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A firm would like to know which factors are the most significant for its revenue growth and this can be a very complex problem to solve since revenue determinants can be identified by literature to be a plethora of variables. The paper provides the methodology for pinpointing the most important revenue determinants for tourism accommodation establishments. Specifically, it aims to provide insight into revenue determinants of hotels and tourist accommodation establishments specializing in alternative tourism in a land-lock region of Northwestern Greece using the LASSO method on questionnaire data. LASSO presents many advantages for estimating tourism models with many possible determinants with a data-driven procedure for the selection of variables. Results suggest that tourists visiting the region, have strong preferences for traditional hostels of very high quality with investments in accessible tourism. Also, important determinants of revenue growth are the existence of a restaurant, playground, fitness centre, souvenir shop, the number of employees, and the human capital of the establishments. The method can be used as a yardstick in studies for other alternative tourism regions, for exhibiting the factors determining revenues. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

“Qiongyou” is an alternative tourism that has emerged in China and is characterized by a “low-budget” approach. This article argues that qiongyou can be seen as a form of justice tourism. First, qiongyou is a collective socio-cultural resistance of grassroots travelers to the structural injustice of state-led tourism in the context of the financial crisis. Second, qiongyouers provide low-budget tourism participation options for the economically disadvantaged through alternative travel market practices and discursive practices. The study of qiongyou provides an empirical case from a developing country and complements current research on justice tourism with a tourism participation perspective and related justice issues. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With the COVID-19 pandemic-related travel restrictions, and staycations emerged as a popular alternative to holidays. This study investigated whether there are differential impacts on subjective well-being between staycations and holidays, and identified the factors that influence the acquisition of subjective well-being. The results showed no significant differences in subjective well-being between the two types of activities. Furthermore, the study identified distinct factors that influenced the subjective well-being of each group. These findings have important implications for promoting sustainable and local tourism, and in understanding the effects of spatial urban planning on well-being. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Nature-based tourism has been widely addressed, yet research on nature-based science tourism, founded on science, scientific knowledge, and/or engagement in scientific research, is still scarce. Drawing on tourist motivation, nature-based tourism, special interest tourism, and science tourism, a novel theoretical conceptualization of nature-based science tourism was developed. The framework identified three categories of science tourism with intensifying levels of tourists' interest in scientific knowledge and tourist engagement: tourism based on scientific knowledge, tourism with scientific adventure or volunteering, and scientific research tourism. In the empirical part, the framework was applied to Seili Island, Finland, and tourist motivation to nature-based science tourism was examined through a survey (n = 518). According to the results, tourists were interested in science and nature-based science tourism products, especially guided tours involving scientific interpretation, but also in intensive scientific excursions. Learning was a dominant motivation, but enjoying nature and escape and relaxation were also significant. When moving from guided tours to more intensive scientific excursions, motivations diversified; besides learning, other tourist motivations also need to be addressed in developing nature-based science tourism experiences. The study contributes to nature-based tourism and underresearched science tourism literature and provides practical implications for developing nature-based tourism. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As a form of tourism that aims to be sustainable and, in broader terms, responsible and ethical, ecotourism occupies a peak position in terms of people's understanding of sustainable tourism. The purpose of this paper is to articulate how responsibility can be actuated through a deeper consideration of duty (good as intrinsic) and strategic (good for business) perspectives. In pursuit of this overall aim, the paper investigates a sample of Ecotourism Australia (EA) certified company websites to examine inclusivity barriers based on the social model of disability: physical, attitudinal, and informational. The choice of Australia is based on the observation that ecotourism providers in this region are often cited as highly advanced in terms of policies and practices. Results suggest that there is only limited statistical support for the hypothesis that the "leading" ecotourism operators (with advanced EA certification) in Australia pay more attention to disability issues than those in the "following" group (with lower categories of EA certification). The paper concludes by suggesting that the responsibility agenda is most likely to move forward by providers adopting ways of "thinking" and "doing" that emphasise duty and justice instead of following accepted business practice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This editorial for the Special Issue on "Navigating the destination of the future" seeks to provide an overview of the six (6) contributions selected from the 4th Caribbean International Tourism Conference, 11–13 December 2019 Barbados. These papers cover a range of topical issues from air services route development to education for tourism. The common thread running through them is their relevance for geographically small destinations, particularly, though not exclusively, in the Caribbean region. This editorial contextualizes these contributions in terms of the ongoing Coronavirus pandemic, which has been particularly devastating for the travel and tourism industry. It concludes by suggesting that while the future for travel and tourism in geographically small destinations is uncertain, one answer must lie in the privileging of indigenous voices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study characterizes the potential volunteer tourists in mainland China through the collection of online travel notes between January 2016 and June 2019 (a total of 218,334 words) and an online questionnaire with a sample of 211 respondents. Based on the Embodiment Theory (ET), this