"The strongest overview I have encountered of the scope and the current state of research across all the fields involved in advancing our understanding of tourism. For its range of topics, depth of analyses, and distinction of its contributors, nothing is comparable." - Professor Dean MacCannell, University of California, Davis "The breadth of vision and sweep of accounts is remarkable, and range of topics laudable... a rare combination of the authoritative, the challenging and stimulating." - Professor Mike Crang, Durham University Tourism studies developed as a sub-branch of older disciplines in the social sciences, such as anthropology, sociology and economics, and newer applied fields of study in hospitality management, civil rights and transport studies. This Handbook is a sign of the maturity of the field. It provides an essential resource for teachers and students to determine the roots, key issues and agenda of tourism studies, exploring: The evolution and position of tourism studies The relationship of tourism to culture The ecology and economics of tourism Special events and destination management Methodologies of study Tourism and transport Tourism and heritage Tourism and postcolonialism Global tourist business operations Ranging from local to global issues, and from questions of management to the ethical dilemmas of tourism, this is a comprehensive, critically informed, constructively organized overview of the field. It draws together an inter-disciplinary group of contributors who are among the most celebrated names in the field and will be quickly recognized as a landmark in the new and expanding field of tourism studies.

Changes within the travel industry, such as globalization, consumerism, and advancements in technology, have transformed travel agencies into highly competitive businesses. To remain successful, new business approaches and models must be created in the global tourism and hospitality industry. Travel companies continue to expand their businesses in different countries and seek to collaborate with international entrepreneurs, developing the need for cross-cultural strategies and policies. As travel agencies flourish, identifying these business practices is necessary for these organizations to obtain a competitive management model at the global level. The Handbook of Research on International Travel Agency and Tour Operation Management gathers the latest methodologies, tools, models, and theories regarding tourism development and sustainability into one comprehensive reference source in order to promote, manage, and maximize the profitability potential of travel agencies and tour operation services. Featuring research on topics such as e-marketing, medical tourism, and online travel, this book provides travel agents, managers, industry professionals, researchers, academics, and students with the necessary resources to effectively develop and implement organizational strategies and models.

The Routledge Handbook of Tourism Research is a compendium of some of the most relevant issues affecting tourism development today. The topics addressed in this book provide some new thinking for those involved in tourism research. This book takes the reader from the beginnings of tourism research to a discussion of emerging forms of tourism and selected examples of tourism development. The underlying theoretical dimensions are reviewed, analysed and discussed from a number of perspectives. This book brings together leading researchers, many of whom are members of the International Academy for the Study of Tourism, to discuss tourism today and its future. The works included in this volume are diverse, in terms of geographical context, research methodology, root discipline, and perspective. This book represents studies based in Europe, North America, Oceania, and Asia. Research methodologies include both quantitative and qualitative. Both macro and micro issues are discussed from the economic, psychological, sociological, political science, marketing, and other perspectives, which reflect the interdisciplinary nature of tourism studies. This book is divided into 6 sections. Section 1 considers the foundations for tourism research. Section 2 discusses the implications for destination management and section 3 discusses planning for tourism development. Section 4 covers human capital for tourism development. And finally, section 5 evaluates emerging forms of tourism and then section 6 offers insights into tourism evolution. It offers the reader a comprehensive synthesis of this field, conveying the latest thinking and research. The text will provide an invaluable resource for all those with an interest in tourism research. This is essential reading for students, researchers & academics of Tourism as well as those of related studies in particular Leisure, Hospitality & Development Studies.

As the field of tourism and hospitality experiences maturity and scientific sophistication, researchers need to fully understand the breadth and depth of existing scales that help explain, understand, monitor, and predict not only behaviour but also consequences of such behaviour as a function of demand and supply interactions in the field. By introducing the importance of measurement and scales and providing groupings of existing scales The Handbook of Scales in Tourism and Hospitality Research serves as the state of the art reference book in the field of tourism, hospitality and allied fields such leisure, recreation, and services management .

In addition to coordinating health travel logistics and gathering medical records, medical tourism facilitators play the role of travel agent, appointment setter, concierge, hotel reservationist, tour operator, and hand-holder to clients seeking health services domestically and abroad. Addressing the issues that are likely to emerge as clients travel, the Medical Tourism Facilitator's Handbook is a must-have resource of hard-to-find tools, checklists, terminology, and other helpful information for hospital-based, lay facilitators, travel agents, and even retired physicians and nurses. Supplying the advice of a recognized expert in global healthcare, the book provides a detailed and empathic understanding of patient needs and expectations. It covers the full range of best and worst case scenarios that can occur when clients travel to obtain health services. Using a conversational tone, it includes coverage of international travel logistics, where to find answers to immigration concerns, confidentiality/privacy issues, and unanticipated care in transit in the event of complications or missed connections. The book delivers a fast-moving presentation of useful information and teaches readers how to decode the language, what to look for in terms of safety and quality, how to decode hospital facilitator agent agreements, and how to anticipate clients’ needs and expectations. It also includes access to a regularly updated website with helpful worksheets and reference material so you will be prepared to handle any scenario that might present itself when your clients travel.

The tourism industry is a multi-billion dollar enterprise, with more people from all cultures and nationalities choosing to spend their leisure time traveling and visiting new locations. To exploit this burgeoning market, tourism agencies must carefully consider the desires and goals of travelers from around the world. The Handbook of Research on Global Hospitality and Tourism Management contributes to the body of knowledge on travel and tourism by presenting a global view of the hospitality industry, including theoretical research into industry trends as well as case studies from around the world. This handbook provides travel agents, owner-operators, and students and researchers in the hospitality industry with the latest research, findings, and developments in the field. Within this handbook of cutting-edge research, readers will find chapters and cases on topics such as travel and tourism in a global economy; local, glocal, and international hospitality; challenges in environmental management; cultural cuisine; and destination management, among others.