstrating the value of Tsing’s friction metaphor for analyzing the global connections inherent in tourism. Frictions between inequities and imbalances of power, perpetuated by both the structures and discourses associated with the use of tourism to address conservation and development objectives, remain at the vanguard of tourism research as we move through the Anthropocene.     

Political implications of Chinese tourism policy

This study is an examination of the political objectives and probable consequences of the decision to open the People's Republic of China to mass tourism. Through personal interviews and other reports, this article traces the organizational and political dimensions of the abrupt reversal of nearly three decades of restricted and selective foreign access. The author found several anomalies: more “market” oriented cost structure than in most non- socialist developing nations; a hierarchy of tourist classes in a supposedly classless society; liberalization in tourism itineraries along with a freezing of contacts between tourist and Chinese. The article concludes that while China has reaped few tangible political benefits and has incurred some new political vulnerability with its new tourism policy, Chinese tourism has avoided many of the social and economic costs associated with tourism development elsewhere.     

Water worries: An intersectional feminist political ecology of tourism and water in Labuan Bajo,Indonesia

Framed in feminist political ecology, this paper presents an intersectional analysis of the gender-water-tourism nexus. Based in an emergent tourism destination, Labuan Bajo, Indonesia, it goes beyond an analysis of how women bear the brunt of burdens related to water scarcity, and examines which women and why and how it affects their daily lives. Based on ethnographic research and speaking to over 100 respondents, the analysis unpicks how patriarchal cultural norms, ethnicity, socio-economic status, life-stage and proximity to water sources are intertwined to (re)produce gendered power relations. While there is heterogeneity of lived experiences, in the most part tourism is out competing locals for access to water leading to women suffering in multiple ways.     

A review of research into social tourism: Launching the Annals of Tourism Research Curated Collection on Social Tourism.

This article reviews the literature on social tourism for the first time. Social tourism has been in existence since the development of modern tourism but remains a niche research area. Partially, this is because social tourism constitutes part of public welfare policy and directed towards supporting participation in tourism activities by people whose financial or other circumstances prevent them from doing so. This literature review takes a conceptual approach to examine the theoretical underpinnings of social tourism. It combines a bibliometric analysis with an analytic review approach that assesses the key themes and evolution of published research articles in the field and develops a tourism as welfare model that identifies directions for the future development of research in this field.