This book examines rural tourism across three different contexts, acknowledging the complexity of rural places. It applies a systematic comparative framework across nine case studies from Australia, Canada and Sweden. The case studies address the uniqueness of different rural spaces, while the framework incorporates many theoretical aspects from human geography including spatial, historic, institutional, demographic, socio-economic and network perspectives. In the course of applying this comparative case study framework, the book identifies numerous implications for planning and policy in rural settings. These contributions from international, expert authors help to identify the opportunities and challenges that affect rural regions, from places at the urban fringe to exotic remote spaces and taking in the ‘boring bits in between.’ Both the analysis and the framework used will be of value to scholars and students of rurality, tourism, regional development, rural policy, geography, and destination management. Readers will gain a deeper understanding of the rural context in developed countries and a robust conceptualization of rural tourism geographies.

This book examines rural tourism across three different contexts, acknowledging the complexity of rural places. It applies a systematic comparative framework across nine case studies from Australia, Canada and Sweden. The case studies address the uniqueness of different rural spaces, while the framework incorporates many theoretical aspects from human geography including spatial, historic, institutional, demographic, socio-economic and network perspectives. In the course of applying this comparative case study framework, the book identifies numerous implications for planning and policy in rural settings. These contributions from international, expert authors help to identify the opportunities and challenges that affect rural regions, from places at the urban fringe to exotic remote spaces and taking in the 'boring bits in between.' Both the analysis and the framework used will be of value to scholars and students of rurality, tourism, regional development, rural policy, geography, and destination management. Readers will gain a deeper understanding of the rural context in developed countries and a robust conceptualization of rural tourism geographies.

The last decade or so has witnessed a flourishing of research in rural geography; in particular, approaches which have developed socio-cultural perspectives on rural issues. This book brings together well-established and newer researchers to examine the position of rural social and cultural geography at the beginning of the 21st century and to suggest new research agendas. It offers critical evaluations of theoretical positions and advances, introduces new conceptual and methodological tools and reports on recent empirical work on a variety of topical issues in a number of countries. With diverse theoretical and empirical content, the book makes a valuable contribution to the development of research into changing social and cultural geographies of rurality in 'developed' or 'Western' countries.

Geographical analysis of tourism spaces and places is advancing fast. In terms of human geography, the various recent academic ‘turns’ have led to fresh examination of existing debates and have advanced new theoretical ideas in geography that are more salient than ever for tourism studies. The Routledge Handbook of Tourism Geographies seeks to examine such recent developments by providing a state-of-the-art review of the field, documenting advances in research and evaluating different perspectives, approaches, techniques and contexts. The Routledge Handbook of Tourism Geographies considers recent disciplinary developments (including post-disciplinarily) in geography in relation to the study of tourism. It also analyzes the fledging relationships of the new mobilities paradigm, critical tourism studies and cultural political economy to tourism spaces and places, as well as acknowledging a spatial turn in poststructuralist social sciences more generally. In addition, it evaluates how postcolonial, feminist, sensory, performative and queer perspectives have diversified research in the tourism geographies field. Spatial analysis, time geography, placemaking and landscape concerns are addressed and issues such as transport, environmental discourses and development are also analyzed. Finally, the volume’s contributions highlight key areas for advancing research and map out the dimensions of future trajectories in tourism geographies in different theoretical and thematic contexts. Written by leading scholars in the tourism geographies field, this text will provide an invaluable resource for all those with an interest in tourism geographies, encouraging dialogue across disciplinary boundaries and areas of study.

Dipping in to the North explores how changing mobility and migration is affecting the social, economic, cultural, and environmental characteristics of sparsely populated areas of northern Sweden (and places like it). It examines who lives in, works in, and visits the north; how and why this has changed over time; and what those changes mean for how the north might develop in the future. The book draws upon deep expertise and knowledge from a range of social scientists, presenting valuable insights in an accessible style for a broad audience.

The Geography of Rural Change provides a thorough examination of the processes and outcomes of rural change as a result of a period of major restructuring in developed market economies. After outlining the main dimensions of rural change, the book progresses from a discussion of theoretical insights into rural restructuring to a consideration of both the extensive use of rural land and the changing nature of rural economy and society. The text places an emphasis on relevant principles, concepts and theories of rural change, and these are supported by extensive case study evidence drawn from different parts of the developed world. The Geography of Rural Change is written for undergraduates taking courses in human geography, agricultural geography, rural geography, rural sociology, planning and agricultural economics.

Tourism is an astonishingly complex phenomenon that is becoming an ever-greater part of life in today’s global world. This clear and engaging text introduces students to this vast and diverse subject through the lens of geography, the only field with the breadth to consider all of the aspects, activities, and perspectives that constitute tourism.