Pages: 4

The main aim of the Routledge Handbook of Trends and Issues in Global Tourism is to provide a comprehensive and considered text on trends and issues within tourism worldwide. The following quote expresses the difficulties that exist in finding systematic and credible information on trends and issues: Pinpointing trends and issues in international tourism is challenging in itself as there are no books or comprehensive documentation sources for these data. The proverbial ‘searching for a needle in a haystack’ is a good metaphor for anyone trying to gather this information in order to look ahead. Also, the changes impacting tourism are so dynamic and often unpredictable that searching for trends and issues can be an endless and certainly is an ongoing task. (Morrison, 2021, p. 219) This situation was exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic that began in early 2020 and whose effects continued through to 2022 and 2023. In fact, a concoction of trends and issues were already in play when the global public health crisis arrived; however, scholars were tending to treat these separately without duly considering their interrelationships and combined effects. Thus, the main reason for writing the Routledge Handbook on Trends and Issues in Global Tourism was to raise this theme from a peripheral and ad hoc topic to a mainstream subject in tourism and hospitality education and research, and in so doing address a gap in the market of related books.

Pages: 312

No chapter abstract available.

Pages: 49

No chapter abstract available.

Pages: 13

High-speed rail (HSR) has been increasing in popularity among passengers and has become the dominant rail passenger transport mode chosen in recent years. At the same time, the rapid growth of HSR has also presented tremendous opportunities for regional development. Chapter 1 identifies the main current trends in HSR as follows: The positive effects are limited to large cities, metro areas and regions with already well-developed tourism markets; the positive effects are mainly short-term observable in “younger” networks (e.g., China and Italy); the positive effects are not sustainable over the long term as they fade with time as observed in “older” networks (e.g., France and Japan); the need to improve HSR lines connecting protected areas in order to support sustainable tourism; and the high degree of uncertainty regarding whether or not HSR could substantially contribute to tourism development in other countries, in particular the U.S.

Pages: 12

The highly competitive industry environment constantly pushes airlines and airports to implement new and innovative strategies in order to secure their financial viability. Increasing passenger flows, new trends on travel habits, the rise of competition among industry companies, and the implementation of sustainability policies have been only some of the challenges which the industry has to face. Moreover, the COVID-19 health pandemic swiftly changed the perception of travel and aviation has been the most affected sector among many others related to tourism. Health protocols, vaccination policies and country restrictions formed a dynamic environment in which airlines were forced to operate and survive. The aviation industry is trying to maintain its crucial role by adapting itself into an environment which is characterised by uncertainty at different levels.

Pages: 11

Cruise ship tourism constitutes one of the fastest-growing segments of the global tourism industry. This chapter documents important trends and issues facing the industry in the 21st century. These include concentration of ownership within the global cruise ship industry, increasing segmentation of demand, and the geographic shift of the centre of cruising from North America/Caribbean and Europe to Asia and, especially, China. While there are many challenges facing the cruise industry in the future, two stand out: the balance of positive and negative impacts on ports of call, and the global environmental impact of cruising. In both areas, the industry has faced growing pushback. Yet efforts by the big cruise lines to address these will put pressure on the existing dominant business model.

Pages: 11

As the reality of human impact on the natural environment has become widely acknowledged, debate has turned to policies required to mitigate and adapt to these impacts. Since cruise tourism is a notably environmentally damaging human practice, the industry provides an informative and important case through which these debates can be investigated. This chapter aims to contribute to the understanding of theoretical, social, and practical implications of cruise tourism into the future. Key to this is to question if the industry can become sustainable through self- or externally imposed regulation, or if its growth should be dissuaded altogether. This chapter addresses these issues by offering a description of the historical growth of the industry and future trajectories, then providing a summary of its environmental impacts, and by discussing technological and policy proposals for impact mitigation.

Pages: 119

No chapter abstract available.

