Does ecotourism contribute to sustainable destination development,or is it just a marketing hoax? Analyzing twenty-five years contested journey of ecotourism through a meta-analysis of tourism journal publications

ABSTRACT

Conducting a periodical systematic review on a given field of study enables to comprehend the conceptual development of a discipline. A decade has passed since the last in-depth systematic review on contemporary ecotourism research has been published. This study is, therefore, executed to systematically analyze ecotourism research articles published in the previous twenty-five years and thereby to reassess the past, understand the present and envisage the future of ecotourism development. 470 articles published in nine top-tier tourism journals are screened and analyzed. Thematic and summative content analyses are employed to examine the contents of each publication. The findings highlight that over the years, researchers have examined myriads of ecotourism research themes. Despite fluctuations over the years, the overall publication trend shows growth. Most ecotourism studies are conducted in developing countries, with Asia taking the lead followed by Africa and Latin America. However, in terms of researchers’ domicile, the USA becomes the first followed by Australia, the UK, and Canada. Despite modest successes, overall, the contribution of ecotourism towards sustainable destination development remains indiscernible. The current study provides up-to-date insight into the ecotourism literature by highlighting the main themes and trends of ecotourism research over the last twenty-five years. Research findings also enhance our understanding of the evolution of ecotourism research and ignite further study in ecotourism by suggesting issues that merit rigorous investigation.     

Spending Behaviors of Event Tourists

Abstract

Assessing the economic impact of a tourism event on a host economy often involves the estimation of average event tourist spending per trip/night. As event and destination marketers become more selective with their promotions, targeting prospective high-value tourists, it is important for them to know the spending characteristics of different types of visitors so that resources can be allocated to reach and influence event tourists who will most benefit the host economy. This study's findings of visitors to the 1999 Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta reveal that tourists from communities nearer the host economy typically spend fewer net dollars than those from greater distances. First time event visitors spend considerably more than repeat visitors who have “been there, done that” and may not feel the need to do “that” again.     

Overlooked encounters: young tourists' experiences at dark sites

This research note reviews the existing literature comprised of dark tourism articles and chapters mentioning children. Publications meeting the search criteria were few. Accordingly, we offer possible reasons for the scarcity of research on children in dark tourism, including the legal constraints when researching with minors, the academic risk in undertaking a new field of research, and the substantial expertise needed to engage children in studies. We conclude with the compelling reasons to undertake such research: to inform interpretation of emotionally provocative sites for children, to understand and mitigate children's psychological distress at dark sites, and to advance theoretical work on children as tourists.     

Application of appreciative inquiry in tourism research in rural communities

Appreciative inquiry is a participatory research method based on positive psychology. Founded upon grounded theory and the social constructivist paradigm, appreciative inquiry is a simple, effective, and epistemologically sound tool to understand the rural population’s knowledge, needs, and priorities without alienating them from research. Based on the study conducted to comprehend the interrelationships among conservation, livelihood, and tourism development in three rural communities located in the vicinity of Chitwan National Park, Nepal, this study argues that appreciative inquiry can be a useful tool for conducting tourism research in rural communities. This study employs five steps, including grounding, discovery, dream, design, and destiny.     

创建中国旅游人类学学科刍议

简介国外旅游人类学发展概况 ,总结中国旅游人类学教学、科研的历程和得失 ,指出开展中国旅游人类学系统研究的必要性和可行性 ,介绍广州大学关于旅游人类学学科建设的探索和思考 ,并提出《中国旅游人类学》一书的内容结构框架。     

从缺失到凸显:社区参与旅游发展研究脉络

国内外的研究者目前都逐渐把社区及其居民作为旅游发展的主体,社区参与也因之成为旅游可持续发展的关键要素.本文在对社区参与研究脉络和走向进行分析的基础上,揭示出社区参与理论共识的达成经历了"从缺失到凸显"的过程.在对社区参与的关注方面,中国和西方的研究具有各不相同的历程.     