study explores the characteristics of volunteer tourist experience. The results construct a theoretical model consisting of three stages and six levels of embodied tourist experience, with each bearing different connotations and characteristics. This research advances the theoretical understanding of the knowledge in volunteer tourist experience for destination management organizations and other public and private organizations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study aims to understand how alternative tourism can contribute to the destination image of Palestine, given its negative image in the media. It proposes a framework for various destination image aspects and applies this framework in the context of alternative tourism in Palestine. It seeks to explore the key image formation factors, the perceived images of Palestine, and the post-visit behaviours of tourists who had engaged in alternative tourism in Palestine. This research contributes in fulfilling intriguing gaps in the Palestinian destination's image literature, as well as the alternative tourism field that has emerged manifestly in Palestine. This study is exploratory in nature applying qualitative methodology by using open-ended questions in email interviews, and the interviews were analysed using thematic analysis. The empirical results proved that tourists who had visited Palestine and engaged in alternative tourism, had positive destination images, opposite to the ones portrayed in the media that show Palestine as a dangerous place to visit. Finally, this research provides academic and managerial implications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Drawing on the critique of ideology elaborated by the Slovenian philosopher Slavoj Žižek, in this conceptual paper we rethink responsible tourism. More specifically, in line with Žižek's argument that ideology is closely linked to reality and not a dreamlike illusion, we reconceptualise the ideological character of responsible tourism. This ideological character, we propose, is fundamentally rooted in real global issues, and often inadvertently and implicitly sustains the mechanism of modern global capitalism. Although responsible tourism has been a powerful unifier among tourism stakeholders, we argue that its critical conceptual considerations have not yet been given sufficient robust reflection. Hence, in this conceptual paper, we rethink responsible tourism through the lens of ideology contributing to further knowledge about this topic. In doing so, we analyse two key policy documents: the Cape Town (2002) and Kerala (2008) Declarations from which the term of responsible tourism originated. Following Žižek's critique of ideology, we aspire to shape more inclusive and effective sustainable and responsible development as advocated by the Sustainable Development Goals and responsible tourism stakeholders. Furthermore, the novel interjection of the Žižekian concept of ideology to the context of responsible tourism opens up new theoretical possibilities for critical tourism studies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this theoretically grounded mixed-methods study, we explored the motivational values of voluntourists and examined the perceived impacts of voluntourism programmes. Surveys suggested that voluntourists (n = 82) had high self-transcendence (universalism and benevolence) and self-direction (freedom in thought and action) values. Eleven retrospective interviews with young adult voluntourists also suggested that participants were primarily driven to both benefit the host community and promote personal learning. Although participants gained personal learning and growth, they felt frustrated by voluntourism's limited benefits to host communities. Additionally, social justice education that participants received after the experience led participants to become more critical of voluntourism. Together, this research describes a subset of unskilled, well-intentioned, and self-transcendent voluntourists and provides recommendations on how voluntourism providers may better meet their needs and create more sustainable voluntourism programmes. Furthermore, we demonstrate how values research and retrospective interviews can deepen our understanding of both the experiences and perceived personal impacts of voluntourism. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Traditional agro-industrial buildings in rural areas reflect the way of life of past communities and their dependence on agriculture. Although conservation is critical for the transfer of knowledge about past generations and in sustaining community identity and development, many of these building types worldwide are threatened by dereliction due to the emergence of new technologies that cannot be housed in the old buildings. This study suggests that their reuse for tourism purposes, especially in countries of limited resources and opportunities, can help rural development by attracting both people and investment. The claim is exemplified by the case of traditional olive oil mills in Cyprus, which are considered significant elements of the rural landscape. The research focuses on the Karpas Peninsula, where the majority of traditional olive mills are either derelict or in poor condition, though where some have already been destroyed. A brief literature review of industrial heritage and alternative tourism forms the basis for the evaluation of the case study. The research highlights the significance of olives and olive oil for the Cypriot community, and discusses the current social and economic dynamics of the Karpas Peninsula through an examination of the potential of 18 traditional olive mills. The study suggests the reuse of traditional olive mills through alternative tourism and the development of thematic heritage routes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the growing area of alternative tourism, tourist motives have been discussed but there is little consensus about what drives volunteer tourists. This paper explores the salience of justice motivation to the travel decision and deepens this understanding by contextualizing the volunteer tourism decision within the destination place image. Interviews were conducted during a Kenyan expedition. Results show justice motivation theory contributes to the explanation of trip participation as perceived injustices aligned with poorly perceived dimensions of the country’s image. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

