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Guest Editorial - Allan M. Williams and Gareth Shaw - Tourism Geography in a Changing World - pp. 239-240
There has probably never been a more exciting time for the study of tourism geography than the present. Both as an industry and as a social phenomenon, tourism is renowned for the speed and scale of change. But at the dawn of the twenty-first century, the challenges of change seem more daunting than ever. These are especially evident in terms of globalisation, the IT revolution, the new consumer, and the democratic challenge.
Globalisation represents the intensification of the linkages between places, which increasingly shape the global as well as being shaped by it. Above all it signifies the deepening of competition in the tourism industry, as both the reach of transnational capital and the tourist's imagined world are globalised. The IT revolution facilitates globalisation, promises to transform the productivity of tourism capital, and - through the concept of virtual tourism - challenges the meaning not only of place but of tourism itself. Although the demise of mass tourism is greatly exaggerated, consumers have become increasingly differentiated, as much in terms of their values as by their socio-economic profiles, and this has an impact on the map of tourism, with few places escaping the increasingly conflicting demands of diverse groups of tourists. Finally, societies are faced with the task of constructing new models of democracy which can both regulate and allow engagement with the challenges and opportunities of an increasingly globalised, IT driven and differentiated world. This has led to a growing interest in models of participatory democracy that, in the realm of tourism, has been especially evident in the debate about constructing effective and equitable partnerships in the pursuit of sustainable tourism.
In the face of these, and other challenges, the Royal Geographical Society/Institute
of British Geographers established a Limited Life Working Party on the Geography
of British Tourism in 1998. Its remit was to review the current state of British
tourism geography, and to set out a research agenda for the challenges of a
changing tourism world. The work of this group, which was enthused, above all,
by the imagination and energy of Paul Bull (Birkbeck College) was crystallised
around five working papers on production, consumption, localities, the environment
and public policy. While neither exclusive nor all encompassing, the papers
provide an organisational framework for addressing both the substantive and
methodological challenges facing tourism geography. The papers were first presented
at a conference at the University of Exeter in September 1999, where the discussions
revealed that they had a resonance beyond the national scene. If some features
of tourism organisation and tourism geography research are specific to the UK,
there is far more which is common to the experiences of other national tourism
industries and research communities. Therefore, these papers are published in
Tourism Geographies as much as a statement of the place of British tourism geography
in the world, as of the global in British tourism. As such, it is hoped that
they will contribute to the shared efforts of international scholars to engage
with and understand the increasingly complex and rapidly changing geography
of tourism.
Sheela Agarwal, Rick Ball, Gareth Shaw and Allan M Williams - The Geography of Tourism Production: Uneven Disciplinary Development? - pp. 241-263
Abstract: Production has been a relatively neglected area of research within tourism, in contrast to the notable advances made in adjoining disciplines such as economic geography. A review of the trajectory of tourism development in the UK provides insights into how changes in consumption, in scale and ownership, and in the geographical organisation of production are leading to new supply-side structures. There have been attempts to advance theoretical understanding and empirical knowledge of some aspects of the changing geography of tourism production, notably in respect of globalisation, labour markets, firm structures, information technology and restructuring. However, there are more gaps than areas of advancement in this research frontier, which provides the basis for outlining a future research agenda.
Keywords: Production, UK, Globalisation, Firms, Labour Restructuring
La géographie de la production touristique: Développement disciplinaire inégale?
Résumé: La production avait été un sujet de recherche relativement négligé dans le tourisme, par rapport aux avances notables faites dans d'autres disciplines comme la géographie économique. Une revue de la trajectoire de développement du tourisme au Royaume-Uni fourni de nouvelles idees sur les changements dans la consommation, en ampleur et propriété, et dans l'organization géographique de la production qui mènent à de nouveaux structures de marchés de l'offre. Il y avait des tentatives d'avancer la comprehension théorique et la connaissance empirique de certains aspects changeants de la géographie de la production touristique, notablement pour ce qui est de la globalisation, marchés du travail, structures d'entreprises, la technologie de l'information et la restructuration. Toutefois, il y a plus de lacunes que d'avances dans ce domaine de recherches, qui donne la base d'un programme de recherche pour le future.
Mots-clés: production, Royaume-Uni, globilisation, firmes, travail,
restructuration
Gareth Shaw, Sheela Agarwal and Paul Bull - Tourism Consumption and Tourist Behaviour: a British Perspective - pp. 264-289
Abstract: Tourism consumption and tourist behaviour are important but somewhat neglected topics in the geography of tourism. This paper provides the first review of British material on these topics and attempts to position the contributions of geographers within a wider multi-disciplinary framework. It considers tourist motivation and decision making along with the impact that tourists have on local communities.
Keywords: Tourism behaviour, decision-making, image formation, tourist-host
interactions
La consommation touristique et le comportement des touristes: Une perspective Britannique.
Résumé: La consommation touristique et le comportement des touristes sont très importants, mais qui sont quelque peu des thèmes néglegés dans la géographie du tourisme. Cet éssai est le premier cas d' étude de la documentation Britannique, l'essai tache a y positionner les contributions de géographes dans un cadre multidisciplinaire. L'éssai aussi considère les motivations des touristes et le processus de decision aussi bien que les impacts des touristes sur les communautés locales.
