Recent Submissions
Ageing With Disability, Relationships and Relational Place Making: Bali Tourism Case Study
Bali has become a well-known island destination in Indonesia for senior tourists and Bali’s tourism strategy has indicated a desire to attract senior visitors. This study adopted an interpretative approach to examine how relational place making processes shape the embodied experiences of tourists who are ageing with disability within the destination of Bali. Joint interviews were conducted with six tourists ageing with disability and their travel companion, and 10 tourism providers. Our findings contribute insights into the relational lived world of ageing with disability and tourism for a destination that seeks to encourage this market. Focusing on ageing with disability, this paper contributes to challenging understandings of ageing and disability, with lived meanings within a tourism place evidenced as negotiable, often contested, and socially connected. Two key themes were found in our study relating to a sense of familiarity through the passage of time, and a sense of freedom to be relating to what it means to ‘be’ in tourist places, or, how tourists who are ageing with disability ‘are’ in the place. These findings contribute insights into the relational embodied perspectives of ageing with disability that could help facilitate agency, participation and inclusive relations with others within place making.
Key Facts and Figures About Accessible Tourism
This document presents facts and figures to support the social and economic imperative of ensuring Aotearoa New Zealand’s visitor experiences deliver a 100% welcome to everyone, regardless of their age or ability. Delivering a 100% welcome for all is premised on the fact that the global population is ageing. With age comes disability and the need for access and inclusion.
Principles and Practice of Effective Inclusive Stakeholder Community Engagement
In this chapter, we present the case that, to be inclusive and accessible, tourism destination management requires important (re)consideration of the processes used to involve community stakeholders in the tourism planning process. Whilst the importance of community collaboration is frequently heralded in tourism destination management, traditional community engagement tends to involve an organisationalcentric approach, positioning the research/practitioner as expert and adopting one-way consultation methods for working with stakeholders. To achieve accessible tourism, there has been a call for effective inclusive stakeholder approaches that include meaningful engagement, diverse knowledge, participatory governance and dialogic approaches. The benefits of these inclusive engagement practices are that they bring all key stakeholders together within a locality and draw on how the needs of the community may be met, as well as its future needs. As such, this chapter will discuss the principles and practices of effective inclusive community engagement, with a focus on effectively bringing together diverse stakeholders, such as community, tourism stakeholders and access organisations for accessible tourism destination development. Facilitation of inclusive community engagement requires a mind-set of reciprocal relationships (i.e. not just for personal/business gain). Within this perspective, the key philosophical differences are the values, mind-set and principles that inform how we plan and enact the communication with and within communities. Inclusive community engagement involves an inclusive mind-set that views the relationship between businesses, organisations and communities within a wider ecological system with them aiming to work together in collaborative, joint decision-making activities in order to engage in authentic dialogue and action for social change. As such, inclusive stakeholder engagement will endeavour to adopt practices that enhance individual and group voice, develop agency and use creative approaches to enhance diverse thinking and intersubjective dialogue for co-created solutions. We demonstrate this with reference to a specific case study project, the New Zealand Tourism For All campaign, that sought to bring together diverse stakeholders using the principles of meaningful engagement and a dialogue approach to make the destination more accessible for tourists with disabilities.
An Agenda for Accessible Tourism: Priorities of Destination Management Organisations in New Zealand
Increasingly, tourism researchers are questioning how tourism, and its inquiry, might drive an agenda for a more inclusive, responsible, and sustainable future. In New Zealand, this too is the case; however, the nature of tourism considerations remains overwhelmingly environment-centric and largely devoid of a social imperative. Destination management organisations, with significant involvement in, and influence over, the management and marketing of New Zealand, need to prioritise accessibility to remain competitive, especially given the changing demography of domestic and major inbound visitor markets. Despite local accessibility champions calling for strategic leadership in this space, there remains no coherent or coordinated strategy relating to accessible tourism development in New Zealand. While we, as tourism researchers, seek to provide appropriate knowledge and direction, the New Zealand tourism industry does not always have awareness of, or access to, such research, and if they do, can raise conflicting views and concerns. Equally, ableist attitudes may prevail. This paper reveals findings of our study that sought to identify the perspectives and priorities identified by 16 destination management organisations in New Zealand to establish a research agenda for accessible tourism development. The study thus provides an important first step in guiding future research projects and industry initiatives that can further the aim to address the current inequality and inaccessibility of tourism. We critically discuss the tensions between academic research, its systems, and conventions, and how we as tourism researchers, may effect meaningful change to enable social transformation among the industry and society at large.
