3,595 research outputs found
Guest editorial
No full textIntroduction
Sustainable tourism is an adaptive paradigm, borrowed from the parental concept of sustainable development (Hunter, 1997; Tosun, 2001). Sustainable development was made popular following the publication of the book “Our Common Future” by the World Commission on the Environment and Development (WCED) in 1987, where it is defined as “development which meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs” (p. 42). This definition embeds two aspects. The first component relates to the meaning of development and the conditions necessary for sustainability (Miltin, 1992). In this context, development implies a process that raises the standard of living of people, relating not only to increasing the wealth of individuals but also to changing behaviors, aspirations and the different ways in which people view the world around them (Bartelmus, 1986; Hall, 2019). Therefore, development is not only concerned with institutional and economic changes but it also involves broader concerns such as quality of life, poverty reduction and prosperity (Hall, 2019). The second component of sustainable development takes a futuristic perspective of the term development. Thus, sustainable development embeds the following principles. First, any forms of development should be considered as a long term strategy and that policies aiming at achieving only short term gains should be rejected. Second, sustainable development focuses on inter and intra-generation balance of welfare. Third, the term applies to any countries, regardless of the type of development taking place, the level of development, and the socio-cultural and political conditions, although policies supporting sustainable tourism should be place-specific (Nunkoo and Gursoy, 2012; Nunkoo et al., 2010; Tosun, 2001).Full Tex
Toward a More Comprehensive Use of Social Exchange Theory to Study Residents’ Attitudes to Tourism
No full textAbstractEarly studies on residents’ attitudes to tourism were criticized for being atheoretical. As a result, it was not clear to researchers how, why, and in what conditions residents of a destination react to the impacts of tourism. To address these shortcomings, researchers started making use of a number of theories, among which, the Social Exchange Theory (SET) is considered to have made the most important theoretical contribution to studies on residents’ perceptions of tourism. This paper critically analyzes the different elements involved in the social exchange process between residents of a destination and the tourism industry. It analyzes the core constructs of the SET and in particular, focuses on power and trust between the actors in the exchange process. The arguments suggest that researchers have failed to integrate these core concepts in a single study to investigate their influence on residents’ perceptions of tourism and their support for development. The paper suggests that the power and trust concepts have significant potential in explaining community acceptance of tourism and if this field of study is to be advanced theoretically, then researchers should empirically test these concepts in an integrative framework
Personal construct theory and the repertory test
No full textThis chapter promotes the value of the Repertory Test technique, also referred to as Repertory Grid Analysis and Kelly’s triads, for eliciting attributes that are important to consumers when they are differentiating a competitive set of brands. Underpinned by Personal Construct Theory, the Repertory Test is ideal for identifying scale items in the development of destination image questionnaires
Governance and sustainable tourism: What is the role of trust, power and social capital?
No full textThis editorial introduction to the special issue posits that governance and sustainable tourism research will benefit from a joint treatise of trust and other key governance concepts such as power and social capital. It introduces the concept of governance in the context of sustainable tourism development. The discussion then delves into the theoretical perspectives on trust, power, and social capital and exemplifies their contributions to tourism governance and sustainable tourism. A typology of social capital potentially useful in sustainable tourism research is developed. The typology emphasizes on the positive aspects of social capital and the challenges the concept presents for governance and sustainability. Good governance and sustainable tourism research arguably has privileged the concept of power to the detriment of trust in social relationships. The collection of papers of this special issue is situated within these debates. An agenda for further research in this area is presented by way of conclusion.No Full Tex
Happy Hour with Robin Sacks
No full textRobin Sacks is the author of Get Off My Bus!: How to Get Clarity, Get in the Driver\u27s Seat, and Get Moving in Your Life! Introduction by Kristen Kuhlman, LSW, LHNA, MBA/HCM DHA Candidate
Reconceptualizing Tourists' Extraordinary Experiences
No full textResearch that conceptualizes tourist extraordinary experiences both from the structural and anti-structural perspective is limited in the tourism literature. The purpose of this research is to develop a new theoretical perspective that re-conceptualizes our understanding of tourists’ extraordinary experience by taking into consideration both the structural and anti-structural elements of an experience. It draws on phenomenological interviews with 26 food tourists. The study finds that extraordinary experience consists of elements such as profaneness, collaborative interactions and conflict-easing, which represent both the structural and anti-structural elements. The findings of this study allow us to question whether extraordinary experience is purely structural or anti-structural as suggested by previous research. Rather, based on the findings, we argue that extraordinary experience is the positive co-existence of both the ordinary and the non-ordinary. As a result, we use the term “synstructure” to conceptualize the tourist extraordinary experience.No Full Tex
Political trust and residents’ support for alternative and mass tourism: an improved structural model
No full textPolitical 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.No Full Tex
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