Touristifying the refugee crisis? Exploring refugee-run tourism enterprisesbyGada MahrouseAs the world faces an ongoing global refugee “crisis,” tourism is growing exponentially. Given the scale of both, questions of mobility justice are of the utmost urgency. Yet, with a few notable exceptions, academic research has yet to examine the ways in which tourists and refugees interact. Informed by Zygmunt Bauman’s (1998) work on the figures of the “tourist and the figure and what ...

(In French with simultaneous translation)The increase in tourist numbers in certain places that have become "destinations" has recently brought to the forefront the old paradigm of destructive tourism. Here and there, people denounce not only the invasion of living environments and the transformation of urban functions according to tourist expectations, but also the destruction of heritage through the alteration of its authenticity. Such an assertion, based on the original purity of a true...

Becoming common plantain: metaphor, settler responsibility, and decolonizing tourismby Michela J. Stinson,Bryan S. R. GrimwoodandKellee CatonAs tourism scholars have turned to matters of reflexivity, epistemology, and ethics in research and practice, questions have been raised about how those in positions of privilege ought to situate their knowledge/power and take responsibility for enacting justice. In this presentation, we convey and engage the mer...

The Night Walk: from a dangerous migration to a tourist performance.ByJafet Quintero VenegasandAlvaro LopezThe Night Walk is a recreational activity organized by the Hñahñú community of the town of El Alberto, municipality of Ixmiquilpan, state of Hidalgo, Mexico, and is part of the menu of activities that tourists who visit the area can hire. This is a performance that involves several actors that represent the migratory phenomenon of undocumented Mexicans tryi...

Tourism RESET will be leading a special track: BI-POC issues in tourism, travel, and mobility. Black, Indigenous, and people of color (BI-POC) have endured racial inequalities, segregation and systemic racism for centuries. Globally, travel and tourism has been overpoweringly White-washed, leaving limited room to highlight the experiences and voices of traditionally marginalized groups, the result lending itself ...

Ethical and Equitable Tourism DataBy Evita RobinsonThis keynote covers the intersection of data and tourism. In 2020 NOMADNESS Travel Tribe and Tourism RESET had over 5200 respondents to their survey of BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, People of Color) Travelers. The 89-page qualitative and quantitative report methodology is also a case study on how data is more robust when academia and industry work together. The 26,000+ member NOMADNESS community was the bridge to harnessing t...

Liminal potentialities in the Quartier de Spectacles, Montreal, CanadabyMeghan L. MuldoonandDominic LapointeLiminality, from the Latin limen meaning ‘threshold,’ was first described by van Gennep (1909) to describe those rites of passage present in every society that mark the transition between one state of being or identity to another, emergent state (Thomassen, 2009, 2010). The accustomed order of things becomes suspended, creating a state of chaos an...

Diversifying tourism, hospitality and struggles in the politics of urban tourismbyChristopher WilbertFor some decades now, a well established pattern has been in place whereby tourism growth in medium to large cities was seen as a good, requiring minor adjustments to diversify it spatially. European cities, like London, Cambridge, Barcelona, Bergamo have been seeking to divert some tourism beyond the central cultural, shopping and business districts, into wider areas not ...

Liberating Theater in the Realm of TourismbyYaniv BelhassenandCaroline Demeyère In his earliest writings, Augusto Boal (1979) elucidates his theatrical philosophy and the way it is manifested in each one of the techniques associated with what he calls, and has been thereafter known as, “The Theater of the Oppressed.” In his opinion, anybody who is restricted in their ability to act is oppressed and the theater is the means to emancipate them. Boal...

We are living in an era of growing illiberalism and authoritarianism. Tourism scholars must confront this trend and consider what it means for how we understand democracy, justice, and power. Framed by a critical, political economy approach, the presentation situates the illiberal/authoritarian turn within the broader context of a changing neoliberal landscape, which is inspired by, and supportive of, so-called populist (ethno-nationalist) movements, ...