This thought-provoking Handbook considers the impact and challenges that social tourism has on people’s lives, integrating case studies from around the world. Showcasing the latest research on the topic and its role in tackling the challenges of tourism development, chapters explore the opportunities presented by social tourism and illustrate the social imperative of tourism as a force for good.
Once touted as the world’s largest industry and also a tool for fostering peace and global understanding, tourism has certainly been a major force shaping our world. The recent COVID-19 crisis has led to calls to transform tourism and reset it along more ethical and sustainable lines. It was in this context that calls to "socialise tourism" emerged (Higgins-Desbiolles, 2020). This edited volume builds on this work by employing the term Socialising Tourism as a broad conceptual focal point and guiding term for industry, activists and academics to rethink tourism for social and ecological justice. Socialising Tourism means reorienting travel and tourism based on the rights, interests, and safeguarding of traditional ecological and cultural knowledges of local peoples, communities and living landscapes. This means making tourism work for the public good and taking seriously the idea of putting the social and ecological before profit and growth as the world re-emerges from the COVID-19 pandemic. This is an essential first step for tourism to be made accountable to the limits of the planet. Concepts discussed include Indigenous culture, toxic tourism, a "theory of care", dismantling whiteness, decolonial tourism and animal oppression, among others, all in the context of a post-COVID-19 world. This will be essential reading for all upper-level students, academics and policymakers in the field of tourism. The Introduction of this book is freely available as a downloadable Open Access PDF under a Creative Commons Attribution-Non Commercial-No Derivatives 4.0 license available at http://www.taylorfrancis.com/books/9781003164616
This book examines the concept of social tourism within a European context. It places social tourism within a historical context of social development in the region, highlighting the diverse ways in which social tourism has evolved, identifying commonalities and providing a comprehensive definition. The theoretical chapters approach social tourism from a multi-disciplinary perspective linking social tourism to concepts such as social inequality, welfare systems, sustainability, family diversity and mobilities.
Social tourism refers to facilitating access to tourism for low income groups and/or the use of tourism as a regeneration and economic stimulation strategy. Although social tourism has its roots in the early 20th Century and is still a major component of the tourism sector in a range of countries, the concept has received relatively little research attention until recently. In this volume, international specialists on social tourism present perspectives on social tourism from different disciplines and geographical contexts. The book highlights the multitude of interpretations and implementations of social tourism that make the concept so multi-faceted: examples reviewed in this book include holiday vouchers in Hungary, charity initiatives in the UK, tourism schemes for senior citizens in Spain and state provision in Brazil. Seven themed chapters and two case studies explore the potential of social tourism from a range of perspectives. Should tourism be a right that is available to all? Is social tourism indispensable in a sustainable tourism strategy? What are the different systems of social tourism supply and demand in Europe, and why do the implementations differ so much between countries? The book provides a critical reflection on these and other questions, and is therefore a key resource for social tourism researchers and practitioners. This book was originally published as a special issue of Current Issues in Tourism.
Social tourism - the practice of offering programmes, events and activities to enable disadvantaged population groups to enjoy tourism - is of increasing interest to academia. Beginning with an introduction to the social tourism concept, its relevance and target groups, this book then provides reflections about emerging topics case studies of programmes in action across Europe, Oceania and the Americas. It considers the tourism experience from the point of view of young people, families, senior citizens and people with disabilities, before covering the impacts of social tourism initiatives on both participants and tourism destinations. It concludes by reflecting on the practical challenges and policy implications emerging from theory and practice, highlighting common challenges and identifying guidelines for designing social tourism initiatives.
This volume explores the links between the rapidly growing phenomenon of social entrepreneurship (SE) and the international tourism and hospitality industry. This unique industry is particularly ripe for transformation by SE and the book’s authors delve deeply into the reasons for this. The book has three parts. The first creates a conceptual and theoretical framework for understanding the uniqueness of SE in the tourism context. The second examines different communities of practice where SE is being applied in tourism. The third is a rich collection of case studies from eight countries where tourism SE is already having an impact. The book’s authors address the topic from many different angles, disciplinary backgrounds and geographic areas. Many case study authors are practicing social entrepreneurs who share their successes, challenges and experience with tourism-related projects. The book also proposes a research agenda and educational programmatic changes needed to support tourism SE. As these are developed, tourism SE will bring innovation to destinations, transformation of their economic and social structures, and contribution to a better world. The book has many insights and resources for scholars and practitioners alike to usher in this transformation.
This book, the first on social tourism in English, provides a comprehensive analysis of the various systems and practices in support of disadvantaged people's enjoyment of tourism. Combining theory and practice and a truly European perspective, this book provides an interdisciplinary approach to examine the concepts and contexts underpinning social tourism that will be a key reference point for students, practitioners and researchers. Theoretical perspectives on social tourism are assessed in the context of social inequality, sustainability, family diversity, mobility and the welfare society. The case studies cover public initiatives, charities and voluntary organisations, from a range of different countries including the UK, Ireland, Belgium, Denmark and Poland, covering the diversity of systems and practices in Europe.
This volume addresses the transformative power of tourism social media and offers novel theoretical and methodological approaches to its academic investigation. Acknowledging the collective value creation mechanisms of new media, the authors explore how technology nurtures, augments and modifies social or commercial interactions in tourism.
Social media is fundamentally changing the way travellers and tourists search, find, read and trust, as well as collaboratively produce information about tourism suppliers and tourism destinations. Presenting cutting-edge theory, research and case studies investigating Web 2.0 applications and tools that transform the role and behaviour of the new generation of travellers, this book also examines the ways in which tourism organisations reengineer and implement their business models and operations, such as new service development, marketing, networking and knowledge management. Written by an international group of researchers widely known for their expertise in the field of the Internet and tourism, chapters include applications and case studies in various travel, tourism and leisure sectors.
The Social Psychology of Tourist Behaviour is a seven-chapter book that describes tourists, tourism, and tourist psychology. The book particularly explores economic, geographical, anthropological, and sociological studies of tourism. Subsequent chapters look into the social role of tourist; an approach to tourist motivation; social contact between tourists and hosts; and environmental settings of tourist behavior. The book will be useful for advanced undergraduates, graduate students and relevant practitioners, and in some cases for a rather broader public in the field of social psychology.
