Abstract

In this volume leading experts from different disciplines and diverse geographic regions discuss fundamental, often controversial topics in the field of tourism studies. The book attempts to understand, identify and analyse some of the perennial problems and challenges encountered by tourism researchers. The debates include topics such as the concept of the ‘tourist’, the long-term sustainability of tourism development, the growth of volunteer tourism and the vulnerability of tourism. Bringing together the collective wisdom of 37 renowned tourism scholars in a unique format, this is an important text for undergraduate and postgraduate students, tourism researchers and industry professionals.

This book will provide the reader with an interesting insight into various tourism challenges. These are united under the umbrella of 11 theme-based chapters, which are discussed and debated across a total of 40 papers. The titles of the themes very well reflect some of the key issues of the multidisciplinary nature of tourism research. Although the editor is right in acknowledging that the first chapters are more appropriate for those at the beginning of their tourism careers (being either academic- or business-oriented), I would like to add that these are a must-read also for established researchers and practitioners, since here and then we all need to be reminded of the origin of the concepts we usually take for granted.

Tej Vir Singh is Director and Professor at the Centre for Tourism and Development, Lucknow, India. His main research interests are impact studies, tourism geography, education and mountain tourism. He is Editor-in-Chief of the international journal Tourism Recreation Research and has worked in the field for over 40 years. He was the winner of the 2013 UNWTO Ulysses Prize.

The book is an accessible, well-organised, informative, and sets itself apart from other tourism issue volumes because of its unique methodology. There is critical insight here, and it is reassuring that many of the authors not only call for change, but attempt to point us in the direction for change.

The book serves as a highly welcome collection of texts that help us to understand these well-selected research challenges and related nuances. We look forward to the next ‘fruits’.

The first strength is the focus of the volume. It is not ‘‘everything tourism” and that is arguably a good thing. The coverage of topics is oriented towards tourist experience, tourism development, and planning issues with a solid substrate about sustainability (...) A second strength of the work lies in its educational value. The topics covered could serve a tourism development and planning course very well. Initial context statements, concluding remarks, and discussion questions reinforce the value of the work for students.

This book grabs your attention by probing into several of tourism's most intriguing and lively debates. It brings together contributions by leading tourism researchers about several of the subject's more important tensions, dilemmas, ambiguities and disputed relationships. It succeeds in encouraging readers to think more deeply and in more nuanced ways about tourism.

In this stimulating volume, 37 leading scholars explore 11 carefully identified conceptual and definitional paradoxes of tourism. The juxtaposition of propositions with counter-arguments provides the reader with different perspectives and with highly focused insights into the knottiest of tourism problems. The search by the editor, Professor TV Singh, for scholarly convergence is challenging, worthwhile and rewarding.