This paper aims to contribute to the application of political philosophies to the tourism domain. There has been a growing critique of the dominance of neoliberal theories within the tourism sector and tourism literature. Nevertheless, the present paper argues that engagement with full range of political philosophies would benefit tourism research. The application of various political philosophies, such as anarchism, may assist the development of new research areas within critical tourism studies and advance debates on contemporary issues of poverty, inequality, injustice and natural degradation. Anarchism has been rarely mentioned in tourism studies; however, its focus on justice, freedom and solidarity as well as its scepticism towards both the government and the corporations may contribute to various streams of tourism research, as the present paper indicates. Considering the revival of interest in anarchism in related disciplines, such as geography, the present paper constructs a research agenda based on the adoption of anarchism as a political philosophy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the era of mass tourism, phenomena such as sustainable tourism, responsible tourism, rural tourism, eco-tourism, pro-poor tourism and community-based tourism are now increasingly under the research microscope. If established and managed correctly, these alternative forms of tourism have the potential to contribute towards sustainable community development and provide visitors with unique experiences. Few scholars have qualitatively addressed the growth of community-based tourism in South-East Asia. This study investigated the value of a community-based tourism project at Banteay Chhmar in north-west Cambodia, specifically the discourse of the project's members and the broader community. The objective of the study was to provide an ethnographic account of the community member's attitudes, opinions and beliefs concerning the perceived value and contribution of the project towards community development in their locality. The study initially relied on a literature review to conceptualise community-based tourism. Unstructured in-depth interviews were conducted with a total of 30 stakeholders of the Banteay Chhmar Community-Based Tourism Project. A narrative identifies the development of the project and provides samples of the respondents’ discourses. Findings from a thematic analysis of stakeholder responses indicated support of tourism and the overall operation of the project. Opinions were divided concerning the future growth of tourism and likely negative impacts on resident livelihoods. While some felt the project was relatively insular and lacked transparency, most identified the project's value as enhanced social capital, pride and a better sense of community. The findings show the project has positively contributed towards community development; however, before it can be considered a best practice example of community-based tourism, its financial sustainability, business practices and community support need to improve. The overall study serves as a valuable insight into themes promoting the merits and complications of community-based tourism, specifically in South-East Asia. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Political trust is a key requirement for tourism policies to flourish and sustain. The purpose of the research was to investigate the determinants of political trust and analyze whether the latter influences residents’ support for mass and alternative tourism. To this end, we develop a structural model based on the social exchange theory, institutional theory of political trust, and cultural theory of political trust. The model proposes six determinants of political trust which in turn is considered to influence residents’ support for mass and alternative tourism. Data were collected from residents’ of Mauritius selected using a stratified random sampling approach. We used a survey method based on a structured questionnaire. Using AMOS, the data were subjected to a confirmatory factor analysis to determine the fit of the measurement model. Structural equation modeling was used to test the hypothesized model. Results indicated that such variables as the political and economic performance of government in tourism, interpersonal trust, and tourism benefits significantly predicted political trust. In turn, the latter was found to influence residents’ support for mass tourism only, lending support to Hetherington sacrificed-based concept borrowed from political science. The theoretical contribution of the study relates to the inclusion of the political trust variable to analyze its relationship with residents’ support for two opposing types of tourism development in a single theoretical model. We found that such relationship is contextual, depending on the object of exchange, conceptualized in here as the types of tourism residents are asked to support. Political trust figures more prominently for mass tourism than for alternative tourism given the considerable amount of sacrifices residents have to make to accommodate mass development. Our findings suggest that it is important for government to foster political trust among local people for tourism development to sustain. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Drawing on norm-activation theory, this study explores the link between tourists' perceptions of the negative impacts of tourism and their perceived responsibility. A proposed theoretical framework was examined and verified through exploratory and confirmatory research processes. Self-administered questionnaires were collected at two UNESCO World Natural Heritage Sites in China. The findings of this research suggest that tourists' perceptions of the negative impacts of tourism positively affect their ascription of responsibility, which positively influences tourists' perceptions of responsibility. Nevertheless, the accessibility of information about tourism impacts is far from enough to foster in tourists a sense of responsibility, which is important for the promotion of responsible behaviours. Several practical implications are provided to address tourists' sense of responsibility, including enhancing tourists' awareness of negative tourism impacts, increasing the availability and accessibility of information about tourism impacts, and recommending behaviours for tourists to make a positive difference to destinations. