Geography Reference
In-Depth Information
The geography of tourism and recreation therefore bears the hallmarks of much
Anglo-North American geography in terms of the tensions that exist between the
different approaches within the discipline. Such tensions, if well managed, can be
extremely healthy in terms of the debate they generate and the 'freshness' of the subject
matter. However, if not well managed and if external influences become too attractive,
splits will occur. Research and scholarship in the geography of tourism and recreation are
now at this stage. Unless greater links are built between the subdiscipline and the
discipline as a whole then, potentially, much of the field will be swallowed up by the
rapidly expanding field of tourism studies which bears many of the hallmarks of being a
discipline in its own right (Hall 2005a). Even if only in terms of student numbers, such a
shift would have substantial implications for geography as already mentioned above.
The geography of tourism and recreation is at a crossroads. It is to be hoped that a
situation will not develop where those concerned with social theory will stay in
geography and those who do not will go to the business and tourism schools. An
understanding of social theory by itself will not provide geography graduates or tourism
graduates with a career. Of course it should never be just about jobs; we hope it is also
about the joy of gaining knowledge for its own sake. However, the integration of some of
the central concerns of social theory, and the central concerns of the geographer—sites,
places, landscapes, regions and national configurations, and the spatial arrangements and
relationships that interconnect them—with the subject of tourism and recreation will lead
to the development of a more relevant applied area of geography that can better
contribute to all its stakeholders, including its students who are then exposed to the right
range of traditions that have contributed to geographical knowledge and its application.
To this end we can only reiterate the words of Gilbert White as a guiding light for a
relevant tourism and recreation geography:
Speaking only as one individual, I feel strongly that I should not go into
research unless it promises results that would advance the aims of the
people affected and unless I am prepared to take all practicable steps to
help translate the results into action.
(G.White 1972:102)
QUESTIONS
• Is geography a relevant subject to study in the twenty-first century as a basis for
understanding tourism and recreational phenomena?
• What is applied geography and how does it relate to tourism and recreation?
• How has the geographer contributed to the wider public policy and problem-solving
approach to tourism and recreation research? Has this been at the expense of academic
credibility within the discipline?
• What is the role of GIS in tourism and recreational research?
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