Abstract

In this volume tourism experts collectively discuss and debate some intriguing questions that the tourism industry poses, such as the relevance of mass tourism, the dilemma of authenticity, whether small tourism is beautiful, whether volunteer tourism is benign, whether tourism contributes to climate change, as well as many others. The book brings together the expertise of 35 renowned international scholars of tourism to examine these perplexing issues. Multidisciplinary in its content, it touches upon anthropology, sociology, geography, climatology, biosciences, and planning and development aspects of tourism. The book provides a dialogue for an academic discussion which challenges research conservatism and stereotypes in tourism studies. It will encourage scholars to test the consistency of critical notions whose heuristic value is often taken for granted. The book will benefit graduates, research scholars and those involved in organizing the industry sustainably.

Each chapter is organized around the contribution of a lead author and those of two or three commenting authors. Also each chapter starts with outlining the context of the debate and ends with concluding remarks by the lead author. In addition, each chapter comprises discussion questions, references and further readings. The book is thus unique and innovative in its presentation and style...Since it contains some intellectually challenging discussions, the publication will mainly be of interest to academic researchers and tourism students.

Critical Debates in Tourism is an excellent guide for those who are already engaged into or break the ground in tourism research, or simply travel. Researchers from other fields, such as social and natural sciences, will also find this book useful due to multidisciplinary approaches to the discussed subjects. The book reveals lots of facts on ongoing debates around various issues in tourism that are essential to learn or to catch up on.

Overall, this is an excellent book for those wishing to acquire a more comprehensive understanding of some of the most relevant issues in contemporary tourism research by some of the most established authors of today.

Being one of its kind “Critical Debates in Tourism” edited by Tej Vir Singh is highly advised and recommended to experts, consultants, graduate students, academic researchers, policy makers, destination management organizations and decision makers who work or study on sustainability, tourism research, heritage, nature based tourism and ecologically friendly tourism products, climate change and economic, social, cultural and environmental impacts of tourism industry on destinations, local people and in general.

This book is very much a reference guide, an assessment, and a polemic all in one volume. The fact that most of the giants in tourism research have contributed mark it as a must read.

Tej Vir Singh is Professor and founding Director of the Centre for Tourism Research & Development (CTRD), Lucknow, India. He is also Founder Editor of the Centre's international journal Tourism Recreation Research. He has produced many international books and papers on tourism development and impacts. He is a fellow of the International Academy for the Study of Tourism (since 1989) and has consulted for the UNEP. He was awarded lifetime honorary professorship of tourism by Bundelkhand University, Jhansi, India.

A must for those wanting to get to grips with the key tourism debates. This is an unconventional book that covers many of the big policy issues in tourism – climate change, mass tourism, community empowerment, etc. Experts explore these issues providing opinions, exploding myths and highlighting the value-laden nature of tourism.

Through this fascinating book Tej Vir Singh harnesses key debates that he has encouraged and fostered during his editorship of Tourism Recreation Research. It provides engaging and critical perspectives around fourteen contemporary tourism themes by eminent scholars in the field. Highly recommended.

While those seeking a dense work on a particular issue should perhaps look elsewhere, this book will be useful for both seasoned scholars and new graduate students seeking an up-to-date overview of the current state of tourism knowledge and the juxtaposition of critical issues. It can be read comprehensively for a holistic summary, as in a graduate seminar, or serve as an encyclopedic-like reference book for researchers.

The editor has brought together fourteen discussions and supplemented them with additional materials, resulting in the production of a compelling volume that addresses many important themes in contemporary tourism research.