Tourism, Development and International Studies - Tourism and Development: Concepts and Issues - page 410

It focuses on the changing nature of the international political system, from
one based on the two main powers during the Cold War to a subsequent one
of multipolarity that comes with very different rules (Baylis et al. , 2011).
Snyder (2004) argues that realism focuses on the shifting distribution of
power among different states. It is often contrasted with cosmopolitanism
which is linked to the writings of Immanuel Kant, while realism is linked to
an updated version of Machiavellianism or Hobbesianism (Scheuerman,
2012). 'Conventional scholarly wisdom dramatically juxtaposes “Realism” to
“cosmopolitanism” with the former presumed to entail an amoral, anti-
reformist, and historically static endorsement of realpolitik, and the latter a
robust moral and political universalism in union with a muscular defence of
a new and more unified global political and legal order' (Scheuerman, 2012:
453-454). Historically, however, realism was contrasted with idealism
(Scheuerman, 2012), which focuses on how the world ought to be from a
normative perspective.
Realism could be used to examine a 2010 trade dispute between Canada
and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) that clearly illustrated the linkages bet-
ween tourism and international studies. An agreement between Canada and
the UAE allowed for six flights a week to Toronto between Emirates Airline
and Etihad Airways. When Canada refused to allow an increase in the number
of flights to Toronto a trade dispute resulted. In response to this refusal of
extra landing rights, the UAE evicted Canada from their Camp Mirage base
outside Dubai, which was a Canadian troop-transiting base on their way to
Kandahar and Kabul, Afghanistan. The UAE also imposed a visa requirement
on Canadians visiting the UAE at the cost of $165 for a single-entry 30-day
visa, $330 for a single-entry 60-day visa and $660 for a six-month multiple
entry visa ( The Canadian Press , 2013). At the time most Europeans, Australians
and Americans were not required to have a visa to visit the country. The visa
requirement remained in place until April of 2013 when relations between the
two countries started to improve in terms of economic cooperation; however,
the increased landing rights have yet to be settled.
In addition to trade disputes, tourism has also been explored in relation
to war and conflict. Butler and Suntikul's (2013) edited volume entitled Tour-
ism and War explores the relationships between tourism and war, including
political, economic, ideological and spatial elements, and demonstrates how
not only the location, but also political strategies, accidents of history, trans-
portation linkages and political expedience played a role in the development
and continuation of tourism before, during and after wartime (Butler &
Suntikul, 2013). After the 9/11 terrorist attacks in the US and the War on
Terror, issues of security came to the forefront, which have had major impli-
cations for tourism. Examined through the lens of realism, the response of
states to terrorism and the implications for tourism illustrate the value of
incorporating international studies. Realism also focuses on shifting distribu-
tions of power among states and in the context of tourism countries such as