In the opening keynote speech, Professor Linda Richter from Kansas State University, highlighted the need for international government awareness and consideration of the issues surrounding local / host society culture when planning for tourism development. She focused on native North American Indians, whose territories have become highly sought tourist destinations and that whilst “some ceremonies and rituals are strictly off limits for tourists, for everything else there is a price”.

In a highly emotional address to delegates, Professor Tom Selwyn from the London Metropolitan University focused on the construction of the dividing wall in Bethlehem. Having just returned from a research trip to the region, Professor Selwyn used a series of powerful images to demonstrate the impact of such a divide on the local communities and how in terms of tourism, it limited income for segregated communities, ‘captured’ tourists for others and was both an attraction in its own right whilst turning others away due to the political and social instability.

In an entertaining keynote paper, Professor Valene Smith from the University of California Chico, focused on the global and economic migration from the East to the West. Professor Smith drew the conferences attention to the massive growth in visitors from the Far East to Western Countries noting that, “western in-bound tour operators are ill prepared to host this new wave of tourism as there is little knowledge of the age and gender-based cultural preferences of these new Asian visitors. Ethnic research is needed to satisfy their interests and to provide greater visitor satisfaction, certainly if host societies rely on the income these tourists generate”.

Robert Poirier from the University of Northern Arizona, focused on eco-tourism with Australian National Parks being used as a case study example. In a controversial paper, he stated that “the premise of cultural landscape protection offered by ‘ecotourism’ proponents and operators is fundamentally flawed. Tourism, in all its manifestations, is always exploitive and profit driven. ‘Ecotourism’ is no different in this regard.” Suggesting that ecotourism may do more harm than good due to the vast number of so called ‘eco-tourists’ attracted to such areas, Professor Poirier also highlighted concerns over the rights of indigenous peoples and that ecotourism is not naturally in tune with their perceptions, interests and ways of life.

Professor Julio Aramberri from Drexel University. His main argument focused on academic research in tourism and paved the way for some lively debate when he stated “most of our research has lost its sociological imagination between Main Street America (the celebration of community) and It’s a Small World (the celebration of identities).” Linking to the conference theme, Professor Aramberri felt that if tourism wants to be sustainable, it needs to be based on strong communities and that issues surrounding identity needed more thought through by academics.

Open Space Meeting :
TOURISM RESEARCH AND PUBLICATION

Summarising the proceedings, Professor Jafar Jafari, Founding Editor and Editor in Chief of the journal ‘Annals of Tourism Research’, noted that the level of argument and thought generated by the papers presented – both keynote and breakout – had raised the level of tourism research. Taking questions from delegates, Professor Jafari commented that there was more to do, and that as academics, those attending the conference had an important role to play in future tourism development, policy and practice.