Rethinking Asian Tourism

Rethinking Asian Tourism addresses some of the latest developments in on-going tourism research in Southeast Asia and the wider Asia region (encompassing, in geographical terms, Thailand, Vietnam, Indonesia, the Philippines, Malaysia, Hong Kong, Japan, and Korea). It examines many of the emerging, as well as established, themes and issues in Asian tourism and promotes the development of critical scholarship within Asia to overcome Anglo-Western ethnocentrism in tourism studies of the region. There is some attention to such familiar concepts as authenticity, commoditisation, culture, heritage, and hosts and guests, but more especially to the diversification of phenomena which traditionally would not have been included within the parameters of tourism studies: retirees and long-stays, gastronomy, family-based leisure, popular culture, and local branding. Above all, the book addresses and develops a conceptual understanding from a multidisciplinary perspective of the character, experiences, encounters, perceptions and motivations of local, national and intra-regional tourism rather than basing concepts, perspectives, emphases and analyses on Western-Asian interactions and on transformations in the West. In this respect it encourages a shift in emphasis towards ‘Asianising’ our understanding of Asian tourism. This is one of the first volumes on Asian tourism written primarily by Asians and, as such, provides them with the opportunity to express their concerns, interests and priorities, rather than depending on the analyses and interpretations of those from outside the region. It also enables a deconstruction of the field of tourism studies, acknowledging that it is an open-ended, shifting, fluid and complex category of encounters and events generated by the processes of physical mobility.

Rethinking Asian Tourism addresses some of the latest developments in on-going tourism research in Southeast Asia and the wider Asia region (encompassing, in geographical terms, Thailand, Vietnam, Indonesia, the Philippines, Malaysia, Hong Kong, Japan, and Korea). It examines many of the emerging, as well as established, themes and issues in Asian tourism and promotes the development of critical scholarship within Asia to overcome Anglo-Western ethnocentrism in tourism studies of the region. There is some attention to such familiar concepts as authenticity, commoditisation, culture, heritage, and hosts and guests, but more especially to the diversification of phenomena which traditionally would not have been included within the parameters of tourism studies: retirees and long-stays, gastronomy, family-based leisure, popular culture, and local branding. Above all, the book addresses and develops a conceptual understanding from a multidisciplinary perspective of the character, experiences, encounters, perceptions and motivations of local, national and intra-regional tourism rather than basing concepts, perspectives, emphases and analyses on Western-Asian interactions and on transformations in the West. In this respect it encourages a shift in emphasis towards â ~Asianisingâ (TM) our understanding of Asian tourism. This is one of the first volumes on Asian tourism written primarily by Asians and, as such, provides them with the opportunity to express their concerns, interests and priorities, rather than depending on the analyses and interpretations of those from outside the region. It also enables a deconstruction of the field of tourism studies, acknowledging that it is an open-ended, shifting, fluid and complex category of encounters and events generated by the processes of physical mobility.

Examining domestic and intra-regional tourism, the book reveals how improvements in infrastructures, ever increasing disposable incomes, liberalized economies, the inter-connectivities of globalization and the lowering of borders, both physical and political, are now enabling millions of Asians to travel as tourists.

Monarchies around the world play a significant role in tourism development and the tourist experience. Debates about the level of finance required to support monarchies often refer to the positive tourist attraction provided by royal pageantry, palaces, temples and churches, architecture, museum collections, and historical legacies. Up to now, the literature on tourism and monarchy has been primarily devoted to the history and experiences of Western Europe, particularly the United Kingdom. There has been little attention devoted to the relationship between monarchy and tourism development in Southeast Asia, and this is the first collection of essays to address this neglected field of study. The need to shift the focus from European to Asian royalty is important not only to begin to fill gaps in the literature on monarchy and tourism outside Europe, but also to avoid the increasing criticism of tourism studies that its major perspectives, orientations and paradigms have been based on an overly Eurocentric preoccupation. Case studies are taken from Thailand, Laos, Myanmar, Vietnam, Malaysia, Indonesia, Brunei Darussalam and Singapore.

Current Issues in Asian Tourism: Volume II draws together a collection of papers from Current Issues in Asian Tourism (CIAT). CIAT was launched by the editors of Current Issues in Tourism in response to the growing number of papers about tourism in Asia received by the journal and the increasing number of authors from Asian countries. This volume focuses on three aspects of Asian tourism. Firstly, the section on marketing, consumption and demand for Asian tourism includes papers on mega events, creative experiences, World Heritage Sites and pollution. Secondly, a group of papers focus on sustainable Asian tourism destinations including papers on investment, climate change, energy and local food. Finally, there are two chapters on Asian tourism research methods including the use of photography and qualitative methods. The papers in this book were originally published in Current Issues in Asian Tourism.

Deborah McLaren presents a comprehensive overview of the history and global development of tourism, often considered the largest industry in the world today. No study of the globalization of the world's economy and industry can afford to ignore the impact that tourism is having in an ever shrinking world where wealth is concentrated in fewer and fewer hands -- and within this important book the impact of tourism is thoroughly explored.

With the vast majority of academic theory on tourism based onWestern tourists, Asia on Tour illustrates why the rapid growth of travel for leisure and recreation in Asia demands a reappraisal of how tourism is analyzed and understood. Examining domestic and intra-regional tourism, the book reveals how improvements in infrastructures, ever increa

Once touted as the world’s largest industry and also a tool for fostering peace and global understanding, tourism has certainly been a major force shaping our world. The recent COVID-19 crisis has led to calls to transform tourism and reset it along more ethical and sustainable lines. It was in this context that calls to "socialise tourism" emerged (Higgins-Desbiolles, 2020). This edited volume builds on this work by employing the term Socialising Tourism as a broad conceptual focal point and guiding term for industry, activists and academics to rethink tourism for social and ecological justice. Socialising Tourism means reorienting travel and tourism based on the rights, interests, and safeguarding of traditional ecological and cultural knowledges of local peoples, communities and living landscapes. This means making tourism work for the public good and taking seriously the idea of putting the social and ecological before profit and growth as the world re-emerges from the COVID-19 pandemic. This is an essential first step for tourism to be made accountable to the limits of the planet. Concepts discussed include Indigenous culture, toxic tourism, a "theory of care", dismantling whiteness, decolonial tourism and animal oppression, among others, all in the context of a post-COVID-19 world. This will be essential reading for all upper-level students, academics and policymakers in the field of tourism. The Introduction of this book is freely available as a downloadable Open Access PDF under a Creative Commons Attribution-Non Commercial-No Derivatives 4.0 license available at http://www.taylorfrancis.com/books/9781003164616