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Using ethnographic examples from long-term anthropological fieldwork with members of the Guna communities of Panama, undertaken between 2003 and 2013, this paper critically evaluates the effects of tourism on Indigenous communities in Latin America from a new theoretical perspective. It focuses on how some Latin American Indigenous groups are developing a new responsible way of producing tourism, exemplified by the Guna case. The Guna sustainable tourism model is an illuminating example of good practices in Indigenous tourism. Tourism is now not viewed as a threat for Indigenous groups but as an opportunity for the empowerment and development of communities, thanks to the establishment of a new link between the local and global in tourism arenas. The author's research findings reveal that the success of this sustainable and responsible Indigenous tourism model is supported by (1) the local control of resource access; (2) Indigenous resistance to external sociocultural control and the resultant refusal to accept predatory tourism models; and (3) the resilience, adaptation and cultural capital of Indigenous groups. The paper provides suggestions for a more appropriate Indigenous tourism development and for a responsible “cultural fine-tuning” of their identities in the global context in which tourism is now managed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In recent years, the tourism industry has faced criticism by turning its attention to the development of more responsible tourism. This is a form of tourism that is mindful of the diverse needs of host communities, local business and the visitor. This paper investigates the development of more responsible tourism from the perspective of a popular tourist product - the self-guided trail or route. The trail or route provides a themed and interpreted journey through the urban or rural landscape, creating links between sites, attractions and other tourism businesses by providing information and storytelling along the way. These products have a global appeal and are becoming more prolific. Through a literature review on trails, the paper analyses their key characteristics and the rationales of developers and concludes that trails have the potential to contribute to more responsible tourism development. The paper proposes a series of planning principles which are derived from the literature and examples of good practice therein which may assist trail developers in creating more responsible tourism routes and trails. The discussion concludes with a case study of a project in Cornwall in the south-west of the UK, where responsible planning has underpinned recent trail development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the initial stage of its development, cultural tourism represented one of the alternative forms of tourism, opposed to mass tourism. The beginning of the 1990s indicates a period of transformation of cultural tourism which, unlike the original orientation towards elite clientele, found a new opportunity for development in the orientation towards the mass market. Orientation to the mass market was mainly driven by supply-oriented logic, because the creation and marketing of cultural attractions became a development option for numerous destinations. Nowadays, new cultural tourism is focused on the integration of production and consumption, and increasing linkages between suppliers and consumers. Instead of passive consumption, cultural tourists demonstrate a proactive approach to meeting their needs, wanting to actively participate in creating experiences while travelling. On the other side, suppliers focus their attention on the close interaction with consumers and co-creation of high quality experiences. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The mutual gaze is a complex two-sided visual construction of tourists’ impression of hosts and vice versa. In this case, how ocean cruisers (people who live on and travel by private sailing yacht) and residents interact with, portray themselves to and perceive the other was explored. The limited research on the mutual gaze suggests that tourist typology has an effect on the construction of the gaze; however, most research has focused on the nationality of tourists as the primary influence of the gaze. Therefore, this research furthers the understanding of tourist typology on the mutual gaze by examining ocean cruisers. Little is known about ocean cruisers’ interactions with the communities they visit and the economic, social and environmental impacts of their tourism activities. Such interactions and impacts can be evaluated through an analysis of the mutual gaze. The mutual gaze between residents of a small island developing state (SIDS) and a community of multinational ocean cruisers was evaluated through an analysis of attitudes, behaviours, stereotypes, tensions and power structures. It was found that in this context, a positive mutual gaze based on understanding, a sense of connection and real relationships between hosts and guests was the result of reciprocal attitudes and behaviours, few tensions and few power struggles. This research was conducted on the SIDS of Carriacou, Grenada in May and June 2012. Utilizing a case study methodology, in-depth semi-structured interviews with local residents engaged in the yachting community and visiting ocean cruisers were conducted. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Contemporary societies have witnessed the expansion of unconventional, non-institutionalized travel trends, which oppose mainstream tourism by providing travellers with a broader range of alternatives. Among these, home-swapping seems to have received little scholarly attention, despite its recent and rapid growth even in countries where this phenomenon had long remained confined to small niches of travellers. With this formula, tourists are able to organize made-to-measure tours without seeking the services of travel mediators and with the only cost of making their own home available. This article presents the results of an in-depth study into Italian home-swappers and discusses their socio-economic profiles, motivations, and lifestyles. As the data analysis points out, home-swapping is an alternative form of tourism which requires trust, open-mindedness, inventiveness, enthusiasm, and flexibility. While the economic aspect is arguably one of the key driving factors when opting for this type of travelling accommodation, it cannot account for the current popularity of the social phenomenon alone. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present study was conducted in areas covering the Yazlık Village settlement of Maçka District, parts of Altındere and Coşandere Villages, and surrounding fields and plateau settlements, which are all located within Altındere Valley, Trabzon province. The purpose of this study is to determine the use potential of priority area for tourism with a consideration of sustainable use principles, which will serve to protect the ecological structure of the area and its surroundings. With this purpose in mind, a methodological design has been established in order to detect the most suitable regions for tourism activities which can be carried out in the rural areas with protected natural resources. In the research study, ‘V-Wert’ method was developed and used in order to identify the utilization of the research area and its surroundings with respect to ecology-based tourism and alternative tourism activities. In the study that was carried out, an activity value was calculated for the activities that will emerge as a result of ecology-based tourism planning and the determination of tourism potential, in the scope of the methodology, and then was added to the formula as a multiplier. A specific tourism potential map was created through V-Wert method. When tourism potential evaluation was carried out for plan- squares in regard to climate, transportation, relief, forest and waterside, and activity values, the ratios obtained were, respectively, 9.7% for ‘very good’; 9.11% for ‘good’; 21.176% for ‘average’; 40.3% for ‘weak’; and 19.7% for ‘very weak’ areas. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The hippy trail was one of the last great expressions of alternative tourism. The trail to Lebanon, Morocco, Afghanistan, Nepal, India and other points east, flourished between 1957 (when Jack Kerouac published his influential road narrativeOn the Road) and 1978 (when the Iranian Revolution closed the land route from Europe to India). This essay explores the importance ofOn the Roadto the British counter-culture and explains why it was such an influence on those who travelled east. We argue that Kerouac proposed a “beat” mode of travelling in which the “outer” journey was a catalyst for an “inner” journey of spiritual growth or enlightenment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This opinion piece reviews and critiques the opinion piece by David Fennell which presents a proposal for a new article about the ethical treatment of animals to be added to the UNWTO Global Code of Ethics for the tourism industry. The case presented here rests on a detailed examination of the use of the concepts of speciesism and anthropocentrism in the original opinion piece. It finds that, while speciesism is currently a fashionable way to draw parallels between animals and humans, it is dependent on the evidence around the questions of sentience, cognition and consciousness. While there is increasing evidence for animal sentience and cognition, human consciousness is wholly different from that of even the most advanced animals. And, although anthropocentrism is a dominant idea in many forms of political decision making in general, it cannot be used as a stick with which to beat tourism scholarship: many writers on tourism adopt distinctly ecocentric lines of argument, including the concepts of ecotourism and sustainable tourism. The paper also notes that only ca. 30% of UNWTO's national members had given legal recognition to the existing code of ethics nearly 10 years after its ratification by the UN. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper reviews the 30-year evolution of volunteer tourism as phenomenon, industry, and research area, charting changes in the size, breadth, definition, and the perceived positive and negative contributions of the volunteer tourism industry. Discussion then moves on to how research in volunteer tourism has reflected those changes. Studies have focused on the transition from decommodified to commodified volunteer tourism; participant motivation, including the altruism versus self-development discussion; and the paucity of a unified and cohesive theoretical foundation in volunteer tourism. Fresh debates are now emerging that center upon the potential interface of technology and volunteer tourism, including crowd-sourcing for funding, smart phone apps, and GIS; the importance of monitoring and maintaining quality volunteer tourism experiences through certification and/or other indicators; and the role of religion and spirituality in volunteer tourism. These issues, and others, including the role of transformative learning, are addressed in the papers chosen for this special issue on volunteer tourism which are reviewed here. The paper's conclusions include specific recommendations for greater cooperation between researchers and industry to create a more sustainable industry, minimizing its negative impacts while maximizing its potential influence for positive social change, and perhaps becoming the ultimate sustainable form of tourism. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Volunteer tourism has been heavily criticised for its negative consequences on destinations and volunteers, often the direct result of unrealistic demand-led marketing and lack of consideration for the environmental and social costs of host communities. While some industry participants have responded through adherence to best practice, little information or support is available about how to responsibly market volunteer tourism. This research uses an online content analysis based on the International Voluntourism Guidelines for Commercial Operators to understand the use of responsibility as a market signalling tool. Five influential web pages of eight organisations are scored across 19 responsibility criteria and compared against the organisation's legal status, product type and price. We find that responsibility is not used for market signalling; preference is given to communicating what is easy, and not what is important. The status of the organisation is no guarantee of responsible practice, and price and responsibility communications display an inverse relationship. We conclude volunteer tourism operators are overpositioning and communicating responsibility inconsistently, which highlights greenwashing, requiring at least industry-wide codes of practice, and at best, regulation. This paper reflects on its methodological limitations, and on its practical achievements in encouraging change within some of the organisations examined. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Popular culture and travel are both major points of interest within the realm of leisure in contemporary consumer society. Respectively, they are both highly contentious and diverse fields. This paper explores the more specific areas of popular culture celebrities and alternative tourism in an effort to examine the influence that popular culture and travel engagements have on a segment of Generation Y (Gen-Y) – the gappers. These two areas of leisure activity shape social and cultural norms and influence the construction of self-identity amongst this generation. The aim of this exploratory research is to highlight some areas where popular culture and alternative tourism can be valued as constructive factors influencing a Gen-Y group. The theory of planned behaviour acted as a framework and was used to identify the influence that popular culture celebrity ‘Bear’ Grylls and his TV showMan vs. Wildhad on the alternative tourism engagements of the Gen-Y gappers. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