Pages: 10

Safety is a pivotal factor to any visitor attraction as it seeks to deliver a secure environment for all its stakeholders to engage with its range of activities. However, literature surrounding safety in visitor attractions remains largely implicit, or fragmented. Most studies are reported as breaches in media reports, and often feature legal and financial implications. In addition, the changing landscape for visitor attractions suggests the need to explore the evolving safety considerations confronting day-to-day operations. This chapter analyses the role of scenario planning to prepare visitor attractions for safety preparedness and resilience into the future. It delves into safety when engaging with technology, inclusive accessible futures, professional and amateur co-created event attractions, and blockchain-enabled financial transactions. Future implications for attractions and their respective stakeholders are discussed.

Pages: 13

Wine tourism destinations that depend on exporting wine and attracting international tourists have suffered severely during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. Global wine tourism therefore faces both challenges and opportunities. This chapter discusses the global wine tourism development from the perspectives of wine producers, distributors, and consumers. It also explores wine tourism trends through the lens of supply and demand. Suggestions for the future wine tourism development up to 2042 are provided.

Pages: 19

The role of local gastronomy and cultural foods is arguably as important to the modern tourist industry as it is to its historic local foundations. This chapter delves into the world of culinary tourism and compares and contrasts certain aspects between Mediterranean countries and the United Kingdom (UK) from both consumer and producer perspectives, and with reference to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Multiple stakeholders are considered, along with recent food trends in the form of cultural goods, the increasingly nebulous term of ‘identity’, food memories, and new developing forms of economy. Looking to the future, predictions and opportunities such as agritourism and social equality are analysed, providing context to this chapter’s snapshot of the current foodscape.

Pages: 14

Over the last decade, India has been ranked as one of the world’s top tourist attractions, with international tourism on the increase, contributing to the country’s economic growth. As a consequence of the increased demand for visitor lodgings, many “homestay” establishments have sprouted up. Homestay lodging is familiar not just for international travelers but also for local tourists. The resort feels like a second home, in addition to providing a peaceful and adventurous vacation experience. The number of homestays in India is currently increasing at an exponential rate. Homestays have grown in popularity in the post-COVID period, as social distance, sanitation, hygiene, and privacy have become major issues for tourists. Over the past few years, both international tourists and locals have increasingly preferred intimate hotels to traditional hotels in search of unique local travel experiences. Furthermore, the relaxed adaptability, and the ‘bang for the buck’ provided by a homestay, particularly when traveling in a large group, are factors fueling the growth of this industry. This chapter explores the potential of homestays in Himalayan states (Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand) and look for initiatives patterns related to this scheme. In addition, this chapter discusses how homestay operators are dealing with a variety of problems. A research study is carried out to obtain data and information on the existing status and upcoming trends in homestays for use in this chapter. Several scholarly papers and government publications give secondary evidence on the increased demand for homestays, bolstering the arguments made in this study. This chapter will look at homestay tourism from the author’s viewpoint and will consider the financial, social, and cultural effects of the rise in homestay tourism. There has been little research conducted to date on homestays, meaning that relatively few previous studies are described in the literature review.

Pages: 10

The present chapter approaches cultural heritage and describes a series of ethical issues concerning the management and marketing of monuments that arise in times of both war and peace. It explores ethical issues and trends regarding intercultural monuments and selective memory management, and also examines the politicisation of heritage and the polarity between cultural nationalism and cultural internationalism. The challenge of the chapter is to investigate the concept of cultural heritage tourism in the light of the interactions between tourism and heritage, the actions taken by international organisations for the management of heritage and the ethical issues and trends also concerning the management of UNESCO monuments. The particular contribution of the chapter lies in the fact that it investigates two social phenomena – tourism and cultural heritage – that overcome the problematic theories of conflict and become allies under the roof of the ethical management of monuments.

Pages: 11

Over the past few decades, cultural tourism has garnered much attention, both in the field and in academia. The COVID-19 pandemic, which abruptly closed international borders and cultural venues, further highlighted the economic importance of cultural tourism for communities around the world. Based on the case of Ontario, Canada, this chapter explores ongoing challenges, as well as trends related to cultural tourism. It identifies the lack of institutional coordination and support, as well as social justice considerations, as issues requiring immediate attention for this sector to continue to develop. The chapter also suggests how demographic and technological changes, in addition to a renewed appreciation of the arts, are bound to make more complex and grow cultural tourism offerings. Implications for stakeholders are offered in the closing section.

