Journal of Policy Research in Tourism, Leisure & EventsCall for Papers
Special issue: Social tourism at the crossroads
In recent years there has been a major consolidation of research in social tourism. A large number of studies addressed a myriad of topics varying from employment in the sector, to more conceptual research on the benefits of social tourism, to empirical analyses of the beneficiaries of activities, and the structural systems that existed in various national and political contexts. Much research has focussed on the outcomes for different target groups, yet there is very little cross cutting research, or interdisciplinary perspectives, that have sought to connect the various approaches, sectors and indeed that bridge theory and practice. One example is that there is little research that has explored intergenerational aspects of social tourism. Since most tourism activity is social, and undertaken within family groups, there is little attention given to the diversity of family structures and how these can influence the types of experiences and outcomes achieved by social tourism programmes. Another example is a lack of research focusing on the changes in social tourism policy and practice over time. Since the beginning of economic crisis in 2008, social tourism policies are continuously being revised in most European countries due to the budget constraints, yet there is little research that has sought to understand the impacts of these changes.
Social tourism is at a pivotal point. Therefore, there is an urgent need for further research at the policy level that seeks to interrogate the issues facing the social tourism sector in the future and which addresses the interdisciplinary and inter-sectoral challenges.
How to submit
Papers for this special will be drawn from those submitted independently to the Guest Editors and from those presented at the Third Meeting of the Alliance on Training and Research in Social and Solidarity Tourism (International Social Tourism Organization ISTO), as part of the World Social Tourism Congress “Driving Tourism through inclusion” to be held between 18 to 21 October in Zagreb, Croatia (Alliance Conference will be held October 19).
Guest Editors anticipate papers relating to the following topics (but are not limited to these):
- Best practices in knowledge exchange and transfer of research with practitioners and policymakers
- Senior social tourism
- Intergenerational research
- Crossing boundaries between target groups
- Inclusion and exclusion
- Multi- and interdisciplinary research
For more information, including submission deadlines, please contact Anya Diekmann (anya.diekmann@ulb.ac.be) or Scott McCabe (Scott.McCabe@nottingham.ac.uk).
Editorial information
- Guest Editor: Anya Diekmann , Université Libre de Bruxelles, Belgium
- Guest Editor: Scott McCabe , University of Nottingham, UK