ABSTRACT With the ever increasing popularity of tours, flights and hotels that put ethics and responsibility at the forefront of their operations, what exactly does it mean to be responsible in tourism? Is it really so easy to be responsible? What actually happens on the ground in places where one tries to be responsible? Using fieldwork primarily conducted in/on Thailand, this research aims to unpack notions of responsibility in tourism, and argues that there is a need to go beyond simplistic idea(l)s and discourses about responsibilities, and instead interrogate actual and practical aspects of doing responsibilities. Fieldwork for this article is based on interviews with key decision makers in travel-related companies, and interviews and participant observation at two case studies, namely Exotissimo Travel based in Bangkok, and the Elephant Camp (pseudonym). It highlights several aspects of the 'realities' of doing responsibilities which complicates our ideas of what responsibility is about - that doing responsibilities is not at all easy; involves a continual questioning and negotiation of who is responsible for what; and how responsibilities in tourism can in fact be done to please tourists. This article therefore argues that there is no, and possibly cannot be, a conclusive statement on what responsibility is in practice, or what should or should not be considered as responsibilities. Instead, it brings to light the importance of contextualizing responsibilities and stresses the complex and plural nature in which responsibilities play out on the ground. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ecotourism training is usually considered to be undertaken only by tourism practitioners for professional development. However, ecotourism training has a more important role to play, as it could be adopted as a long-term strategy for environmental conservation by altering people's attitudes and behaviours towards greater environmental responsibility. In this study, the role of ecotourism training with respect to pro-environmental knowledge enhancement as well as attitude and behavioural changes is investigated. A questionnaire survey was conducted on participants of an ecotourism training programme. Participants' environmental knowledge, attitudes and behaviours were evaluated using a pre- and post-test method. The results indicated that participants demonstrated a significant increase in environmental knowledge after the training. Moreover, participants' demographic characteristics such as age group, occupation and salary are significantly associated with the improvement in knowledge, change in pro-environmental attitudes and behaviours. Participants tend to adopt environmentally responsible attitudes and behaviours after completion of ecotourism training. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

This study aims to examine tour guides' perceptions about and behavior toward ecotourism. The target respondents were tour guides working in the front line of the tourism industry. A total of 350 data sets were collected in China. An importance–performance analysis was applied to examine the tour guides' perceived importance and performance simultaneously. The findings indicate that although the tour guides have realized the importance of ecological protection, they fail to perform well in educating tourists on the paradigm of ecotourism. Thus, the results may provide useful guidance for tourism management. This study concludes with a discussion of limitations and suggestions for future research. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

This study is about tourism development in an area with an iconic attraction, the cliff of North Cape, located at the northernmost point on mainland Norway. About 250,000 tourists visit North Cape yearly. The main part of North Cape tourism is operated by a close cooperation between big companies, one of which is in charge of the major part of hotel accommodation and the main attraction. The Norwegian coastal steamer company, cruise ships, and several larger tour operators collaborate in what we have named a “Fordist” type operation. An entrance fee is one of the income sources for the company in charge of the cliff of North Cape. Outside the big companies' domain, there are a few smaller hotels, lodges, camp sites, some fish tourism firms, and some firms providing other experiences, together constituting an alternative tourism production. The present study shows that there is a diversification going on, also involving the big companies, as an increasing number of customers ask for the type of experiences that the small ones provide. And due to this demand, the small companies grow and diversify further. Central to the successes of the small firms is also their ability to interact, their local embeddedness, and social competence. However, formal tourism networks organized by development agencies are less important. All together the combined large and small operations constitute a complementary and dynamic tourism industry, with a flexible and market-oriented production. Thus, the diversification takes place both through a post-Fordistic adaptation in the small-scale sector, and in a neo-Fordist fashion as concerns the larger tourism actors. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

This paper discusses the notion of ‘responsible tourism’ and its current use within the tourism literature. We argue that the concept as used currently means everything and therefore adds nothing to the conceptual terrain of tourism trends and nomenclatures. We then introduce our own understanding of the concept arguing that while responsible tourism is linked to sustainability initiatives such as alternative tourism, ecotourism, ethical tourism, green tourism, soft tourism, pro-poor tourism, geo-tourism, integrated tourism, community-based tourism, etc it also demarcates an analytical realm of its own. We suggest that the practical use of the term in areas where it has been adopted (such as South Africa and Kerala for instance) suggests a rather restricted use. We identified this realm as the tourism sector-specific manifestation of the corporate social responsibility (CSR) agenda. Following Flyvberg's [(2006). Five misunderstandings about case-study research. Qualitative Inquiry, 12(2), 219–245] call for exemplars and paradigmatic case studies to advance knowledge in a particular domain, the responsible tourism initiative in Kumarakon, Kerala, is presented. Discussion of the case study traces the particular governance context of Kerala and the position of tourism in the state economy. The responsible tourism initiatives at the state level and local level are then described highlighting the ‘how’ of the implementation and the impact that it has produced. Generic, non-prescriptive principles that could be said to be necessary in some form for the successful translation of responsible tourism principles to practices are then identified. Such an approach is contrasted with one that places faith in the voluntary adoption of ‘responsible’ practices by the private sector on its own. It is argued that responsible tourism can make a contribution to practice provided the conceptual terrain is delineated against other forms of tourism and if research within the terrain can unpack the particular forms of challenges that are thrown up by the delineation itself. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

An introduction to the journal is presented in which the editors discuss various articles within the issue on topics including a conceptual model for supporting sustainable tourism policy makers, community-based ecotourism and alternative tourism paradigm.