Editorial: Children in Tourism
The United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child defines a child as ‘every human being below the age of 18 years unless under the law applicable to the child’. Of the world’s population, nearly a third (31%) are aged under 18, of whom the vast majority (87%) inhabit regions of the world that are commonly described as the Global South— the lower- and middle-income countries of Africa, Asia, and Latin America (https://data. unicef.org/). Children thus represent a significant proportion of the world’s population, not only growing up in the communities affected by tourism but also influencing and participating in holidays with their families and beyond. Traditionally, research has mainly focused on family tourism with data generated from parents/adults. However, in recent years, there has been increasing attention on the tourist experiences of children inclusive of their voices and acknowledging their roles as social agents within their families (e.g., Gram et al., 2019; Pomfret, 2021). A shift away from Western-centric discourses in the last decade has resulted in increasing family tourism research in Asia (e.g., Li et al., 2023). Yet, much of the children and family tourism research globally focuses on the wellbeing and benefits of traveling for children to the detriment of more problematic issues.
On the Gender Imperative in Tourism Geographies Research
This discussion provides a critical review of gender issues in tourism geographies. It maps historical and contemporary developments and provides a future research agenda that suggests moving beyond binary and Western gender discourses.
Phenomenology of Leisure Travel following Death of a Loved One
This paper advances knowledge around the intersection of death, loss, and leisure travel. Our phenomenological study revealed the lived experiences of seven senior travelers who had traveled internationally following the death of a loved one(s). We employed the ‘MeBox’ method to help uncover new layers of meaning that are not always easy to put into words. The findings of our study provide new insights into notions of leisure by identifying overseas leisure travel within a liminal space in which feelings of loss and acceptance, and the creation of new perspectives, are experienced following the death of a loved one(s). Our findings challenge the destructive nature of human loss following death of a loved one(s). Instead, the experience of international travel appeared to influence the social, material, and existential life of senior travelers after the death of a loved one(s), transforming leisure into a personally meaningful experience for them.
Accessibility Requirements of Inbound Chinese Tourists with Disabilities to New Zealand: A Supply Perspective
This study explored a supply perspective of the accessibility requirements of inbound Chinese tourists with disabilities to New Zealand. The objectives of the study were to: 1) determine how the tourism industry can best meet the accessibility requirements of tourists with disabilities from the perspectives of accessible tourism service providers; and 2) analyse Chinese outbound tour operators’ websites accessibility and provision of accessibility information for inbound Chinese tourists with disabilities to New Zealand. The first research objective was met through semi-structured interviews with two experienced New Zealand accessible tourism service providers. Their data revealed that customised services, collaboration, and information provision were the key needs for meeting the requirements of tourists with disabilities. The study showed that New Zealand accessible tourism service providers believe these strategies can effectively address the accessibility requirements of tourists with disabilities. The second research objective involved analysing the websites of six Chinese outbound tour operators that were recommended as preferred partners by Tourism New Zealand. Applying web content analysis, the study analysed the websites’ accessibility and their provision of accessibility information. The results revealed that the websites were inadequate in addressing the accessibility requirements of Chinese tourists with disabilities, especially in terms of the provision of accessibility information. This study is one of the few in New Zealand that focuses on the accessibility requirements of Chinese tourists with disabilities from a supplier perspective. It provides recommendations for improvement for both New Zealand accessible tourism service providers and Chinese outbound tour operators, with the aim of promoting the development of the accessible tourism market between the two countries and enabling more tourists with disabilities to participate in tourism activities.