Pages: 10

Dark tourism has become a major contributor to the wider tourism industry. While traditionally its visitor experiences have relied on static, non-personal interpretation methods, technological advances and changes in demand have triggered a rising trend of edutainment interpretation which blurs the boundaries of entertainment and education to create simulated and engaging moments of history. These experiences have long been criticised within the academic community as frivolous amusements that trivialise history. However, considering the growing public preference for edutainment experiences, it is necessary that this topic be brought to the forefront of research. This chapter discusses the use and growing trend of edutainment interpretation within dark tourism practice. Finally, it sets out predictions of future trends based on current edutainment practices and visitor observations within the context of dark tourism.

Pages: 15

From the standpoint of sustainable heritage tourism, it has become critical to scrutinize the intersection between authenticity, heritage justice and wellbeing. The authenticity discourse has become increasingly relevant in the heritage justice deliberations, particularly in the context of under-represented communities. This chapter contextualizes a heritage justice paradigm that strives to strengthen the traditional foundations of under-represented communities by safeguarding their cultural authenticity and nurturing their hedonic and eudaimonic wellbeing. Barriers and enablers of heritage justice are identified and a heritage justice model is proposed. This line of inquiry has been sparsely explored in documented literature.

Pages: 13

A growing body of literature on “creative tourism” has emerged since the term was first introduced about two decades ago as a way to refer to a type of tourism that offers visitors the opportunity to apply their creative potential through active participation in learning experiences characteristic of the destination where they take place. This growing awareness that visitors are increasingly seeking to play an active role during their travels by participating in local socio-cultural experiences is a direct consequence of their desire to experience the culture of others. As such, it has become evident that around the world there is exponential growth in experiential travel aimed at this niche of visitors, as it involves more experiential encounters and greater learning opportunities for the visitor. This chapter analyzes trends in creative tourism. This analysis is based on its impacts, players, main catalysts, opportunities, challenges, implications, and future forecasts. Since the growth of academic studies, as well as the increase in practical efforts on the ground to promote creative tourism, are current evidence and it is seen as a niche capable of enhancing sustainable tourism.

Pages: 56

No chapter abstract available.

Pages: 10

Two important and interrelated trends within tourism have been the transformation of intermediaries and the explosion of growth in sales through online channels. Together, these trends have resulted in the emergence of powerful online intermediaries, known as online travel agencies (OTAs), which have become one of the predominant forces influencing the success of tourism businesses today. This chapter critically examines the role and development of intermediaries within tourism, critically analyzing their growth, decline and subsequent re-emergence as market makers holding massive sway over tourism suppliers, as well as assessing their corresponding implications for both the sector and consumers.

Pages: 10

The development and commercialisation of the internet and thereafter information and communications technology (ICT) have not only enabled new business models but also augmented people’s planning style in various areas, one of which being their trip planning behaviours. Traveling behaviours are typically divided into pre-trip, during and post-trip stages, where information search for planning purpose used to take place mostly in the pre-trip stage and via physical means. However, with the advent and popularity of ICT adaptation and the virtual space, people tend to shorten their trip planning lead time and do more ad hoc planning during the trip. They are also more inclined to participate in sharing their trip experience (information and advice) through social media during and post-trip, so that they themselves contribute to the repertoire of information sources from which they benefit; thereby forming a sustainable “ecosystem”. Acknowledging the opportunities and feasibility afforded by this phenomenon, this chapter explores the paradigm shift by: (i) reviewing the traditional trip planning literature; (ii) investigating the change in trip planning style alongside the evolution of ICT; and (iii) identifying trends in the “smart” era. The chapter concludes with several potential directions that may continue to shape changes in trip planning behaviours such as immersive virtual trips, smart self-drive tourism and impulsive travels stimulated by gamification concepts.