Volunteer tourism has emerged in recent years as a means of successfully attracting new travelers to specific regions through the offering of experiences designed to meet core individual interests related to volunteering and nature conservation. This study sought to examine the motivations of volunteer tourists who participated in a Conservation Volunteer Australia (CVA), work-based, alternative tourism experience in far North Queensland, Australia. As part of this study, an exploration of individual expectations and reasons for engagement were undertaken. The data was obtained via the collection of field notes and a series of one-on-one, in-depth interviews with program participants over a 2-week period. Study results revealed that the primary motivators for program participation included (a) the desire to meet new people while traveling, (b) experiencing a unique natural environment or geographical location where few tourists had previously visited, and (c) a desire to engage in an alternative tourism opportunity to what had been previously experienced. Overall, program participants were very satisfied with their involvement in the program. It was clear from the study findings that the effort made by CVA management to provide a positive volunteer experience through the provision of a number of opportunities to become actively engaged in an alternative tourism experience, had led to the provision of many fruitful experiences for participants involved in the CVA program. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Caribbean tourism industry owes much of its success to beneficial geographical site and situation factors. Yet these geographical advantages have also contributed to the mass tourism-related pressures of economic dependency, social division and environmental degradation. We argue geographically marginal locales in the Caribbean have the potential to develop alternative tourism models that ameliorate these negative repercussions. With its conceptual roots originating from the slow food movement and theoretically rooted in Herman Daly's ‘soft growth’ development, we propose slow tourism as a viable soft growth model that is a more culturally sensitive and sustainable genre of alternative tourism. This new model and its locational appropriateness appears eminently suitable since it diversifies and revitalizes mature tourism offerings, redirects tourism away from ‘hard growth’ maxims, and thereby contributes to more sustainable tourism ensembles. In a maturing industry that requires innovation, revitalization and significant change in offerings if it is to survive and prosper, we argue the best places to promote slow tourism lies in the Caribbean's overlooked geographical margins where diversity and authenticity still persist. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Well-meaning volunteer tourism organizations, involving international volunteers in local community and environmental development projects, have been increasingly criticized for increasingly commercialized business models. This conceptual paper reviews important organizational drivers that influence the commercialization of the volunteer tourism sector. It posits a number of predictive measures based upon the internal and external drivers that will determine a volunteer tourism organization's position along a philanthropic-commercial continuum. It achieves this by building on lessons from the broader nonprofit sector, including research in social entrepreneurship. It also suggests topics for further research based upon this literature mid current knowledge gaps within volunteer tourism. Further research in this area will assist organizations engaged in, or considering, volunteer tourism to think pragmatically about issues of commercialization within this sector. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Organisations using market-based approaches to achieve social and/or environmental aims are increasingly appearing in tourism. These “social enterprises” express responsible tourism through contributing to poverty alleviation and environmental protection while being financially self-sustaining. This study uncovers the approach of such enterprises in balancing commercial and social/environmental objectives, and investigates the determinants of success. The paper applies Alter's 2006 seven-model framework of social enterprise models to a sample of successful enterprises, “success” being aligned with the broader aims of social enterprises. Overall, it was found that touristic social enterprises operate similarly to those in other sectors, although with a clear preference for three “Alter” models, depending on the type of activity, namely Service Subsidisation, Employment and the Market Intermediary Model. Success factors appear to be valid across all social enterprises in tourism, irrespective of primary business activity or operational model, and cannot be attributed to a single factor but to combinations of factors in the multiple dimensions of leadership, strategy and organisational culture. These guide the implementing mechanisms of processes and structure, human resources, financing, governance, performance measurement and marketing. The most likely success factors are strong leadership, clear market orientation and organisational culture, which balances financial with social/environmental aims. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Responsible tourism and corporate social responsibility (CSR) have a significant role in promoting the integration of sustainable practices in the tourism industry. The paper presents the results of a study carried out on reporting programmes assessing the “responsibility level” of tourism companies. It aims at developing a tool to encourage and support enterprises, especially small companies, in behaving in a more responsible way and adopt systems to assess their business responsibility. After an overview of the literature regarding the concept of responsible tourism and CSR and a description of the reporting programmes, a quantitative model (the analytic hierarchy process) has been implemented to clarify the main attributes, the strengths, and the weaknesses of the assessment systems and to determine their overall effectiveness with respect to different criteria. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article discusses the relationship between consumerism and tourism. It explores the resistance to some of the dimensions of contemporary capitalism in tourism. It also analyzes the consumption of leisure in tourism and the emergence of alternative forms of tourism. Moreover, the article addresses the impact of the concept of voluntary simplicity on the development of tourism.

This article analyzes the impact of consumerism on tourism. It discusses the opinion of the World Tourism Organization that sustainable tourism is not an alternative form of tourism development. It also explores the growth of contemporary mass tourism. The article recommends the promotion of eco-tourism or responsible tourism as an alternative form of tourism.

Is it morally permissible for financially privileged tourists to visit places for the purpose of experiencing where poor people live, work, and play? Tourism associated with this question is commonly referred to as ‘poverty tourism’. While some poverty tourism is plausibly ethical, other practices will be more controversial. The purpose of this essay is to address mutually beneficial cases of poverty tourism and advance the following positions. First, even mutually beneficial transactions between tourists and residents in poverty tourism always run a risk of being exploitative. Second, there is little opportunity to determine whether a given tour is exploitative since tourists lack good access to the residents' perspectives. Third, if a case of poverty tourism is exploitative, it is so in an indulgent way; tourists are not compelled to exploit the residents. In light of these considerations, we conclude that would-be tourists should participate in poverty tours only if there is a well-established collaborative and consensual process in place, akin to a ‘fair trade’ process. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article focuses on the attempt to situate small-scale and big-scale tourism within the wide context of global development. It is argued that good tourism unlike bad mass tourism would empower local people, celebrate their authentic local culture, and attract small numbers of sensitive visitors. The article highlights the importance to recognize that small-scale and big-scale tourism are potentially synergistic components of a single tourism system.

