Critical debates in tourism

Abstract

Singh, T. V. (ed.) (2012). Critical Debates in Tourism. Channel View Publications. ISBN: 978-1-84541-341-5, 398 pp.This book which was conceived almost 15 years ago is a valuable and unique collection of challenging, contradictory and provocative, yet indeed debatable 14 topics as chapters for the book (plus an introduction and conclusion) with various papers as subtitles for these chapters written by 35 globally recognized experts and international scholars from various disciplines and backgrounds. The contributors backgrounds are spread among a wide angle from social sciences like tourism, sociology, economics and management to scientific areas like biology and engineering which gives this book its unique and special texture of being different than the already published other ones since there are opposing views, debates and views different angles for the same topic . For example, there are conflicting discussions on topics like economic impacts of tourism, nature tourism, tourism education, mass tourism, sustainability, volunteer tourism, differential small sized tourism, authenticity, etc. The paradigm and controversial issues on challenging tourism topics like climate change, socio-political, anthropological, psychological, and geographical aspects of tourism are discussed from different perspectives and views which makes this book a very valuable research material for academics, graduate students and tourism industry researchers.The contents are grouped under 14 chapters as of follows:1. Mass Tourism and Sustainability: Can the Two Meet?2. Consumerism and Tourism: Are They Cousins?3. Is Small Tourism Beautiful?4. Does Community Participation Empower Local People5. Does Tourism Reduce Poverty?6. Volunteer Tourism: Is it Benign?7. Tourism and Welfare: Seeking Symbiosis8. Tourism Education: Quo Vadis?9. Post Colonialism: Academic Responsibility?10. The Dilemma of Authenticity and Inauthenticity11. Heritage Tourism: Heritage Tourists12. Nature-Based Tourism: There's a Lot in a Name13. Tourism and Climate Change: A Need for Critical Analysis14. Slow Tourism: Back to Bullock Cart Days!Each chapter begins with outlining the context of the debated topics and ends with concluding remarks by the lead author and discussion questions as suggestions with an intend and possibility to lead to further studies for the debate. The conclusion part stimulating further debate and future discussions for researchers and interested parties is followed by notes and references which makes it much easier for the reader to comprehend and analyze the topic in detail for further research and discussion.The timing and research period of the debated articles are also distributed on a wide time period, covering many topics and discussions on mainly sustainability thus containing a wide variety of opinions, facts, observations, comments, critics, findings and beliefs on; responsible tourism, ethical tourism, mass tourism, consumerism in tourism, the beauty of small tourism (or large tourism? …