Pages: 10

Technology is used for a wide variety of activities in tourism. However, the overwhelming use of technology in our everyday lives has resulted in a growing disconnection movement for people who desire to resist digital technology. Digital-free tourism (DFT) has become an increasingly popular phenomenon. The focus of DFT studies thus far is on the consumer side. For example, millennials and digital wellbeing, escape, personal growth, mindfulness, technostress, relaxation, and emotions. This chapter suggests a future research agenda, for example, linking DFT with nature-based tourism, quality of life, digital wellbeing, and sustainability. Some practical applications of DFT are suggested, such as helping with Zoom fatigue, adopting DFT in tourism operations, or rebranding opportunities for destinations. The chapter closes with future trends in DFT, such as new business opportunities, growing adoption across tourism and hospitality services, or being combined with other forms of tourism, such as slow, rural, spa, or adventure tourism.

Pages: 12

As can be seen from the fact that the tourism information system, which was produced in paper-based format, is evolving to be based on the Internet, the tourism information platform has been continuously developed with the proliferation of information technology (IT). Social media, which has been rapidly increasing, has become a popular tool for ubiquitously collecting and sharing tourism information based on a mobile digital environment. The evolution of the travel IT system brings a question like, “What will be the next tourism information platform?” Metaverse has attracted enormous attention because of the combination of the non-face-to-face lifestyles resulting from the prolonged pandemic and convergent digital technologies such as virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR). As the VR, AR, and virtual influencers have been prolific rapidly, it is expected that the Metaverse is vital for marketing toward tourists. This chapter discusses the definition of the Metaverse, some exemplary applications, and its four categories: AR, lifelogging, mirror worlds, and virtual worlds. This chapter provides meaningful insights into tourism marketing by understanding that the Metaverse can be used as a new travel IT platform and promotion channel in the digital environment.

Pages: 12

The changes in the labour available to hospitality and the increasing capabilities of Artificial Intelligence (AI) and robotics have created circumstances in which hotels will be increasingly encouraged to use robots in their operations. In this chapter, the authors discuss the issues that accommodation providers have to consider when transforming tasks in their operations from human labour to robotic labour. The chapter illustrates the major concerns of accommodation establishments with regards to the switchover to robotic labour, including discussions of operations, finance, human resource management, marketing, and the interior design of establishments. It highlights that the transformation will have critical implications concerning the design of establishments and the practicalities of the front-of-house and back-of-house operations. In conclusion, the chapter discusses the implications of the new reality and the major concerns that the hospitality industry will have with the recruitment and management of a workforce that will service customers while at the same time working in concert with robots as coworkers.

Pages: 53

No chapter abstract available.

Pages: 11

This chapter focuses on world tourism cities, which are important destinations that lately have received an increased attention from scholars. It specifically examines the current trends that are shaping tourism cities and the challenges faced by these environments. The chapter first discusses the rapid growth of urbanisation, with an emphasis on its effects on communities. Urbanisation is seen to be one of the megatrends that the global society is experiencing at present. The increased level of urbanisation that was seen over the past decade in many countries has contributed to the growth of the urban tourism phenomenon, which was one of the fastest-growing types of tourism before the COVID-19 pandemic. The implications of the pandemic on world tourism cities are briefly touched upon, with an emphasis on the major tourism crisis that many urban destinations have been or are still going through. Other trends and challenges covered in this chapter include the sustainability debates and how these affect tourism cities worldwide; the climate change debates; the quality of life of citizens and how tourism can have a beneficial or detrimental effect on their daily lives; the progress of ICTs and the impact on tourism cities, with a focus on smart tourism solutions adopted by tourism cities.

Pages: 10

While the existence of overtourism as a phenomenon has been discussed and conceptualised, a key question remains as to whether or not there is a solution to such a ‘wicked’ problem. This chapter will first outline the defining trends and issues that have led to the use of the term and then briefly review the impacts of overtourism. It then discusses attempts at mitigating and preventing the occurrence of the phenomenon, and the reasons for their general failure to date. The chapter concludes with an overview of likely future implications and trends.

