The Logic Undergoing the Different Points of View Related to Tourism Discipline.

Tourism is currently a complex, globalized phenomenon, though its status as an area of academic study field seems to be questionable. There has been significant discussions about whether studies of tourism should be disciplinary, multidisciplinary, or interdisciplinaiT pursuits and how they should relate to the institutional landscape and practices of higher education. For some academics, these discourses are somewhat arid, but we contend that they are vital since they serve to set the epistemological framework and methodological innovation for tourism scholars, and they also play a significant role in prompting investigations into tourism. In this paper, we ask the following questions. What is the central locus of debate in the field of knowledge related tourism? Is there a logic behind constructing a unique discipline of tourism? In what ways does this logic constitute an important element in our understanding of this new discipline? How do the different aspects of tourism allow reconstruction of this field? This paper examines the divided debate relating to how tourism can be a discipline, and it identifies the related criteria. It notes that among some Western academics, there is often a kind of negative feeling around the issue as to whether or not tourism constitutes a discipline. Insights in this regard are drawn from two distinctive philosophers of science--P. Hirst and T. S. Kuhn. We propose that only by establishing the internal logic and setting the logical starting point covered in the above-mentioned debate can effective alternative paths be identified that allow tourism studies to evolve into a distinct discipline. Owing to the fact that tourism has its own natural complexity, research into tourism is able to provide abundant objective resources for a multidisciplinary approach. Irrespective of the disciplinary perspectives researchers tend to adopt in tourism studies, we believe that the multidisciplinary stage is indispensable for this emerging discipline. However, we also admit that because of the multidisciplinary approaches, researchers tend to undertake studies in tourism from within the specific boundaries of the main discipline in which they have been trained. As a consequence, existing theory in the field of tourism is fragmented and weak. Some scholars have determined that the interdisciplinary approach may be suitable for solving this problem, and we believe that there is a distinct development stage for knowledge integration in constructing the discipline of tourism. In contrast to mainstream practice, this paper seeks to explore the most basic factors in integrating the tourism discipline rather than developing more holistic theories than those that currently exist. The paper rethinks the current state and role of the interdisciplinary epistemology in the formation of the tourism discipline. It argues that the interdisciplinary epistemology in tourism studies is slightly different in the basic methodological form of concepts, which demand a problem-oriented method and have been proposed by related academics. We also suggest that constructing such a discipline would benefit greatly from this problem domain, where there is the potential for an interdisciplinary approach. The authors hold the view that the interdisciplinary integration of tourism research following the establishment of the tourism discipline is possible by examining the starting point, such as the "tourism experience." [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]