定性旅游研究：表达规范与反思--基于2000-2013年《旅游学刊》载文分析

鉴于学科分野的原因,不同学科有着不同的定性研究表达传统,在学科内部的交流并不会形成交流障碍或批评焦点。而旅游研究是一个多学科交叉领域,定性研究方法及其成果表达常会形成分歧。文章在总结定性研究评价相关研究的基础上,以《旅游学刊》2000—2013年定性研究论文为分析对象,从定性旅游研究的表达规范与表达逻辑等几个方面对57篇样本文献进行元分析（meta-analysis）,发现目前定性研究表达主要存在的问题是对研究问题的概念关系与理论框架、研究策略与研究方法过程介绍不充分,对研究问题与研究方法、研究材料与研究结论的逻辑一致性关注不够,对研究结论的可信度影响因素未进行充分说明。在此基础上,作者反思了旅游定性研究的发展趋势与关注重点。     

Creating sustainable value in the hospitality industry: a (critical) multi-stakeholder study in the Dominican Republic

This paper identifies sustainable initiatives reported by “sustainability-champion” hotels in the Dominican Republic, while contrasting them against the views of key stakeholders. We adapt and apply Hart and Milstein's Sustainable Value Framework, and complement it with a Critical Management Studies approach. Our analysis relies on a mixed-methods approach (non-hierarchical k-means cluster analysis, as well as thematic and content analysis). Findings indicate that most hotels are engaging more actively in present-oriented strategies such as pollution prevention (especially, the international hotels) and in product/service stewardship. However, in the future-oriented strategies, hotels owned by local investors show higher commitment to both clean technology and innovation, and to the sustainability vision (as the firm's growth path). In addition, although the views of multiple stakeholders show a clear acknowledgment of the hospitality industry's sustainability efforts (particularly regarding education and environmental protection), they also offer differing views about the ultimate impact and value of those efforts for them and for the broader society. Our study offers a new theoretical lens to explore multi-stakeholder approaches and offers practical implications for the Dominican Republic's National Strategy for Development 2010–2030, as well as implications that may be of use for other tourism-dependent countries.     

旅游衔接2030年可持续发展目标——文献回顾与未来议程

尽管旅游业被视为落实2030年可持续发展目标（Sustainable Development Goals,SDGs）的重要工具,但很少有研究系统梳理相关文献,导致我们对该领域的研究进展和知识缺口不明确。文章以2015—2021年Web of Science^TM数据库收录的82篇旅游类SSCI期刊文献为样本,旨在通过梳理旅游学术共同体对2030年SDGs的研究响应,揭示研究发展脉络与学术热点,并启发未来研究方向。结果发现：（1）旅游衔接2030年SDGs研究已得到旅游学术共同体的积极响应,总体经历了初期探索和快速发展两个阶段;（2）研究热点集中在旅游与消除贫困（SDG 1）、良好健康与福祉（SDG 3）、性别平等（SDG 5）、清洁饮水和卫生设施（SDG 6）、经济适用的清洁能源（SDG 7）、体面工作和经济增长（SDG 8）、减少不平等（SDG 10）、负责任消费和生产（SDG 12）、气候行动（SDG 13）、和平正义（SDG 16）等10个方面;（3）旅游业既是落实2030年SDGs的积极贡献者,但也面临诸多潜在挑战与外部威胁;（4）未来需重点拓展旅游衔接SDGs的研究框架,审视旅游对SDGs的贡献与挑战,厘清旅游影响SDGs的权衡与协同,观照旅游衔接SDGs的情境因素。     

中国海洋旅游研究脉络、热点与展望

海洋旅游是重要的海洋经济类型,加强海洋旅游相关研究是服务中国海洋强国战略的基础性任务。本研究选取中国学术期刊网络出版总库收录的619篇中文文献为样本,系统分析中国海洋旅游研究脉络。研究发现,1992—2021年中国海洋旅游相关研究成果数量呈“起步探索、陡状攀升、波动回落”的变化特征,经历了以海洋旅游环境要素和资源价值评估为主的资源导向与孕育探索阶段（1992—2002年）,以多元议题拓展和集成方法创新并重的产业导向与全面推进阶段（2003—2010年）,以及同国家发展需求联系紧密、实践应用不断丰富的战略导向与深化拓展阶段（2011—2021年）;研究热点集中在海洋旅游理论内涵与研究范畴、资源开发与评价、社会与经济影响、资源环境与可持续发展、目的地开发与管理等5个方面。立足新时期中国海洋旅游理论发展与实践需求,未来应重视学科交互融合、技术手段集成和数据平台建设,提升理论研究同国家战略驱动、地方现实需求和行业实践发展的适配性,为推动中国海洋旅游高质量发展提供理论与决策指导。