Enabling Accessible and Inclusive Tourism: Lessons from New Zealand and Australia
The overarching goals of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, and Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD) bring an important spotlight on the need to foster accessibility for everyone, regardless of their ability, age, or background; indeed, participation is a human right. In recent work, we challenge our peers, policy makers, and providers to reflect critically on, and help dismantle, the disabling discourses and normative structures that continue to marginalise and oppress people with disability in their role as tourists. The tourism industry has largely failed in its moral and social responsibility to design and promote tourism experiences ‘for all’. As academic researchers, our focus on, and aspiration toward, social change means that social solutions are possible to help achieve full access and inclusion for all tourists in transportation, built and natural environments, and information communication technologies (in accordance with Article 9, CRPD) so that experiences become not only accessible, but equitable, dignifying, empowering, and enabling for tourists with disability. Without changes to infrastructure, industry attitudes, information, and care provision, individuals with disability will remain unable to assume the role of tourist and therefore remain ‘disabled’. In this presentation, we discuss the findings of recent research borne out of our relationships with the disability community and essential understandings of their lived experiences. Our collective research shows that people with disability want and expect to exercise their right to enjoy the benefits of participation in travel and tourism, but multiple barriers and constraints to their access remain despite human rights frameworks and some accessibility legislation in some countries. Notably, our research highlights the various constraints different dimensions of disability place on the built environment. To shed light on how access may be better enabled for people with disability to overcome physical and social barriers, we discuss conclusions from recent ‘accessible tourism’ research in New Zealand and Australia. Specifically, we compare and contrast the notably different stances taken by each country’s tourism industry towards accessibility and critically consider how the dis/ability theme can inform universal design thinking and action to inform policy, research and practice. In conclusion, we reflect on our collaborative research findings to consider the challenges and opportunities for making tourism more accessible and inclusive, and to removing physical barriers through a focus on universal design, for the benefit of everyone living in and visiting Australasia and beyond.
Inclusive Destination Management Strategies
Destination management strategies with access and inclusion at their core ensure previously marginalised populations, such as people with disabilities, can actively participate in tourism. This chapter puts forward four key interrelated pillars pertinent to the development of an accessible and inclusive destination. The first pillar addresses the significant leadership role tourism destination management organisations have to play in terms of setting an accessible and inclusive vision, garnering buy-in from operators and related sectors, and considering how audits, or accessibility guides, may be used to determine what developments are needed. The second pillar identifies the need to consider who should be involved in planning and decisionmaking, who can coordinate and bring disparate groups and sectors together to share knowledge, and how all stakeholders involved can utilise best practice to work together, mitigate challenges and co-create meaningful outcomes. This means the appropriate people are involved in the development and implementation of strategies, which is critical to ensure all aspects of development are considered. As the people who are directly affected by both inclusive and exclusive decisions, the involvement of people with disabilities is crucial. The third pillar identifies collaboration as an important means of sharing knowledge and enabling progress. Considering the impact and integration of assistive technologies may also enable tourism destinations to reach potential visitors with disabilities in innovative ways. Finally, the fourth pillar highlights how accurate and detailed information is critical for people with disabilities to be able to make informed choices about their travels and the activities they choose to engage in. The lack of appropriate and accurate information is a wellknown barrier to tourism participation for people with disabilities and should thus be prioritised in the marketing and promotion of any accessible and inclusive destination management strategy. Ultimately, it is crucial to recognise that unless the whole tourism system is accessible and inclusive, then individual efforts may not be sufficiently effective.