Pages: 15

Today, we live in interesting times; they are times of change and uncertainty, but they are also the most optimistic and exciting times in the recent history of travel and tourism. It is a time when worldwide tourism is faced with difficult challenges that will impact on the future for international growth in travel. The industry has been particularly confronted with a major crisis due to the impact of COVID-19 and other strains of the virus. It is noted that the global tourism industry must come together to work toward solutions to such pandemics now and into the future. The issues related to health pandemics is one of the important concerns for the future growth of the travel and tourism industry. There are many more issues and policies that have an impact on future trends in global tourism. Such critical issues that need the immediate attention of the global tourism community include understanding the impact of transportation disruptions, climate change and global warming, traveller’s safety and security, global cooperation with respect to traveler barriers to travel, a well-educated and trained workforce, approaches to meeting natural and human-induced disasters, the introduction of new technology and dynamic plans for the overall management of sustainable tourism. The opportunity for positive future trends in global tourism will ultimately depend on international organisations, businesses, government, academia, not-for-profit entities, and local tourism leaders all working together to develop policies and plans to address the important current and future tourism issues that face the travel and tourism industry.

Pages: 15

As the world moves towards the ‘next normal’ of an ongoing pandemic, recovery plans of several tourism destinations are still not yielding desired results. Globally, the COVID-19 crisis has exposed long-standing structural weaknesses and gaps in tourism policy measures. To further complicate the process, destinations and segments of the tourism sector are re-opening and recovering at different speeds, and this is impacting on the global economy, as tourism is a multi-sectoral business. This is a grave concern, as due to lockdown and travel constraints, field research and the collection of data in order to formulate appropriate tourism policies have not been possible. In this case, evidence-based policy is seen as a viable option to help destinations still struggling with the pandemic. It is important to document current trends and understand future tendencies in order to be able to develop coping capacities. Against this background, the aim of this chapter is to examine tourism policies adopted by tourism destinations following the pandemic. From a methodological point of view, collective case designs are chosen as these are widely used in tourism studies when it is not possible to separate the phenomenon being studied from its context. Drawing from 15 global case studies, this chapter proposes a synthesis of evidence-based tourism policies embraced by tourism destinations. Findings show that the crisis is an opportunity to rethink the tourism system; the COVID-19 pandemic is not solely a tourism issue. Rather, it is a health issue requiring whole-of-destination policies, including health and other sectors of the economy. Rebuilding tourism requires collective effort, global solidarity, and, more importantly, tourism policies that address structural weaknesses, advance key socio-economic priorities and take advantage of new opportunities. Information derived from the case studies is helpful to destination managers, policy makers and other tourism stakeholders interested to implement tourism policies that are tested and trusted in a pandemic context.

Pages: 30

No chapter abstract available.

Pages: 12

Tourism, as a system, faces important challenges, following events of wide scope and significance, with structural implications at the economic, social, and environmental levels. In this context, the study and analysis of tourists’ behavioural trends is particularly important, as, in addition to constituting an unavoidable basis for demand, it implies changes in terms of offer. To identify the main behavioural trends of tourists, through a long-term perspective, for the 2030s, 2040s and 2050s, an approach was carried out through a literature review, pointing out the most significant variables for the future. A special emphasis was given to Generations Y and Z, given their expression in the market over a long-term horizon, as well as a review of the compatibility between tourism and sustainable development goals, focusing on the responsibilities and opportunities of the various stakeholders.

Pages: 16

Destination management is a profession that is gaining more recognition worldwide. The field is also becoming increasingly professional, and this is a significant trend in tourism. After an introductory review of destination management and its key events and influential publications, there is a discussion of recent trends. The chapter then articulates the roles and competencies in professional destination management and issues and challenges facing destination management are discussed. Various stakeholder interests and roles in destination management are elaborated. The conclusion is made that professional destination management can and should make a substantial contribution to the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Future trends in professional destination management are projected. The chapter ends by suggesting how this work can contribute to the literature and professional practice.

Pages: 90

No chapter abstract available.

Pages: 17

It is important to understand the real effects of terrorism on individuals’ lives, to address both the material and the psychological cost of terrorism in the people’s behaviour. Besides the importance and impact of the phenomenon, to our knowledge no studies were done regarding the impacts of terrorism on people’s lives in Europe, especially with regard to the younger generations. This study tries to fill that gap. The subject of our study is to evaluate the impact of terrorism in Millennials’ travel and leisure behaviours. Using a survey approach, involving a sample of more than 1000 Millennials living and studying in the EU28, it was possible to evaluate their perceptions of risk when travelling and consuming leisure activities in their own countries, in Europe and worldwide. Results indicate that Millennials are mostly fearless but alert and they feel that it is safe to travel both in Europe and outside the continent; however, they do agree that safety measures are very important. Also, findings prove that terrorism is part of Millennials’ lives: i) Millennials are interested in information about terrorism in media, although they do not actively search for that information; ii) they feel that it is possible that terrorist attacks may occur in Europe and in their own country in the near future; however, they do not consider changing any aspect of their life because of that; iii) Millennials feel safe carrying out most of their daily activities, with the exception of activities involving big crowds, such as concerts and festivals, discos, sport events and religious events.

