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This chapter examines the role of heritage as a means of empowering destination communities and providing deeper and more meaningful encounters between tourists and their destination, which contributes to the notion of Destination Conscience by highlighting more sustainable and humane ways of ‘doing’ tourism and opening places up to greater community involvement and access by visitors. This includes heritage concepts such as Indigenous communities, local spirituality and religious traditions, public archaeology and ordinary heritage, and how these translate into deeper engagement between residents and tourists, community empowerment and a more creative and holistic tourist experiences. Conceptually, this chapter highlights notions of empowerment, tourists' experiences and Destination Conscience.

Many developing countries have prepared plans particularly at the central level to guide tourism development, as they have recognized the tourism sector as an important source of foreign currency earning and employment. In this context, mainly aims at analyzing the shortcomings of the planning approaches to tourism development in developing countries by exemplifying the points made with special references to Turkey. There appears to be several defects in the planning approaches to tourism development. Concludes that there is the need for political stability, establishing supportive institutions and decentralization to develop and implement an appropriate contemporary tourism planning approach by taking into account destination specific conditions, and collaboration and cooperation of western governments and international agencies.

This paper aims to examine the competitive strategies employed by two of the largest theme park operators in Florida, based on a content analysis of popular media articles about theme park giants in the USA. It aims to provide a comparative examination of their competitive strategies, to develop a conceptual model of the same and to expand knowledge about current competitiveness in the theme park sector.

This study used directed content analysis to identify and analyze strategies applied in the theme park sector as manifested in the mass media. Each database was searched using the following four key terms: competition, strategy, Disney and Universal Studios. Results were screened for relevance based on their inclusion of all four key terms. At the conclusion of the search, 87 articles from 34 US-based sources were amassed, varying in circulation size and published between 1985 and 2013. Each article was read, and sentences that suggested the use of a strategy were recorded. Although the intention was to leave each data point at a one-sentence maximum, occasionally, a second sentence was included for context and clarification. Each article was read twice to ensure the inclusion of all potential data points.

The findings suggest that the largest US-based theme parks utilize strategies of value, uniqueness, niche markets, innovation, variety and quality as highlighted in the research literature. However, this study also confirms two additional competitive strategies that have heretofore not been examined in tourism studies – currency and convenience – as advantageous management and promotional mechanisms against their competitors.

Limitations to this research include a limited number of popular media articles available for analysis. This precluded a random sample of articles. In addition, the study was based on print media statements and keyword identification, which could also limit the generalizability of the findings. Nonetheless, it is believed that the case studies researched in this paper are indicative of many of the competitive strategies used by theme park managers throughout the world.

The paper developed a competitive strategy model that has utility for them park planners and managers, as they attempt to understand the competitive advantages and those of their direct competitors. The findings in this study have broader implications for other theme parks throughout the world.

The social implications of this study are manifold. They include the notion that theme park attendees manifest certain behaviors and seek out certain experiences as they make decisions on which parks to attend. The notions of value, uniqueness, niche markets, innovation, variety, quality, currency and convenience all reveal how some consumers determine their choice of venue for recreational travel.

This paper provides an original research of the theme park sector by examining two of the USA’s largest theme park giants and the strategies they use in a comparative and competitive manner to attraction clientele and maintain visitation. In particular, the paper develops a conceptual model based upon the review of strategies literature and, then, tests it and modifies it based on the findings of the study.

Drawing from two years of multi-sited fieldwork about international backpacking in Central America, I make important connections between the backpacking escape motive, the backpacker hostel, and tourism. I explain how backpackers experience the hostel as their “home base” and “home away from home” to escape into local cultures and natural environments that exist outside of it and an international community of travelers that convenes inside of it. I refer to theories on modern tourism, the backpacking escape motive, and the concept of community. I also theorize how the global spread of modern amenities and tourism shapes backpackers' escape experiences.

This study aims to highlight the theoretical foundations and future research directions in religious tourism and related topics from 2003 to 2023.

A total of 4,143 documents from Web of Science and Scopus databases related to religious tourism and pilgrimage were analysed using VOSviewer software.

The analysis illuminates a steady rise in religious tourism research. The most influential countries are the USA, the UK and Israel. Gendered studies, tourists’ perceptions and technology in religious tourism will be research hotspots, as predicted with keyword co-occurrence analysis.

This study thoroughly evaluates two decades of religious tourism literature through bibliometric and network analysis. It can help researchers comprehend religious tourism study more thoroughly and determine where to focus in future research.

本研究强调了 2003–2023 年宗教旅游及相关主题的理论基础和未来研究方向。

使用 VOSviewer 软件分析了来自 Web of Science 和 Scopus 数据库的与宗教旅游和朝圣相关的总共 4143 份文件。

分析表明宗教旅游研究稳步上升。 最具影响力的国家是美国、英国和以色列。 正如关键词共现分析预测的那样, 宗教旅游中的性别研究、游客感知和宗教旅游技术将成为研究热点。

本研究通过文献计量和网络分析彻底评估了二十年的宗教旅游文献。 它可以帮助研究人员更透彻地理解宗教旅游研究, 并确定未来研究的重点。

Este estudio destaca los fundamentos teóricos y las futuras direcciones de investigación en turismo religioso y temas relacionados entre 2003 y 2023.

