Editorial: Innovations in Tourism management Research and Conceptualisation

Abstract

It is perhaps indicative of the field of tourism studies that the two editors of this special edition of Tourism Management hold two different perspectives of the evolution and direction of tourism research and its con-ceptualisation of the problems it purports to examine. The first seeks a meta-language which synthesises the multi-paradigmatic nature of tourism research, while the second holds to a view that innumerable points arise from the interplay of forces involved, which thereby create hegemonies of power and positions, but which are of themselves continually shifting. There is thus a commonality of view in that flux is inherent by the nature of the touristic process being examined, but a difference as to how to interpret the meaning of such changes. The growth of tourism management as a field of re-search is a reflection of the emergence of tourism as a major sector of the global economy, which is itself a manifestation of the widespread transition to post-industrial society (Eadington & Redman, 1991). In this sense, the relatively recent development of our field can be construed as a response to changing industry, government and community needs, and perhaps as a consequence of this, tourism research has arguably assumed a more applied orientation than many of the more traditional disciplines. The other outstanding feature of tourism as a field of study is its tendency to draw on theoretical and methodological insights from many disciplines (Graburn & Jafari, 1991; Gunn, 1994). As Jafari and Ritchie (1981) and Nash and Smith (1991) have observed, tourism studies recognise no disciplinary boundaries. An exploration of some of the reasons why this is so helps to set the scene for the focus of this edition — innovations in tourism research.