Pages: 14

Crisis events of various types (e.g., natural disasters, terrorism attacks, pandemics, economic downturns, political instability) can adversely affect the development of tourism destinations in the short to medium term. However, there needs to be more scholarly research on the classification attributes, spatial distribution, and impact structure of global tourism crises and how tourism destinations develop resilience as a result of these processes. This recommendation is particularly applicable in destinations subject to recurring crises over extended periods. This chapter argues the need for scholarly activity to pay greater attention to multi-crisis destinations. The multi-crisis destination concept is defined with suggestions for developing an index for measuring and classifying multi-crisis destinations. Finally, examples of such destinations are provided and discussed.

Pages: 11

The global tourism and hospitality industry is anticipating the entry of another younger cohort of workers. As the industry fundamentally depends on human capital, understanding the workforce and its evolution over time has been an important and ongoing endeavor. Born between 1997 and 2012, those individuals who have been termed “Generation Z” currently account for the largest single age group in the United States. Born into the digital age, this generation cannot be separated from technological advancement and innovation. Given that the future of the tourism and hospitality industry will be accompanied by technology, this tech-savvy demographic has great potential and will be a vital asset in the future. Having witnessed social turmoil and economic recessions, this generation will likely have different perspectives and traits in the workplace, such as being more independent, resilient, responsible, and tolerant of others. Being more radically diverse compared to previous generational cohorts, Generation Z will bring diversity and inclusion in the workplace to the next level. With a desire and anticipation of Generation Z’s important contributions to the industry, this chapter discusses the trends and issues of this emerging workforce.

Pages: 10

Over the last decade, the number of people forcibly displaced from their homes fleeing from war, persecution, and violence has nearly doubled, from 41 million in 2010 to 82.4 million in 2020, among them 26.4 million are refugees under international protection. Inevitably, the number of forcibly displaced people will increase in the future. Amid these global concerns, there has been a rise in the number of tourism scholars investigating the impact of refugees on tourism. To date, much of this work has excluded the involvement of refugee voices and experiences in the research processes. More worryingly, this type of orientation adopts an ‘add refugees and stir’ approach and perpetuates a conventional view of refugees as ‘outsiders’ and ‘issue-generating’ to the host country. To counter this approach, this chapter will advocate theoretical and practical contributions that shift our orientation for the more inclusive study with, rather than only on, refugees, and take a proactive approach to examining the trend of forced displacement and global tourism.

Pages: 10

Although tourism in decommissioned prisons is not new, tourists’ fine dining in a working prison is. In this chapter, we discuss fine dining in prisons as not only a new form of global tourism but also as leading social change. Hospitality training programmes in the form of fine dining restaurants help prisoner rehabilitation and enable social purpose to change public perceptions of prisoners. One example is The Clink Charity, UK, which is successfully running four training restaurants in prisons. This chapter suggests a replication of the Clink model domestically and internationally, so that, in the future, more tourists will be able to experience fine dining in prisons globally. Over the next thirty years, fine dining restaurants could have the ability to reduce reoffending, increase the hospitality workforce, change the stigma that prisoners face at present and become a popular niche tourism experience.

Pages: 11

This chapter explores the regulation of sharing economy platforms like Airbnb and Uber, which epitomise the rapid, recent emergence of the peer-to-peer short-term rental and ride-hailing industries. The existing literature on such regulation is quite limited, particularly within the tourism field. Nevertheless, it is an important subject, as the services offered by these platforms were initially illegal in many jurisdictions, and the opportunities these platforms have created have been complemented by myriad negative impacts. More and more jurisdictions therefore have introduced new regulations specific to these platforms, often sharing a fairly similar underlying framework. The primary stakeholders in the legislative battles producing such regulations include the policy makers, the platform companies, their hosts and drivers, their customers, and their incumbent industries. Over time, it is likely that regulations will become tighter and more effective as jurisdictions learn from one another about successful strategies for better regulating the platforms.

