Anthropology of Tourism

Little has been updated in the field of anthropology and tourism since the first works of Eric Cohen, Valene Smith, or Nelson Graburn. With a special focus on social and cultural aspects of tourism and travel, this new book brings out the latest in anthropology of tourism by laying the foundations of a new understanding of the intersection between tourism and social science. The volume offers an eclectic selection of topics on the study of tourism in our contemporary and ever-changing world.

This new volume, Anthropology of Tourism: Exploring the Social and Cultural Intersection, begins with the editors' introduction to the nature and evolution of tourism anthropology over decades. It then goes on to offer an author's autoethnographic account from 13 years of tourism development by taking Lisbon as a case study, looking at how tourism development affects social change. The book considers tourism's new problems and old solutions after the new normal created by the COVID-19 pandemic and its effect on the tourism industry. Chapters discuss the influence of sociodemographic characteristics of local community perceptions toward conservation and tourism; tourism destinations that embrace smart technology; the rights and obligations of tour guides; how human rights affect tourism choices; the impact of borders, biopolitics and, travel bans on tourism; the growth of dark and thana-tourism; and more. One chapter provides a unique exploration of the world of philatelic tourism (the study postage stamps and postal history) in different cultural backgrounds and countries.

Employing a multidisciplinary approach and offering new perspectives on tourism anthropology, this book will be of interest to tourism professors and scholars, industry professionals, as well as students and faculty intrigued by the convergence of tourism and social science.