Mots-Clés: comportement touristique, prendre des decisions, formation d'image, interaction entre touriste-hote.
Ian Gordon and Brian Goodall - Localities and Tourism - pp.290-311
Abstract: This paper develops a research agenda on the interaction between tourism as an activity and the character of the places in which it has been significant, with the aim of relating tourism studies more closely to developments in core areas of human geography. It focuses particularly on the various forms of externality generated by the industry and how their effects - on collective investment, innovation, governance, labour markets and the resort cycle - would be expected to vary between different types of tourist place. The research strategy that it proposes emphasises the need for theoretically grounded comparative studies across a range of localities which are or have been involved in the industry. As pioneer post-industrial places it is argued that there are potential lessons to be drawn from an understanding of their experience for a much wider range of contemporary cities.
Keywords: resorts; resort cycles; labour markets; urban governance; tourism.
Tourisme et localitées
Résumé: L'éssai développe un programme de recherches sur l'interaction entre le tourisme comme une activité et la caractère des lieux ou il y était important, avec le but de lier le études touristiques de près au développement dans les do,qines centrales de la géograohie humaine. Particulièrement, il concentre sur les différents formes d'externalités produite par l'industrie touristique et comment leurs effects - sur l'investissement collectif, innovation, governement, marchés de travail, et le cycle du lieu de vacance - peuvent etre prevus de varier entre les différents types de destinations. La stratégie de recherche propose de mettre l'accent sur le besoin d'études comparatives théoriquement bien fondées à travers une mulitude de localités qui sont ou qui étaient participants dans l'industrie touristique. Comme destinations post-industrielles pionnièrs, il y a des arguments qu'il y a des leçons potentiels qui doivent etre tirées de leurs expérience pour une chaine de villes contemporaines.
Mots-clés: ville de vacances, cycle du lieu de vacance, marchés
de travail, gouvernement urbain , tourisme
Andrew Church, Rick Ball, Chris Bull and Duncan Tyler - Public policy engagement with British tourism: the National, Local and the European Union - pp. 312-226
Abstract: The changing nature of tourism policy is examined through a review of the UK, and of national government policy, urban tourism and rural tourism. Supra-national tourism policy influences, namely of the European Union, on tourism are also examined. The effects of other policy spheres on tourism strategy are considered, as is the diversity and complexity of tourism policy. One of the major conclusions of the paper is the uneven development of tourism policy in the UK, and against this background it seeks to identify future policy issues and a research agenda for tourism geography.
Key words Policies, European Union, National tourism policy, Local tourism development
Résumé: La politique d'engagement public avec le tourisme Britannique: Nationale, locale, et l'Union Europeen.Résumé: La nature changeante de la politque de tourisme est examiné par l'étude de la politque du Royaume-Uni et le gouvernement national, le tourisme urbain et rural. Aussi les influence sur la politique du tourisme sont examinées, supra-national, à savoir de l'Union Européen. On considere les effets d'autres sphères politiques sur la stratégie du tourisme, aussi bien que la diversité et la complexité de la politique du tourisme. L'une d'une des conclusions majeures de cet article est le developpement inegale de la politque du tourisme au Royaume-Uni, et contre ce contexte; la conclusion cherche a identifier de futures questions de politique et un programme de recherches pour la géographie du tourisme.
Mots-clés: politiques, Union Européen, politique de tourisme
nationale, developpement local de tourisme.
Richard W. Butler - Tourism and the Environment: a Geographical Perspective - pp. 337-358
Abstract: The paper reviews key elements of the relationship between tourism and the environment, with particular reference to the environmental impacts of tourism from a geographical perspective. Following a discussion of the appeal of the environment for tourism, the paper examines the way in which tourism brings about changes in destination areas. The point is made that disproportionate attention has been given to research on recreation and its relationship with the environment compared to tourism and that this needs to be corrected in the future. There is then a brief review of the difficulties of monitoring change in the environment and managing the effects of tourism in destination areas. The paper concludes by identifying key questions and research needs which should be addressed.
Key Words: tourism, environmental impact change, monitoring tourism, tourism management.
Le tourisme et l'environnement: Une perspective géographique
Résumé: Cet article étudie des éléments fondamentaux de la relation entre le tourisme et l'environnement, avec une référence particulière aux impacts environnementaux du tourisme d'une perspective géographique. Suivant une discussion de l'appel d'environnement pour le tourisme, l'éssai examine la facon don't le tourisme apporte des changements aux destinations. Le point a remarquer est l'attention disproportionnée accordée aux recherches sur la récreation et sa relation avec l'environnement en le comparant avec tourisme et qu'ont doit corriger dans l'avenir. Il y a aussi une brève discussion des difficultes de la surveillance des chqngements dans l'environnement et la maitrise des conséquences de tourisme dans les destinations. L'article fini par identifier des questions fondamentaux et les sujets de recherche qui doivent etre addressés.
Mots-clés: tourisme, changement d'impact environnemental, surveillance,
gestion de tourisme
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