Degrowth And Tourism

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

This book examines the evolution of the phenomenon and explores the genesis of overtourism and the system dynamics underlining it. The 'overtourism' phenomenon is defined as the excessive growth of visitors leading to overcrowding and the consequential suffering of residents, due to temporary and often seasonal tourism peaks, that lead to permanent changes in lifestyles, amenities and well- being. Enormous tensions in overtourism affected destinations have driven the intensification of policy making and scholarly attention toward seeking antidotes to an issue that is considered paradoxical and problematic. Moving beyond the 'top 10 things you can do about overtourism', this book examines the evolution of the phenomenon and explores the genesis of overtourism as well as the system dynamics underpinning it. With a rigorous scientific approach, the book uses systems-thinking and contemporary paradigms around sustainable development, resilience planning and degrowth; while considering global economic, socio-political, environmental discourses. Researchers, analysts, policy makers and industry stakeholders working within tourism as well as those within the private sector, community groups, civil society groups and NGOs will find this book an essential source of information.

This book calls for rethinking the meaning of sustainable development in tourism and explores how sustainability and resilience could be integrated. It argues that these concepts should be seen as interwoven processes, rather than alternative approaches. Resilience should be understood as a fundamental part of sustainable tourism thinking for destination systems. This can be achieved by calling for better governance in implementation and management. With insights from leading experts, chapters focus on resilient destinations from this governance perspective, in which tourism resilience is contextualized as an integral part of pathway creation in the process of moving towards sustainable tourism. The chapters represent a range of theoretical and empirical approaches with a wide international scope to demonstrate how governance is the key issue in sustainable tourism development. This book will appeal to a wide range of research disciplines and students whose modules focus on the relationship between tourism with respect to sustainability planning, governance, environment, and hazards and disasters.