An Opinion Piece. A response to the Special Issue on volunteer tourism: the performative absence of volunteers

This short Opinion Piece reflects on the construction of volunteers in the Journal of Sustainable Tourism's recent Special Issue on Volunteer Tourism, Volume 22, Issue 6, 2014. The Issue indicates directions for future research and presents some productive cases of applied modes of knowledge production. This Opinion Piece notes that, despite the good work in the Special Issue, more research on the impacts of volunteer tourism on host communities is still overdue. But most importantly, however, running through the papers in the Issue, there is a problematic construction of volunteers as passive subjects of capitalism. As “consumers” or “clients”, it is argued that the Special Issue papers perceive volunteers through the very same logic of commodification that much of the research intends to push against. Drawing attention to the performativity of language and research outputs, the case is made for more careful attention to the ways researchers in volunteer tourism address subjects so that critical attention might be better aligned with our practices of representation. We should seek to preserve the potential of volunteers to bring about change, and resist the temptation to reproduce the very deleterious discursive realities we seek to bring to account: volunteers, before all else, volunteer.     

Emotional confidence levels and success of tourism development for poverty reduction: The South African Kwam eMakana home-stay project

Poverty reduction is a central component of South African government local economic development (LED) programmes. The Grahamstown Kwame Makana pilot project for promotion of tourism home-stays aims to assist disadvantaged women to become self-reliant entrepreneurs. However the project has only met with partial success. This paper uses an emotional intelligence (EI) methodology to assess the empowerment and confidence levels of the women. The major findings are: a) the home-stays are lacking entrepreneurial steering, reflected by absence of marketing strategies and a heavy reliance on one distribution channel; b) a majority (74.3%) scored low on self and social awareness, self-management and social skills. The paper argues that disadvantaged groups with low emotional confidence levels will struggle to capitalize on opportunities for economic advancement. It concludes that in order to achieve LED, and hence poverty reduction, through tourism home-stays there is a need to focus on building confidence and empowerment of the women.     

Barriers to the development of medical tourism in East Azerbaijan province,Iran: A qualitative study

The purpose of the present study was to determine factors impeding the development of medical tourism in East Azerbaijan province, Iran. The data were derived from interviews with 16 key informants. Data analysis of the study was conducted through employing the software MAXQDA-12. The results show that marketing, international issues, culture, transfer, brokerage, management, and policy problems are the main barriers to the development of medical tourism. It seems that East Azerbaijan province should provide necessary context for the participation and investment of private sector in the field of medical tourism. Further, it should design and implement long and short-term strategies in proportion to the problems raised.     

不同伦理取向野生动物旅游景区的游客具身性体验差异研究——基于网络文本评论与IPA模型分析

人和动物的和谐关系是野生动物旅游可持续发展的关键。本文从动物伦理观出发,将网络评论作为数据源,运用文本挖掘、社会网络分析以及IPA模型分析方法,对不同伦理取向野生动物旅游景区的游客具身性体验差异进行分析。研究发现：（1）不同的伦理取向会影响野生动物旅游景区的运营;（2）在具身理论视角下,野生动物旅游体验是一种涵盖身体性体验、情境性体验与感知性体验的多维、复杂性体验,呈现出三层六个维度的特征;（3）不同伦理取向的野生动物旅游景区因供给方面的差异,游客的体验存在着以感知性体验为主和以身体性体验为主的具身性结构差异。     

Challenges and potential improvements in the policy and regulatory framework for sustainable tourism planning in China: the case of Shanxi Province

A sound policy and regulatory framework is essential in planning for sustainable tourism development. The paper examines opportunities and challenges for China's planning for sustainable tourism development from both policy and regulatory perspectives. Despite the enthusiasm for sustainable tourism, China's existing relevant policy and regulatory frameworks are generally fraught with contradictory objectives, and they are also often incoherent, have ambiguous legal provisions, and many organizations have duplicate responsibilities, unclear definitions of responsibilities, interlocking activities, and weak coordination due to the complicated institutional structure. Based on Shanxi Province, the paper explores the policy and regulatory issues affecting tourism and its sustainability, and it also assesses the possible options to foster an improved policy and regulatory framework for China's sustainable tourism development. A much stronger political will from all levels of government will be required to overcome a prevalent mindset for short-term economic growth and deep-rooted practices in pursuit of departmental benefits. It is also necessary for China and Shanxi under the new national tourism law to articulate and coordinate its laws and regulations with much improved supportive bylaws. Finally, more rational and effective institutional arrangements are needed, with clearly defined functions and responsibilities for government at varied levels.     