This paper applies the educational theory of transformative learning to reconceptualising the practices of volunteer tourism. The theory of transformative learning posits a 10-step process to experience a radical shift in consciousness that dramatically and irreversibly alters how participants see their place in the world. Volunteer tourism has commonly been seen as a form of alternative tourism that provides a cathartic experience for the volunteer tourists and benefits to the hosting organisation and the natural and/or social environment of the project. Existing research suggests that these outcomes have not, as yet, been achieved by current practices in this sector. In referring to the theory of transformative learning we note that some, but not all, of the 10 steps have been applied and that we might therefore expect volunteer tourism to fall short of its promises. We conclude that the theory of transformative learning offers a useful framework for volunteer tourism, providing insights into the need to create opportunities for participants to complete the transformative process. We suggest that volunteer tourism organisations redesign their activities to include the remaining steps of transformative learning to improve their product for both the tourists and the sustainability outcomes of the projects. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The growth of mass tourism has led to a wide range of environmental and socio-cultural problems throughout the world. A central feature of mass tourism is the use and conversion of large natural lands to built tourism-related facilities. Worldwide, forests and coastal zones are the principal resources used for the construction of tourist facilities. On the one hand, forests constitute tourism's natural capital and raw material; on the other hand, they suffer the impacts from individual activities or facility development associated with tourism. Deforestation is one of the most important global environmental consequences of mass tourism development. Similar to many parts of the world, mass tourism activity is heightening pressure on forests and other natural areas in Turkey. Monitoring and eliminating the negative environmental impacts of tourism is crucial for the protection and continuity of forest resources. First of all, the formulation and implementation of nature protection-oriented policy objectives should be essential for all relations between the natural environment and tourism. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This review paper traces the evolution of ecotourism and the role academia has played in that evolution. Ecotourism arguably would not exist, and certainly would not exist in the form it is now, were it not for the active involvement of the academic community. Academics and academia have played a critical stewardship role in the conceptualization and operationalization of this activity, more so than any other form of tourism. Ecotourism has evolved, and is still evolving through three phases. The 'New Dawn' phase is typified by idealism, hyperbole and hope. It is followed quickly by a 'Crisis of Legitimacy,' where critics illustrate that the ecotourism largely fails to meet its social, economic and ecological ideals, that has not yet been resolved fully. Finally, ecotourism reaches maturity when it achieves the 'Sustainable Product Niche' phase where a realistic understanding of what it can and cannot do, emerges. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Alternative tourism, particularly backpacker and volunteer tourism, has developed significantly in recent times. This rapid development has contributed to criticism of potential negative effects, notably of the environmental, cultural, economic and social impacts associated with backpacker tourism. Volunteer tourism, by contrast, has been seen in positive terms as more sustainable, combining altruistic motivations with the travel concept. This paper explores backpacker interest in volunteer tourism and identifies overlaps in motivations between the two forms of tourism; 249 self-administered questionnaires were collected from backpackers within backpacker hostels in central Melbourne, Australia. The findings of this study suggest that a motivational overlap exists between backpacker and volunteer tourists, indicating potential for the creation of volunteer tourism products catering specifically for the backpacker market. This may encourage more sustainable tourism experiences within the burgeoning backpacker market, thus addressing some of the negative criticism of the latter. This paper also discusses the implications of these findings for the marketing and development of volunteer tourism products for both the backpacker and volunteer tourism markets. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The trend of mass-oriented development modes to ignore community and environmental interests in Western China has put ecotourism areas into a nonsustainable development state. This policy involves internal governmental interest sharing and balance issues. In reference to the debate on the unified management and property rights transfer management modes of ecotourism resources, this article builds a complete information dynamic game model to discuss the relative utilities to the central government of different property rights management modes. Results of the dynamic game analysis do not support the present property rights transfer policy adopted by the central government. This article suggests that the central government should be inclined to strengthen the unified management of ecotourism resources in future management mode reforms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Tourism in the rural areas of developing countries is expanding at a rapid pace and is often a primary means of income in these areas. However, high levels of leakage dramatically reduce the economic impact of such tourism. While the problem of economic leakage in rural peripheries is well documented, there is a paucity of research on strategies to reduce leakage. Strategies that can be employed at the village level may be especially useful as they do not require the co-operation of outside stakeholders who may profit from the leakage out of the village. This study identifies three such strategies employed in rural villages in northern Thailand and uses the case-study method to evaluate their effectiveness. It concludes with a discussion of the applicability of these strategies to other locations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

War and conflict are usually seen as major hindrances to travel and tourism. The daily diet of war and conflict stories that have emanated from the second uprising (Intifada), give the impression that the tourism industry is the least likely sector to flourish. This article provides an overview of some of the alternative forms of tourism found in the literature on tourism and attempts to contextualise the form of tourism it is exploring. It starts by setting a definitional context of tourism and political instability, which is followed by visiting alternative tourism and the different forms of it as well as the analysis of tourism industry in Palestine and finally the examination of new forms of tourism in Bethlehem and the surrounded areas. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper investigates tourists' perceptions of environmentally responsible practices by tourism businesses by analyzing the attitudes of tourists toward "green" innovations in tourist places. It was hypothesized that tourists who were more strongly motivated by nature-oriented experiences would perceive environmentally responsible practices as more valuable than tourists less motivated by nature-oriented experiences. The study is based on a survey of individualswho visited the ArizonaWelcome Center in northeastern Arizona and the Chamber of Commerce offices in Holbrook and Springerville, Arizona. As expected, visitors with a stronger nature orientation had more positive views of environmentally responsible practices by tourism businesses than tourists not natureoriented. They felt such innovations are important and valuable. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]