Sustainability and integration – the principal challenges to tourism and tourism research

ABSTRACT

What are the biggest challenges facing tourism and tourism research? This paper answers this question by canvasing the opinions of recognized experts in the field. The analysis is based on 30 interviews with fellows of the International Academy for the Study of Tourism. Two key thematic issues were identified. First, the pragmatic issue of how to operationalize sustainability and its various sub-elements, such as climate change, overtourism, and tourisation to ensure the long-term future of tourism. Second, the need for further integration between disciplines within the tourism field, between tourism and other fields, and between research and practice.

KEYWORDS:

• Challenges
• sustainability
• integration
• climate change
• tourisation
• overtourism
• disciplinary silos
• paradoxes
• International Academy for the Study of Tourism

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.