Se analizó un total de 4143 documentos de las bases de datos Web of Science y Scopus relacionados con el turismo religioso y la peregrinación utilizando el software VOSviewer.

El análisis ilumina un aumento constante en la investigación del turismo religioso. Los países más influyentes son Estados Unidos, Reino Unido e Israel. Los estudios de género, la percepción de los turistas y la tecnología en el turismo religioso en el turismo religioso serán puntos críticos de investigación como se predice con el análisis de co-ocurrencia de palabras clave.

Este estudio evalúa minuciosamente dos décadas de literatura sobre turismo religioso a través de análisis bibliométrico y de redes. Puede ayudar a los investigadores a comprender el estudio del turismo religioso más a fondo y determinar dónde enfocarse en futuras investigaciones.

Despite the significance of tour guiding and interpreting in the tourism system, relevant research is lacking in both depth and breadth. Current scholarly work tends to ignore tour guides’ self-expectations and assumes they are altruistic mediators who carry out their tasks without question. Considering tourism intermediaries are rational individuals who attempt to maximize their own benefits, the purpose of this paper is to situate tour guiding and interpreting practices in a larger political and social context, to explore the external and intrapersonal factors that might influence the content and approaches of interpreting Chinese communist heritage.

Considering tourism intermediaries are rational individuals who attempt to maximize their own benefits, this study situates tour guiding and interpreting practices in a larger political and social context, to explore the external and intrapersonal factors that might influence the content and approaches of interpreting Chinese communist heritage.

The study reveals that institutional arrangements, environmental settings, characteristics of tourists and tourist-intermediary onsite interactions can have salient repercussions on intermediaries’ job skills, career attitudes and orientation, and self-perceived roles, and further shape their way of interpreting the past. Several managerial implications regarding enhancing the effectiveness of tour guiding and interpreting are also discussed.

It is mentioned above. The Chinese government has invested enormously in red tourism to achieve a political end. In reality, however, there are always gaps between official narratives and actual interpretation. To lessen such deviation, efforts are needed to understand the dynamics of tour guiding practices. Anchoring interpretation and guiding practices in a broader political, social, and economic context, this paper attempts to improve the static research by comparing two major types of intermediaries, site interpreter and tour guide, with regard to the content of, and approach to their interpretation of red heritage. It provides an in-depth insight into the meaning-making process of the communist heritage tourism in China.

Intangible cultural heritage (ICH) can be a valuable tourism asset for both government and local communities. Due to the fragmented nature of ICH data, it becomes difficult for the researchers to comprehend its impact on the psychology of the interacting tourists. Prior research has shown that traditional crafts and craftsmanship as ICH could be used to promote a place. However, ICH has scarcely been considered as a place branding element. The study apprehends that branding places with ICH will not only upscale the place in terms of ethno-cultural significance but also will integrate the visiting population with the ICH and thereby ensure knowledge propagation and preservation and reinforce the cultural roots. The study proposes a reflective brand model in the context of ICH of Natungram, a village known for its legacy of craftsmanship of wooden dolls. The study used crossover analysis framework (CAF), as a part of causal mixed-method research design, to inquire into the complex psyche of the tourists while interacting with the ICH and the artisans at Natungram. Three distinct brand elements were identified through a qualitative thematic content analysis, namely subjective vitality, authentic experience, and experiential quality. The brand model was tested for its impact on the behavioral pattern of the tourists by using appropriate quantitative method. The results confirmed both direct and partially mediated effects of the brand elements on the tourist behavior. In future, the model could be extrapolated spatiotemporally for places of ICH significance.

The twenty-first century has been characterized by the intensification of concerns related to tourism safety and security. These issues are playing an increasingly significant role over recent years, due to the increase of terrorist attacks in several countries, political instability, natural disasters, epidemics and, more recently, the COVID-19 pandemic. Understanding tourist safety and security in the tourism context is, thus, critical to increasing the competitiveness and attractiveness of tourist destinations.

Through the bibliometric methods of performance analysis and science mapping, this study aims to contribute to the advancement of knowledge on tourist safety and security at the destination.

A total of 445 records published between 1989 and 2021, covering 191 academic journals and 1,000 authors from 91 different countries, were analysed.

The main findings show that this research field has attracted a substantial and growing interest of researchers, institutions, journals and countries. Opportunities for future research are related to decision making, tourist behaviour, risk perception, tourism safety, destination image, safety engineering and sustainable development.

In the post-pandemic context, this research field can be critical to providing a set of tailored strategies to improve tourists' safe destination environment and increase tourism destinations' competitiveness and attractiveness.