Determining the impact of information on rural livelihoods and sustainable tourism development near protected areas in Kwa-Zulu Natal,South Africa

It is well known that tourism can bring problems for poor rural people in less developed countries. This paper describes a pilot study of five rural communities in the vicinity of or within a South African protected area, the iSimangaliso Wetland Park. Within the context of sustainable tourism development and the sustainable livelihoods approach, it explores whether access to information and to education and training has had impacts on the survival of these communities. The information provision role of governing authorities is also investigated regarding the preservation of the site and also for ownership and land claims. The results indicate that lack of access to relevant information can be a prime reason why rural communities cannot break out of the poverty cycle, and they suggest it is imperative to train and educate survivalist communities so that they can mobilise themselves economically, including through local tourism development. The demonstrated significance of lack of information provision, training and education represents a new contribution to the field. The study concludes that, where it is a matter of survival for rural communities, a sustainable livelihoods approach may be more appropriate and attainable than a sustainable tourism development approach.     

An application of stakeholder theory to advance community participation in tourism planning: the case for engaging immigrants as fringe stakeholders

Community participation has long been viewed as an important tenet of tourism planning, and there is general consensus among researchers that engaging all stakeholder groups contributes to tourism sustainability. However, there are gaps in the literature, and challenges in practice, that call for further research. Among these are the dynamics of heterogeneous community groups and that not all community subgroups have equal opportunity to participate in tourism planning. This paper attempts to advance community participation by drawing on progressive approaches to stakeholder theory in the management field and by exploring, for the first time, the engagement of immigrants in tourism planning as fringe stakeholders, representative of present and future community dynamics. Bringing first generation immigrants as an important but less studied segment within the broader host community into focus moves tourism planning toward a more inclusive approach to community engagement, reflecting increased diversity and change in host communities.     

Spiritual retreat tourism development in the Asia Pacific region: investigating the impact of tourist satisfaction and intention to revisit: a Chiang Mai,Thailand case study

The aim of this research is to investigate how spiritual retreat tourism influences tourist satisfaction and intention to revisit a destination. A quantitative approach was employed and a self-administered survey was used to collect data. A multiple regression analysis was used to analyze data. The results revealed that push factors including novelty, relaxation, transcendence, self-esteem, physical appearance and escape influence spiritual retreat tourist satisfaction; while pull factors, especially authentic experiences, natural settings, peaceful atmosphere, far from the usual places and historical significance, influence spiritual retreat tourist satisfaction, in turn leading to intention to revisit the same destination.     

旅游利用下历史街区文化景观符号意义与建构——以北京前门大街为例

历史街区承载了城市的历史信息和文化印记，主要表征为特色鲜明的文化景观。过去40年，快速城市化和工业化改变了城市面貌，也影响了历史街区保护利用的进程。历史街区一旦变成旅游景观，符号化就成为了历史街区进行旅游发展和空间重构的主导逻辑。本研究以前门大街为案例地，通过对马蜂窝网站中游客分享照片的检索和整理，利用符号学和扎根理论方法分析了旅游利用背景下历史街区文化景观符号的意义表达，并对此过程中的符号建构与解读机制进行剖析。本研究从主客体两视角出发，深化既有研究并得出以下结论：前门大街通过指索符号、建筑符号、街道符号和商业符号共同表征这一空间。街道功能多样化和城市地位转变是符号建构与解读的具体语境，符号系统的建构存在多个权力主体，不同价值的符号其建构方式也有所不同。符号的解读需要旅游者的身体参与，当旅游地建构的符号与旅游者获得的符号存在一致性的时候，意味着文化景观符号意义被正确地接受和解读。     

