Entanglements in multispecies voluntourism: conservation and Utila's affect economy

Abstract

Through a case study of conservation voluntourism this article brings together critical political ecology, multispecies ethnography, and studies of humanitarian tourism to advance a political ecology of multispecies conservation voluntourism. The article presents multispecies conservation voluntourism as a field that produces and is produced by an “affect economy”, or an economy based on the exchange or trade in the relational. Since the mid-1990s, life on Utila, Honduras, a popular discount backpacker scuba destination located along the Mesoamerican Barrier Reef, has been deeply transformed by the growth of dive tourism, the ecological destruction it has produced, and now the conservation voluntourism industry emerging in its wake. Seventy percent of Utila is comprised of mangroves and associated wetlands, home to several endangered and endemic species. Using examples of whale shark tourism, lionfish hunts, and iguana tracking, this article shows how conservation organizations operate as affect generators, enabling the privilege of engaging in multispecies encounters. Engaging in multispecies conservation voluntourism produces value in the form of cultural capital which is then exchanged for material outcomes by volunteers in the global economy; at the same time, this form of voluntourism obscures local relationships to nature and alters multispecies assemblages from past configurations.     

Uncertainty,story-telling and transformative learning: An instructor’s experience of TEFI’s Walking Workshop in Nepal

ABSTRACT

This article recounts three stories from TEFI’s walking workshop in Nepal: the construction of a road through what was once a trekking path; a dance-floor encounter at a Himalayan party; and the arrival of one participant, fatigued by jet lag and disoriented by the new surroundings. These stories of confusion, discomfort and fear are linked by one common theme: the potential of uncertainty to foster deep reflection and nuanced conclusions. The premise that uncertainty is to be valued and even cultivated has been explored in educational theory, spiritual traditions, and research on transformative learning. These sources affirm the role of uncertainty in the process of knowledge creation. However, accepting this role can be challenging for educators because it requires they assume a new identity, one which they may perceive as being at odds with their status as “teacher” the identity of learner. One way for the educator to address this challenge may be through recounting their own stories of uncertainty. Stories of being immersed in unfamiliar situations that challenge, confuse and even frighten – stories, in other words of being a tourist – can foster reflection on an intellectual, emotional and spiritual level, engaging the “whole” person, and thus initiating the educator/learner’s transformative journey.     

陕西旅游商品市场问题探析与对策研究

发展旅游商品对提高区域旅游经济效益具有重要作用。但在陕西旅游产业体系中,购物始终是一个明显的弱项,这制约了陕西旅游经济的持续增长。在系统分析陕西旅游商品市场现存问题的基础上,提出发展陕西旅游商品市场的若干对策。     

城市旅游标志物的确定及其结构化

针对旅游者对将要访问的城市比较陌生、选择旅游对象物时出现茫然的现象，为了更好地服务于旅游者，基于旅游行政管理的立场，提出了城市旅游标志物概念，认为其核心成员的确定需要基于遗产性、规模性、便捷性和公益性4个原则，并给出了核心成员、支持成员和外围成员的认知结构。     

发展旅游业--新疆社会经济发展的必然选择

旅游是一种具有重大经济与文化意义的活动,它的产生和发展紧随社会前进的步伐。近年来,随着人们收入的增长和消费水平的提高,节假日外出旅游成为时尚。目前,旅游业是我国的重要产业。在我国的很多地区,旅游业已成为增加经济收入、改善产业结构、提高人们的现代意识、推动区域经济和社会进步的重要产业。新疆地区少数民族众多、地域辽阔,加上历史文化悠久,孕育了丰富的自然旅游资源及人文旅游资源,在全国具有旅游资源的比较优势,因此发展旅游业必将带动新疆地区社会经济的全面发展。     

关于旅游规划中商业行为的思考

旅游规划是旅游业发展的前期工作，旅游业要发展，规划要先行，然而旅游规划中的商业行为容易将规划工作引入误区，必须认真研究，制定对策，使旅游规划真正起到指导旅游业发展的作用。     

旅游课题研究步骤及体会

本文从选题、准备、调研、引起反响等方面记叙了《旅游扶贫老少边穷地区乘数效应大》这一国家社会科学基金资助项目的完成过程,并结合实际谈了对项目研究的心得体会     

Chernobyl Effects on Domestic and Inbound Tourism in Sweden -- A Time Series Analysis

This paper estimates the impact of the Chernobyl nuclear accident on domestic and international tourism in Sweden. From ARIMA time series forecasts, outlier search, and intervention analysis based on regional monthly accommodation data from 1978–1989, no effect on domestic tourism is found. However, there is an enduring deterrence effect on incoming tourism. The loss of gross revenue from incoming tourism because of the Chernobyl accident, is estimated to 2.5 billion SEK.     

基于因素分析的区域旅游竞争力评价模型研究

竞争力评价是近年学术研究的热点.本文首先回顾了我国区域旅游竞争力评价的相关研究,然后从分析区域旅游竞争力的影响因素入手,构建一个评价区域旅游竞争力的多层次指标体系,并利用因子分析法对指标体系进行定量分析,建立相应的综合评价模型.