Experiences of a Fine Dining Event Held Inside a Working Prison
Fine dining experiences offered inside working prisons are one type of hospitality initiative attempting to support prisoner rehabilitation and offer a memorable dining experience for the paying public. Previous hospitality research has not explored how fine dining delivered in a working prison, offered through this type of social initiative, is experienced by those involved: the inmates volunteering in the event, the celebrity chefs who mentor them, paying diners and other event stakeholders. This case study research examined the “Gate to Plate” fine dining event held inside Rimutaka men’s prison in New Zealand. We analysed publicly available material online about this hospitality initiative to discern the key experiences of those involved. Thematic analysis of the data revealed four main themes relating to the experiences of those involved in the fine dining event: a quality food and meal experience; pride and passion arising from being involved; skills for change; and shifted perceptions. While the case study research revealed positive experiences of the prison’s fine dining event and suggested it was a potentially transformative experience for all those involved in it, we critically discuss wider implications of the event, and the positive portrayals by all those involved, for hospitality initiatives in working prisons.
Moving Beyond Western Methods: A Methodological Toolbox for Family Entrepreneurship Research in Tourism by Including Children’s Voices
Recently, tourism scholars turned their attention to families, specifically children's experiences. Yet, research illustrating children's voices in tourism family entrepreneurship is missing. Social researchers are encouraged to include children's voices to reveal their lived experiences rather than considering them too vulnerable to be interviewed. This qualitative study, underpinned by constructivist epistemology, explored how families are embedded within lifestyle migration and the tourism entrepreneurial process on Hainan Island in China. A combination of methods was adopted to create a toolbox suitable for family research, including children's voices through whole-family interviews and LEGO® Serious Play® workshops. Playing LEGO® seriously ensures that the researcher does not drive participants' thoughts, and children can freely express their opinions in playful, metaphorical, and meaningful ways. Moving beyond Western-centered methods, data was collected at Old Dad Teahouses (or Lao Ba Cha 老爸茶 in Chinese) to create a friendly environment. Old Dad Teahouses are a Hainanese cultural ritual where locals gather to enjoy tea along with local savory snacks. Historically, the name Old Dad Tea refers to predominantly male customers over 50 years of age who regularly attended tea houses in the afternoon as part of their leisure. Nowadays, people who go to Old Dad Tea are more diverse in age and gender, and spending time there represents a popular leisure activity among families living in Hainan. We emphasize that our methodological toolbox allows us to explore how individuals construct their understanding through their own belief systems and culture. The methodological toolbox allowed us to understand the scholarship on family tourism entrepreneurship from a Chinese cultural perspective by providing insight into the experiences of 15 children from eight entrepreneurial families, providing agency to the children. This study aims to enrich the definition of family entrepreneurship by identifying how children as family members can influence migration and entrepreneurial behaviors and exploring the experiences gained by children through the entrepreneurial process. Children's voices are usually filled by adults within the family business unit. However, children are also rights holders and social agents. This study supports the right of children to participate and have their voices heard.
Intellectual Disability and Care During Travel
This phenomenological study unveils the lived experiences of care during travel of carers and the adults with intellectual disabilities they care for. In-depth interviews unveiled the unique nuances and complexities of giving care to those who are otherwise unable to travel independently. Their care experiences were characterised by emotional entanglements of ‘giving’, ‘attunement’, and ‘performance’, which span personal, relational, and social caring spheres. The findings shine a light on intellectual disability as a complex and marginalised identity, and one that disrupts the generalised notion of travel as an independent activity. Our conclusions validate care as both a practice and an ethic that is amplified, negotiated, and mediated within a tourism context, and offer new directions for accessible tourism research.
