The sustainability of tourism is increasingly under question given the challenges of overtourism, COVID-19 and the contribution of tourism to climate and environmental change. Degrowth and Tourism provides an original response to the central problem of growth in tourism, an imperative that has been intrinsic within tourism practice, and directs the reader to rethink the impacts of tourism and possible alternatives beyond the sustainable growth discourse. Using a multi-scaled approach to investigate degrowth’s macro effects and micro indications in tourism, this book frames degrowth in tourism in terms of business, destination and policy initiatives. It uses a combination of empirical research, case studies and theory to offer new perspectives and approaches to analyse issues related to overtourism, COVID-19, small-scale tourism operations and entrepreneurship, mobility and climate change in tourism. Interdisciplinary chapters provide studies on animal-based tourism, nature-based tourism, domestic tourism, developing community-centric tourism and many other areas, within the paradigm of degrowth. This book offers significant insight on both the implications of degrowth paradigm in tourism studies and practices, as well as tourism’s potential contributions to the degrowth paradigm, and will be essential reading for all those interested in sustainable tourism and transformations through tourism.

Degrowth in tourism is the voluntary shift to rebuild destinations and local economies in a way in which consumption, production and the exploitation of resources are minimal. It looks to ensure that the direction of institutional changes and the orientation of technological development are controlled and in harmony with the environment. Degrowth involves people whose use of personal time enhances the richness of the tourism experience through travelling less frequently, more slowly and in a low carbon way; taking time to support the environment, the local economy and to explore the local culture. Despite the significant role degrowth can play in destination development, it has rarely been examined from a tourism studies perspective. This book takes steps to address the paucity of combined research on tourism and degrowth by presenting emergent knowledge and research on this increasingly important concept.

The modern-day world faces a hostile climate, depleted resources and the destruction of habitats. The dream that growth will lead to a materialistic utopia is left unfulfilled by a lack of ecological and economic capacity. The only choice is to find alternatives to increased growth, transform the structures and institutions currently shaping the world, change lifestyles and articulate a more credible vision for the future and lasting prosperity. As a reaction to the problems accrued by capitalism, new development approaches such as the concept of degrowth have evolved. Degrowth in Tourism explores newly-emerging development and philosophical approachesthat provide more equity for host communities and offer a low-carbon future by looking at alternatives to the classic models of development and applying the concept of degrowth in a tourism context. Proposing that we need to shift tourism research from models which prioritize commodified tourism experiences to those that offer alternative decommodified ones this book: Provides topical analysis and illustrates the key themes of degrowth; Discusses the relationship between tourism and degrowth from both a historic perspective and through contemporary patterns of activity; Includes international examples and case studies to translate theory into practical new approaches. A comprehensive review of the subject, this book will be of great interest to researchers and practitioners within tourism, development, environment and economics, as well as those specifically studying degrowth.

Tourism and Degrowth develops a conceptual framework and research agenda for exploring the relationship between tourism and degrowth. Rapid and uneven expansion of tourism as a response to the 2008 economic crisis has proceeded in parallel with the rise of social discontent concerning so-called "overtourism." Meanwhile, despite decades of concerted global effort to achieve sustainable development, socioecological conflicts and inequality have rarely reversed, but in fact increased in many places. Degrowth, understood as both social theory and social movement, has emerged within the context of this global crisis. However, thus far the vibrant degrowth discussion has yet to engage systematically with the tourism industry in particular, while, by the same token, tourism research has largely neglected explicit discussion of degrowth. This volume brings the two discussions together to interrogate their complementarity. Identifying a growth imperative in the basic structure of the capitalist economy, the contributors contend that mounting critique of overtourism can be understood as a structural response to the ravages of capitalist development more broadly. Debate concerning overtourism thus offers a valuable opportunity to re-politicise discussion of tourism development generally. Exploring of the potential for degrowth to facilitate a truly sustainable tourism, Tourism and Degrowth will be of great interest to scholars of tourism, environmental sustainability and development. The chapters were originally published as a special issue of the Journal of Sustainable Tourism.

The Routledge Handbook of Tourism Geographies, 2nd Edition, offers a comprehensive re-evaluation of the recent developments; conceptual, theoretical and empirical debates; and critical issues in this field of study. Reflecting on and building from its original aim of rethinking geographical approaches to tourism, the volume explores contemporary tourism contexts and concepts, as marked by the present era of polycrises, setting out renewed and reoriented perspectives on tourism geographies into the mid-2020s. Across its diverse range of contributions, the Handbook navigates the complexities of tourism as a shifting construct, situating tourism geographies within the socio-spatial, economic and environmental implications of tourism, leisure and mobilities in the new contexts of global change, ecological transition and digital transformation. The volume aims to provide a nuanced and detailed analysis of established and emerging discourses and debates within tourism geographies, underscoring the field’s inherent criticality and ideal positioning for understanding and catalysing complex global and local scenarios in contemporary tourism, leisure and mobilities. Written by leading scholars in the tourism geographies field, this text is an invaluable resource for students, researchers and scholars working in the areas of tourism, geography and related disciplines, encouraging dialogue across areas of study.

Rethinking Tourism and Development provides a critical analysis of the tourism industry's impact on development and the environment. While tourism contributes significantly to the global economy, it also generates environmental costs that can no longer be ignored. This book challenges the conventional paradigm of sustainable tourism development and proposes a radical new approach to address the negative impacts of tourism centred on degrowth.

Offering how-to tools and step-by-step guidance, this practical Handbook combines academic insight with extensive professional experience to outline best practice in undertaking environmental, socio-cultural and economic assessments that establish the feasibility of new tourism ventures and ascertains their impact over time.

The impacts of tourism, an increasingly crucial area of study amongst researchers, are primarily investigated through economic, socio-cultural or environmental perspectives. The social psychological effects of tourism have not been adequately researched despite often being much more important for many destinations, especially where conflicts among different stakeholders exist. This book investigates the social psychological effects of tourism within the scope of social psychology theory. This book introduces the concept of social psychology, as distinct from psychology and sociology, and its relationship to tourism, examines tourism within various theoretical frameworks, e.g. career ladder theory and Maslow’s 7 hierarchy, explores the ways in which tourism changes attitudes and finally investigates social psychological issues in tourism business. It is an important resource for advanced undergraduates, graduate students and relevant practitioners in the field of tourism, and in some cases for a broader public in the field of social psychology.

The effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on the global tourism industry were unprecedented. International travel fell by 72% in 2020, the worst year on record for tourism. Tourism operations, from family businesses to national tourism organizations all faced potential economic ruin. They had to adapt their business practices and adopt new ways of operating, in order to work around ever-changing restrictions. This book is comprised of chapters and case studies previously published by CABI, that deal with the impacts of, and responses to, the COVID-19 pandemic, along with specially written introductory and concluding chapters that provide context. It provides invaluable snapshots of reactions to the pandemic from individuals and organizations involved in a variety of forms of tourism. Many authors have included postscripts, to record or update their views following the end of the pandemic. Key themes and issues addressed include: anticipation of and preparedness for the pandemic, the scale of the problem, the adjustments made during the pandemic, likely future directions of change and the implications for sustainability. The book is a useful resource for researchers, students and practitioners in tourism, hospitality and related disciplines.