• Economic recession and Tourism
2013-03-22
Economic recession: interpretations, performances and reifications in the tourism domain
Organizers
Chiara Rabbiosi, Alma Mater Studiorum University of Bologna (Italy)
Valeria Pecorelli, University of Milan Bicocca (Italiy)
Call for papers
One of the most visible phenomena brought about by late capitalism is the increasingly pivotal role of tourism in the economic and cultural life of places. The global demand for tourism has been also consistently increasing. Assuming that tourism is one of the most sensitive sectors in terms of susceptibility to crises on the short and medium term, it is interesting to unveil how current global economic recession and tourism intersect and influence each other.
The session will particularly question how topics related to economic recession are interpreted, performed and reified by a variety of actors in the European tourism domain:
- How do political and economic élites, policy-makers, intermediaries of any kind, tourists, etc. react to major, global, economical changes? E.g.: changes in the geography of holidays, in the length of journeys; changes in partnerships between public and private actors; changes in the awareness of the potentiality of the tourism domain as a sphere to attract exogenous economical/cultural/social resources; the repositioning of tour operators towards new tourist targets.
- Is it possible to identify new or renewed themes in the tourism domain that become the object of material and discursive mobilization in order to answer problematic conditions brought about by the economic recession? E.g.: the promotion of innovative tourist destinations, itineraries, events, etc. as an answer to the need for sustainability; but also the promotion of luxury destinations that may attract consumerist élites.
- How do the possible changing attitudes of political and economic élites, policy-makers, intermediaries of any kind, tourists, etc. influence the economic and cultural, social and spatial life of tourism destinations at micro-scale level? E.g.: in terms of “power relations”, “participative democracy”, “transition to a low carbon society”, “social innovation”, “socio-spatial segregation” just to quote but a few debated themes.
- How are lock-ins dismantled or reproduced in tourism?
We particularly welcome papers that focus on fostering the renewal or the “(re)invention” of tourism destinations, tourism sites within cities, tourism itineraries, products, policies and even of particular categories of tourists as a possible solution or as a reaction to economic recession.
Priority will be given to the presentation of those case studies embedded in theoretical accounts or exploring emerging trends in tourism with the help of analytical categories.
Papers will be discussed either in English and French
Session code: S10
If you are interested in participating please submit an abstract of no more than 250 words by filling in THIS FORM and send it to the organizers before march 31st 2013 using this email: s10@eugeo2013.com
No one may submit or take part in more than two presentations.