Pages: 13

This chapter provides an overview of the tourism environment relationship set against the context of declining nature. Furthermore, at the same time an increasing number of people wish to enjoy and benefit from what the natural world has to offer. While global environmental degradation is a concerning trajectory, tourism can offer solutions if managed sustainably. The current tourism in nature scenario is reviewed and actual and potential problems identified. With greater awareness, there is room for a re-imagined tourism, but this depends on action at all levels in human society. Governments and agencies can play a pivotal role in designating more protected areas and in the provision of management effectiveness. The role of individuals and the way people think about their relationship with nature will determine the quality and success of nature tourism into the future.

Pages: 113

No chapter abstract available.

Pages: 10

Business travel containing leisure components is not a new phenomenon but a new concept in tourism marketing strategies. With the bleisure concept, destination management organisations (DMOs) strive to create new markets and constantly develop innovative and creative offerings to keep up with the global competition. This chapter contributes to the literature by examining the bleisure offerings based on the information provided by DMOs on their websites. The content analysis was employed through data generated from 541 websites of DMOs that are members of the organisation Destinations International Foundation. This chapter fills an important gap in the literature and provides valuable insights for DMOs currently targeting bleisure travelers through a comprehensive marketing perspective. The current study also demonstrates strong motives to target bleisure tourists and offers several practical implications for DMOs.

Pages: 12

This chapter introduces and defines the subject matter of “Glamping”. Initially, it identifies the importance of Glamping’s new travel trend for consumers, and businesses in the tourism sector, but also the impact that such a form of tourism can have on the environment, along with its sustainability. Secondly it investigates the role of Glamping in the global economy of the twenty-first century, as well as its potential for growth over the coming decades.

Pages: 10

When considering trends and issues in global tourism, it is critical to consider the area of Visiting Friends and Relatives (VFR) travel. Too often, VFR travel is overlooked in strategic discussions about tourism, perhaps because VFR travel is regarded as a segment of tourism that cannot be influenced, or perhaps because it is seen as being of negligible benefit to the core tourism industries in a destination. In other words, VFR travel is an area of tourism that is often taken for granted. This chapter aims to explain why VFR travel should not be taken for granted, and in what ways it is critically important in relation to tourism issues and trends. This chapter addresses four key matters. Firstly, it outlines in what ways VFR travel is highly relevant; especially in the years moving forward from the COVID-19 pandemic that consumed the world. Secondly, it explains the way in which VFR travel data are tracked and interpreted and how that influences VFR travel in scholarship as well as in practice. The chapter also discusses the definition of VFR and how misunderstanding of the definition in both scholarly circles and in tourism industries has limited the development and adoption of VFR travel. Fourthly, the chapter highlights the major trends and issues and outline what this may mean for scholarship and tourism industries.

Pages: 16

The main purpose of this chapter is to propose a conceptual model of transformational tourism. The transformational process for tourists is explored through an analysis of tourism experiences in Sri Lanka. Based on a thematic analysis of in-depth interviews, two themes were identified: (1) The healing and inspiration of Sri Lanka; and (2) self-reflective actions towards encountering poverty in tourism destinations. Future trends and research directions for transformational tourism are proposed.

Pages: 10

VUCA is an acronym constructed to embrace volatility, uncertainty, complexity, and ambiguity. Today’s world constantly stays in the VUCA conditions, affecting many industries, including sports and tourism. Today sport tourism is facing numerous changes, challenges, and, consequently, opportunities. First of all, this chapter begins with the definition, taxonomy, and history of sport tourism in brief. In addition, we explain why sport tourism deserves special attention and is especially interesting in the contemporary tourism context. Second, we describe and discuss the recent changes in sport tourism, and see challenges for this industry. It is followed by a few vivid examples from the business. Subsequently, it let us define and develop the opportunities and perspectives for sport tourism management and marketing for the foreseeable future. It brings us to multifaceted conclusions about reshaping sport tourism and its place in the tourism industry in general, about borders, obstacles, challenges, and following opportunities brought by this complex situation. The current chapter can be interesting for a wide audience: students, scholars, and tourism and sport managers in order to understand trends and issues of the field and turn described challenges into an advantage.

