Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
advances might be made. Importantly, Anton Clavé (
Chapter 28)
points to the need to
consider the connection between tourism and the dynamics of urban space creation, both
from the logic of real-estate fi nancial capital and from the perspective of the productive and
reproductive functions of tourism in resort towns and cities, while Saxena in
Chapter 29
prioritises a broadening of focus on multiple actors, issues, organisations, territories and tech-
nologies, together with an ensemble of social relations and interdependencies that have set in
motion what may be termed the 'new geographies of rural tourism'.
Following his analysis of functional, representational and non-representational approaches
in urban tourism contexts, Selby (
Chapter 30)
observes that it sometimes feels as if the case
for non-representational geography has been rather overstated and argues for future research
to embrace this situation and reorient methodological approaches accordingly. On coastal
resort settings, on the other hand, Shaw and Agarwal
(Chapter 31)
call for further research to
be embedded within the 'new economic geography' domain, noting that relational perspec-
tives on globalisation could be valuable, as they can capture fundamental changes in how
geographies of globalisation are theorised.
Finally, in terms of the overall advances outlined in the volume, various contributions refer
to a need to consider the alternative to mobilities and thus to tourism - immobilities. For
instance, the term 'staycation' which has emerged (in particular since the recent economic
recession) exemplifi es this need, as do perspectives which consider the role of those who do not
travel in tourism - particularly those without access to travel but who must live with tourism.
This volume has presented a range of new spatial readings of tourism concepts, processes and
settings, which of course has served to open up even more new theoretical and methodo-
logical challenges. Our task from here on in is to develop the necessary frameworks and tools
to rise to these new challenges and understand and respond to the changing nature of the
fi eld. Indeed, when advancing our own research in the future, in the face of new develop-
ments both in tourism and in its study, we would do well to remember Gibson's words in
Chapter 6
that without tourism, the world would be dull - and more pointedly, tourism's
on ly a lter n at ive, i m mobi l it y, i s a n i nv it at ion to xenophobi a. I n t h i s ca se, t here i s more re sea rch
to be done than ever on tourism, and the tourism geographies fi eld represents a vital and
dynamic academic domain from within which to conduct it.
