Vulnerabilities and Viabilities in Tourism Studies

At a time when global events reshape our world, this book confronts the critical challenges and opportunities facing tourism studies. Through diverse perspectives from seasoned scholars across the globe, the chapters in this book examine the field’s inherent vulnerabilities while illuminating viable paths forward.

This anthology challenges both emerging and established researchers to break free from conventional thinking and explore tourism’s untapped potential. Contributors draw from their rich career experiences and varied cultural contexts to:

• Question traditional tourism practices
• Navigate the intersection of tourism with posthuman awareness
• Identify key vulnerabilities in current tourism scholarship
• Propose innovative frameworks for future research

More than a mere academic exercise, this collection serves as a rallying cry for meaningful change in tourism scholarship. By carefully examining both the fragilities and strengths within the field, the authors chart a course toward more robust, sustainable, and thoughtful tourism futures.

Perfect for scholars, practitioners, and students alike, this volume offers fresh insights into reimagining tourism’s role in our rapidly evolving world. The chapters in this book were originally published as a special issue of Tourism Recreation Research.

Shalini Singh is Professor in the Department of Recreation and Leisure Studies at Brock University (ON, Canada). Her research explores aspects of leisure tourism with a focus on domestic tourism and cultural heritage, spirituality and place - people synergies. Her current engagement with UNESCO’s religio-heritage site of Bodhgaya (India) seeks to investigate the agency of such destinations in international diplomacy.