Forced Displacement: The ‘Refugee Crisis’ and Its Impact on Global Tourism
Over the last decade, the number of people forcibly displaced from their homes fleeing from war, persecution, and violence has nearly doubled, from 41 million in 2010 to 82.4 million in 2020, among them 26.4 million are refugees under international protection. Inevitably, the number of forcibly displaced people will increase in the future. Amid these global concerns, there has been a rise in the number of tourism scholars investigating the impact of refugees on tourism. To date, much of this work has excluded the involvement of refugee voices and experiences in the research processes. More worryingly, this type of orientation adopts an ‘add refugees and stir’ approach and perpetuates a conventional view of refugees as ‘outsiders’ and ‘issue-generating’ to the host country. To counter this approach, this chapter will advocate theoretical and practical contributions that shift our orientation for the more inclusive study with, rather than only on, refugees, and take a proactive approach to examining the trend of forced displacement and global tourism.
Unheard Voices: The Lived Leisure Travel Experiences of Individuals With Early-Onset Parkinson's in New Zealand
This thesis aims to explore and interpret the lived leisure travel experiences of individuals with Early-Onset Parkinson’s (EOP) in New Zealand. Parkinson’s is a neurodegenerative brain condition, and EOP applies to those individuals diagnosed before 50 years of age. While Parkinson’s and EOP are typically considered to be a ‘disease’ in the medical world, the World Health Organization asserts that the condition results in high rates of disability and thus the need for care. Hence, in this thesis, EOP is positioned as a disability, and simply referred to as EOP. Tourism has been argued to be barrier-laden and exclusionary of people with disabilities (PwD), which can lead to marginalisation and social inequality. Yet, in an ideal world, tourism should be equally accessible to and inclusive of all people, including those who live with disability. Like people with different dimensions of disability, individuals with EOP are socially marginalised, yet they may still wish to participate in leisure experiences, including travel and tourism, as a means of enhancing their quality of life, physical health, psychological well-being, and social interaction. Research into the lived leisure travel and tourism experiences of people with different dimensions of disability is growing; however, this is predominantly focused on people with physical and sensory disabilities. While studies focusing on cognitive disabilities are emerging, there is a lack of work on EOP in existing scholarship. This interpretive phenomenological study seeks to give voice to individuals with EOP and bring their lived leisure travel experiences to life. It employed semi-structured interviewing with 10 participants in New Zealand. Three key themes emerged inductively from the thematically analysed data, namely: (1) (In)visibility of EOP in travel; (2) Sense of urgency to travel; and (3) Managing symptoms during travel. (In)visibility of EOP in travel reveals how, within the context of travel, individuals with EOP experience the effects of their symptoms presenting as either invisible, visible, or both, to others. This can result in individuals expressing a felt need to disclose the cause of their EOP symptoms. Sense of urgency to travel reveals, among other things, that the urgency to travel for individuals with EOP is seemingly greater than for those with terminal illnesses, because of the time-bound physical and cognitive restrictions that EOP creates. Managing symptoms during travel reveals the importance of accurate information for preplanning, and both the need and desire for a companion to accompany the travel of individuals with EOP. As the only study at the time of writing to explore EOP within the burgeoning body of accessible tourism scholarship, either internationally or in New Zealand, this research augments existing understandings of PwD by adding a new body of information about another dimension of disability, EOP, that has not previously been considered and gives voice to the leisure travel experiences of those living with EOP. In exploring and revealing these experiences, it is hoped that unheard voices become heard, in both inquiry and industry alike, helping break the cycle of marginalisation of PwD in tourism, through increased awareness, understanding, and empathy.