旅游型海岛游客与居民时空间行为研究——以辽宁省长海县为例

旅游型海岛承担着生活和旅游的双重功能,明晰游客与居民的时空间行为特征,对海岛空间优化、基础设施配置等具有现实意义。辽宁省长海县是典型淡旺季分明的旅游型海岛,本研究基于实地调研和空间分析方法,分类刻画游客与居民活动行为模式及其活动-移动时空特征。结果表明：（1）受旅游淡旺季影响,海岛年内活动群体空间集聚区域明显分异,形成了旺季围绕景点、浴场等场所,淡季围绕家、村镇中心等场所的游客与居民时空间行为模式;（2）游客和居民活动行为的时空特征明显,游客出行频次更多,行为空间范围更广,大长山岛镇中心和广鹿岛镇中心是游客前往景点和浴场的集散地之一,也是居民日常活动的集散地,是游客和岛民行为空间重叠区域,也是海岛共享度最高的空间。（3）游客时空间行为受行为目的、偏好和活动组合影响,居民时空间行为主要受社会角色、个体社会经济属性影响,群体时空间行为影响因素存在显著差异。本研究可针对旅游型海岛的基础设施空间优化配置、海岛社会空间效率提升、海岛国土空间规划等方面提供参考依据。     

新冠肺炎疫情对区域旅游发展影响及恢复发展应对策略研究——以云南省为例

新冠肺炎疫情爆发并迅速蔓延,对依赖以人的位移产生综合消费的旅游业的影响是巨大而且全方位的。以云南省为例,从宏观旅游经济运行、中观旅游业态发展、微观旅游企业发展及旅游资本市场四个层次,对新冠肺炎给区域旅游发展带来的影响进行分析与研判。在此基础上,提出区域旅游恢复发展的应对策略。     

中国滑雪旅游网络关注度评估及后疫情时期复苏对策——以四大滑雪区域为例

2022年冬奥会的成功申办,以及推进三亿人参与冰雪运动系列政策的相继出台,中国冰雪旅游迎来快速发展的时代契机,冰雪运动在全国广泛普及,冰雪旅游大众关注度迅速提升。本文以中国四大滑雪场集聚区为研究对象,基于新浪微博2015—2021年滑雪旅游网络数据,构建滑雪旅游网络关注度评估系统,定量评估疫情前后中国滑雪旅游网络关注度的时空演变特征。研究发现：（1）全国滑雪旅游网络关注度自2017年迅速提升、季节性特征明显、崇礼-北京领先全国,关注度空间结构由“局部多中心”转变为“组团式”集群化发展,高关注度滑雪场在崇礼-北京与吉林聚集;（2）疫情前后中国滑雪旅游网络关注度表现出滑雪旺季时长缩短、关注度迅速下降、新疆和吉林复苏显著、滑雪大区率先关注等特点;（3）后疫情时期叠加冬奥效应将成为影响滑雪旅游关注度复苏的热点事件,崇礼-北京、东北、西北将成为滑雪旅游率先复苏的热点区域,短期接待服务将成为助力产业复苏的投资热点,提供针对性的配套服务将成为滑雪场服务水平优化提升的热点方向;（4）提出开创全国冰雪旅游大发展新局面,构建以崇礼-北京为中心、以东北和西北为两翼的中国滑雪旅游“雁阵”发展格局,优先推出新疆、河北、黑龙江的定向政策,增强滑雪旅游短期接待能力,提供针对性配套服务等复苏对策。研究结论将为后疫情时期,促进滑雪旅游快速复苏提供科技支撑及决策依据,并为中国冰雪产业的绿色可持续发展,提供借鉴参考。     

