Scientific Tourism ― Researchers As Travellers

As researchers in emerging economies, scientists are often the first foreign visitors to stay in remote rural areas and, on occasion, form joint venture ecotourism and community tourism projects or poverty alleviation schemes between local agencies or NGOs, the local community, and their home institution or agency. They therefore can contribute to avenues for the conservation of natural resources and the development of rural communities as well as influencing the future tourism development through its perceived legitimacy and the destination image it promotes.

This book for the first time critically reviews tourism debates surrounding this emerging market of scientific and research oriented tourism. It is divided into three inter-related sections. Section 1 sets the stage of the discourse of scientific research in tourism; Section 2 evaluates the key players of scientific tourism looking particularly at the roles of NGOs, government agencies and university academic staff and Section 3 contains case studies documenting the niche of researchers as travelers in a range of geographical locations including Tanzania, Australia, Chile, Peru and Mexico. The title’s multidisciplinary approach provides an informed, interesting and stimulating addition to the existing limited literature and raises many issues and associated questions including the role of science tourism in tourism development and expansion, the impacts of scientific and research-based tourism, travel behaviors and motivations of researchers to name but a few.

This significant volume will provide the reader with a better understanding of scientists as travelers, their relationship to the tourism industry, and the role they play in community development around tourism sites. It will be valuable reading for students and academics across the fields of Tourism, Geography and Development Studies as well as other social science disciplines.

Susan L. Slocum is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Tourism and Event Management at George Mason University, Manassas, Virginia. Sue has worked in the area of regional planning and development for 15 years and has worked with rural communities in Tanzania, the United Kingdom, and the United States. Her primary focus is on rural sustainable development, policy implementation, and food tourism, specifically working with small businesses and communities in less advantaged areas. Sue received her doctoral education from Clemson University and has worked at the University of Bedfordshire and at Utah State University.

Carol Kline is an Associate Professor of Hospitality and Tourism Management at Appalachian State University in the Department of Management. She received her Ph.D. in Parks, Recreation and Tourism Management from North Carolina State University, where she provided outreach on tourism development issues to North Carolina’s rural communities. Carol has worked in a variety of geographical and cultural settings including New England, Colorado, Germany, the Republik of Moldova, Grenada, Peru, Cuba, and the South Eastern U.S. Her research interests focus on rural tourism development including how to create a supportive environment for tourism entrepreneurs, the role of sustainable food systems in tourism, the impacts of tourism on various community ‘capitals’, and early tourist markets (such as scientists) in burgeoning and rural destinations.

Andrew Holden is Professor of Environment and Tourism and Director for the Institute of Tourism Research (INTOUR) at the University of Bedfordshire. His research interests include environmental ethics; connection to nature; poverty alleviation; and the green economy. He has published six books on the themes of environment and development and made over 40 contributions to academic journals, conference proceedings and book chapters. He has worked on several externally funded research and consultancy projects related to tourism development and the environment, including in Nepal, Russia, Ghana, Indonesia, Turkey and Cyprus. He sits on the editorial boards of several tourism journals including Annals of Tourism Research.