Queer Tourism Geographies and Placemaking: Beyond Homonormativity
Queer spaces emerge as a response to the restrictive nature of homonormativity, which compels queer individuals to conform to dominant cis-heteronormativities. This underscores the need for in-depth knowledge about queer spaces, particularly those that extend beyond the experiences of gay men. This study explores how lesbian and queer women as mobile transnationals create space for themselves in Copenhagen, a city recognised as the world's most gay-friendly place. It employs an interpretivist research paradigm utilising a critical feminist and queer geography lens. Findings from observations and interviews reveal the absence of a specific lesbian space in Copenhagen; instead, numerous queer spaces are characterised by fluidity, safety, community, and a welcoming approach towards LGBTQIA+ travellers. Lesbian and queer women do not become visible through physical spaces, but through the strong networks, they have created for themselves. A queer space offers a sense of safety within a public setting for the community that gathers there. Additionally, lesbian and queer women actively reshape and conquer existing cis-heteronormative spaces through material and immaterial practices such as exclusive online community spaces or through hosting queer events in spaces such as churches. The study addresses the absence of feminist and queer perspectives in a discourse on sustainable tourism geographies. It provides policymakers with insights and recommendations for creating inclusive, queer-friendly spaces.
Equitable Access to the Built Environment for People with Disability
The overarching goal of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities was to foster inclusivity in all aspects of living. However, equitable access to the built environment is a long way from being reached. This research examines the barriers to inclusive access. It considers the perspectives of people with disability and the sometimes-conflicting constraints that different impairments place on building design. Next it examines the perspectives of building professionals involved in the design and management of public buildings. Finally, it presents case study assessments of the accessibility of shops, libraries and restaurants in New Zealand, and highlights features that need improvement. The results show that accessibility remains limited, particularly in small restaurants and shops. The attitude and awareness of building professionals and employees is a barrier to improving accessibility, indicating the importance of training programs. In addition, accessibility legislation needs to be improved and enforced. Finally, the government should subsidize accessibility features in buildings and people with disability should be involved in the building design process in order to move closer to genuinely inclusive access for everyone.
The Disabled Tourist: Navigating an Ableist Tourism World
This book addresses a growing demand to hear the authentic voices and understand the lived tourist experiences of people with disability. The latest volume in The Tourist Experience series challenges what is arguably an exclusionary, marginalising, discriminatory, and ableist (tourism) world. By drawing attention to the 'dis/' in 'disabled', the authors provoke the need to change binary thinking about people who live with disability so that they may be 'able' to assume the role of tourist. They engage critical tourism and critical disability studies, and their respective theories, perspectives, and debates, around, for instance, models of disability that shape conceptualisations and worldviews, inclusive research and enabling language, and the ethics of care. These are pivotal to dismantling normative structures to enable a more inclusive, equitable, and socially just tourist experience that promotes a more independent and dignified tourism world for people with disability.
Specialty Grand Challenge: Wherever Tourism Arrives, Society Notes It First!
Sustainability research in tourism increasingly focuses on social issues such as the relationship between residents’ quality of life and the positive experiences/outcomes of tourists (Helgadóttir et al., 2019). To fully harness the power and opportunities of bringing people and communities together the UNWTO Global Code of Ethics for Tourism (www.unwto.org/global-code-of-ethics-for-tourism) was developed as a reference point for responsible and sustainable tourism. Adopted in 1999 by the World Tourism Organization, the Code’s 10 articles are not legally binding and cover the right to tourism, rights of workers and entrepreneurs, and ensuring benefits for host communities amongst other matters. Still, these laudable ideas are not always adhered to, even by their initiator, the UNWTO. In a post-pandemic environment and more than two decades later, it remains to be established whether any progress relating to social sustainability has been achieved. Tourism is full of paradoxes as highlighted by Hall (2022), and fundamental questions remain on how tourists’ desire for hedonistic joy can simultaneously contribute to the wellbeing of local communities. Or how an emphasis on economic benefits can simultaneously consider the social needs of all stakeholders in the visitor economy. This is the grand challenge that achieving social sustainability of tourism faces.
Accessible and Inclusive Tourism Experiences Through Strategic Destination Planning and Development
Tourism can provide transformational experiences, in positive and/or negative ways, for any tourist. It can provide new experiences that can be (deeply) affective as tourists encounter new places, people, cultures, and activities that they may have never encountered before. For tourists with disability, transformational experiences can be even more significant, again in positive and/or negative ways.