旅游驱动乡村社会重构的特征与机制研究——以湖州顾渚村为例

乡村旅游是推动乡村重构的重要驱动力量,乡村社会重构是乡村重构研究的重要内容。本文以典型旅游村落湖州市顾渚村为案例地,从乡村居民视角出发,分析乡村社会重构的特征,并通过扎根理论方法构建了旅游驱动下乡村社会重构机制理论模型。结果表明：（1）乡村旅游发展改变了乡村居民的原有身份,乡村居民从农民、打工者转变为旅游经营者,实现了社会身份的重构。（2）乡村旅游发展带来了大量外来人员进入乡村,乡村社会关系格局逐渐从“差序格局”转变为“多元格局”,实现了社会关系的重构。（3）乡村旅游发展使乡村居民与乡村环境之间的关系发生改变,乡村从传统乡土社区转变为旅游服务社区,实现了社会空间的重构。（4）旅游要素的介入是旅游乡村社会重构最重要的驱动力量,乡村经济重构、乡村空间重构、资源环境驱动、旅游市场驱动、政策制度驱动、行为主体参与6个方面分别构成了乡村社会重构的空间载体、物质基础、支撑机制、引导机制、促进/约束机制和引擎机制,各作用机制之间相互影响、动态耦合共同推动了乡村社会的重构。     

Modelling attitudes to nature,tourism and sustainable development in national parks: A survey of visitors in China and the UK

This research undertook a visitor survey in two protected areas in different cultural contexts, namely China and the UK, to explore whether the value a person attaches to the environment influences their attitude towards sustainable tourism development in national parks. Structural equation models were developed with data from 597 and 368 questionnaires collected in Jiuzhaigou National Scenic Area, China and the New Forest National Park, UK respectively. The results suggested that anthropocentric or ecocentric values significantly influence people's attitudes to tourism and sustainable development. The same structured causal relationship was found in both samples, between people's attitudes towards the natural environment, conservation and tourism in a national park context.     

滨海旅游目的地游客感知价值的影响因素研究——以广西北海银滩国家级旅游度假区为例

把握影响游客感知价值的关键因素,有助于促进旅游目的地竞争力的提升。以广西北海银滩国家级旅游度假区为研究区域,采用携程旅行网北海银滩游客网络评论资料作为研究样本,运用扎根理论方法构建包括5个主范畴和18个对应范畴的滨海游客感知价值影响因素模型,并运用复杂系统的决策实验和评估实验法（Decision making Trial and Evaluation Laboratory,DEMATEL）模型构建滨海游客感知价值影响因素的关系矩阵,识别影响滨海游客感知价值的关键因素。研究发现：资源和环境、管理和保护、设施和服务、情感和成本价值构成了滨海旅游目的地游客感知价值的重要维度,天气条件、海滩规模、海滩管理和保护、游客愉悦感、游客娱乐体验项目、旅游基础设施及服务是影响滨海旅游目的地游客感知价值的关键因素。据此提出促进我国滨海旅游目的地游客感知价值提升的相关建议。     

旅游开发中旅游吸引物权的制度化路径与实践效应--以“阿者科计划”减贫试验为例

国内有关"旅游吸引物权"的研究大多止步于理论探讨,而旅游地却存在大量旅游吸引物权益缺失的发展困境。文章尝试将"旅游吸引物权"学术概念进行落地运用,通过一场持续3年的旅游减贫试验,探索出旅游吸引物权在中国制度情境下的制度化路径,解析其实践效应。研究发现:(1)旅游吸引物权的产权建构需要首先从结构层面建立兼顾分配和资源保护意义的制度规则体系,制度规则背后的核心运行逻辑是经济利益调节。(2)制度结构建立后,再从能力与文化层面建构多方主体对旅游吸引物权表达与实践的理解和认知,重点是在认知范畴上建立产权共识。(3)旅游吸引物权建构所需的制度、能力与文化培育可由多方外部主体援助完成,但援助的目的是催发原住民的主体性。发展乡村旅游不一定需要大资本进驻,地方政府的政策支持、适量的资金投入、产权建构的技术援助,足以带动原住民参与旅游发展。其中,地方政府作为土地产权的决定性主体,对旅游吸引物权的理解、授权与支持是开展产权建构的根基性条件。需要指出的是,文章的旅游吸引物权建构是对各个构成物要素凝结的共有性、整体性旅游吸引价值的产权关系进行系统表达,本质上是不改变现有构成物的"名义产权"制度,利用制度多元逻辑引导多方主体改变产权认知观念与结构,在认知范畴上建立关于新增的旅游吸引价值的"事实产权"。