Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Nilsson, 2009). While there are genuine benefits for frequent flyers, such pro-
grammes work by articulating positive discourses of flying where, in reality,
there is much discomfort involved.
Work with slow travellers suggests people are able to discursively juggle
arguments to justify holiday travel choices, even when there are personal con-
tradictions such as choosing slow travel for environmental reasons yet flying
on the next holiday (Dickinson et al, 2010b). Dickinson et al (2010b) suggest
slow travellers use different discursive threads about travel to reinforce a pos-
itive self-identity that is context-dependent. In the context of air travel, slow
travel can be presented as negative, while in a slow travel context the reverse
is true. This contextual rhetoric suggests it will be difficult for policy-makers
to articulate clear arguments for reducing air travel. Duffy (2004, p34) dis-
cusses how ecotourism shows how 'being thought of as an environmentally
aware traveller is an important signifier of social position and a commitment
to environmental beliefs'. This is contextualized in the ecotourism environ-
ments visited and not in terms of travel to these places.
Work on travel identity in a tourism context is at an early stage. Whether
it will make a substantial contribution to the tourism and climate change
debate remains to be seen. Many authors currently make reference to identity
without fully unpicking what this means or identifying a theoretical frame-
work to underpin their comment. Theoretical research needs to be conducted
to better understand the role of identity; however, the signs are that this could
be a very fruitful line of inquiry to understand travel.
Summary
This overview has attempted to set out key theoretical developments of impor-
tance to tourism travel consumption in relation to the way in which tourism is
likely to change in future decades. Several theoretical perspectives have shed
light and new understanding on, for example, modal choice. The theories
applied to pro-environmental behaviour research fall into this category. There
are obviously other theories that might be apposite, and we make no claim for
this being an extensive review. However, in our opinion, the theoretical per-
spectives outlined above provide a starting point for anyone interested in
understanding contemporary tourism travel practices in relation to slow travel.
The theoretical frameworks have been discussed in a heuristic manner to assist
the would be researcher in progressing our knowledge of contemporary tourism.
Other theoretical perspectives, such as the mobilities paradigm, present a
new way of thinking about tourism travel. To some extent, mobilities has pro-
pelled tourism to the fore of current thinking. Mobilities, as a concept, offers
a major opportunity for tourism researchers to engage with issues of move-
ment, temporary or permanent, and society. Nevertheless, the world of the
mobile is far from ubiquitous, and the interfaces between internet technology
and actual travel need far greater attention than afforded by current research.
So, as with all theoretical approaches, there is a need for further discussion to
refine and move forward to an improved understanding of communication
in different cultures and contexts.