Pages: 11

Based on a larger trend study, this chapter describes key drivers and central future developments in German holiday travel demand. One main driving factor for the future demand is the immense stability of past demand. Holiday travel is a commonplace item in the consumption portfolio of most people in Germany. However, this stability does not promise major growth fantasies for the future. The effects of the COVID-19 pandemic disrupt this stability, at least for some time. Nevertheless, a return to previous patterns is what is expected for future tourism demand in Germany. Yet different dynamic forces could drive future demand into a different direction, compared to the stable patterns the industry was used to: the perception of climate change issues in society; the labour market for the tourism industry; and new developments in communication technology. These aspects could lead to less growth in air travel, rising prices and shifts in information and booking channels in the future.

Pages: 17

The aim of this chapter is to analyse new trends in wellness tourism following the post-COVID era, where the focus shifted from hedonic to more restorative forms of tourism. Some authors predicted an increasing interest in health and wellness tourism post-COVID. Pocinho, Garcês and Neves de Jesus stated that “Wellbeing and wellness can be attractive factors for new tourists and thus open doors to developing new products and activities in destinations”. This, they argued, can make it possible to ‘refresh’ tourism, to change tourists’ behaviour and to help solve pre-COVID problems like overtourism. Discussions about the future of tourism include the concept of resilience, which applies not only to destinations but to residents and tourists as well. Pocinho et al. argue that resilience is a concept that is intimately related to wellbeing and helps to deal effectively with adversity. This is a broad subject that naturally lends itself to essential discussions about the impacts of tourism, resident wellbeing and sustainable destination development. One of the Sustainable Development Goals focuses specifically on Good Health and Wellbeing (SDG3) with several others emphasising especially resident wellbeing (e.g., SDG 11 Sustainable Cities and Communities). In the future, it is predicted that wellbeing will become more central to government and stakeholder policy. Sustainable destination management will prioritise resident wellbeing and tourism businesses and industry will offer more wellness programmes for tourists. This chapter focuses more on the latter than on the wellbeing of local residents, but it is recognised that the two should be inextricably connected in a more resilient and regenerative future.

Pages: 12

Despite its much longer historical background, particularly since the 1980s, the world of marketing has entered a new era, becoming more consumer-oriented. Thus, consumers have come to be at the centre of all production and marketing activities in the business world. In the first wave, commencing from the early 2000s, mass consumption has gained more emphasis with technology development. The tourism and hospitality industry have also been directly affected by such developments, and we have seen new ways of marketing methods and new types of tourism activities/products. As a second wave, one more feature of the 21st century is that it has mainly been dominated by either regional or global incidents such as terrorism and pandemic. Together with disseminating the latest pandemic worldwide, marketing methods and consumer behaviour have undergone another dramatic transformation once again. Its initial outcomes have been in practice now, e.g. more individualised lifestyles, more personalised marketing and consumerism, more concerns with regard to safety and security, greater awareness of fashion, and more engagement on social media. Consequently, this chapter aims to examine the new trends that are likely to be encountered in tourism marketing based on the possible changes in consumer behaviour in the light of the developments of the last two decades and two waves.

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The growing temporal distance from death-related events and increased presence of death and tragedy in media has influenced society to become desensitised to the image and presentation of death. In fact, studies have shown society has become more curious about death, resulting in an increased desire to learn about past pain and suffering. This, coupled with advancements in technology, have further influenced visitors to seek out more unique, memorable experiences that are engaging, personal, and even immersive. In response, there has been an increasing development of lighter dark visitor attractions – places considered lighter with respect to Stone’s (2006) Darkness Spectrum on the basis of their higher commercial and tourism infrastructure and use of edutainment interpretation, which as a strategic effort that blurs education with entertainment, helps to create the more memorable and engaging experiences that visitors seek.