Tomas Pernecky

The field of tourism studies has entered an epoch of manifold vulnerabilities, a period in which the academic community will have to respond to the environmental and planetary crises and consider the wellbeing of not just humans but also nonhumans and multispecies. In these momentous times, it is imperative not to overlook tourism studies’ ontological, epistemological, and axiological vulnerabilities and to survey the potential viabilities. Although the blossoming criticalities in the field have greatly fuelled the urgency to correct, rectify, and recalibrate existing relational arrangements and replace these by more sustainable, just, and inclusive visions for/versions of tourism, there is still a pressing need for more conceptually, theoretically, and philosophically malleable architecture. Inspired by Donna Haraway’s scholarship on broader planetary matters, this contribution offers ‘kinmaking’ as a critico-creative, disruptive space and fitting thoughtscape for transitioning into more-than-tourism (studies). Among the key ideas covered in this paper are the dangers of epistemocentricism, the necessity for sympoietic approaches, the rise of postdisciplinary and posthuman acumen, and the overall ripeness of tourism studies to become a domain of critical relationalities.

Phenomenology has become a popular approach in studying tourism experiences, rising to the forefront of methodological practice in the field. While phenomenological research numbered only in the dozens before the millennium, its application has since expanded to hundreds of studies. This rapid growth not only calls for a meta-analytical examination but also provides an opportunity to assess the suitability of various methodological tools and software for data construction, analysis, and visualization. This study is the first to critically examine the veracity of potential knowledge claims arising from the use of bibliographic data and VOSviewer by conducting a meta-analysis of phenomenological research in tourism. The results reveal that, despite VOSviewer’s visually appealing imagery, notable epistemological pitfalls exist. The critical insights offered are valuable for navigating the evolving technological and methodological landscape in the field, particularly in understanding tourism experiences.

Ecotourism destinations promote local history and culture and environmental awareness through education. However, there is a dearth of knowledge about the visitor experience of environmental education for promoting a sense of environmental awareness and pro-environmental behaviours. This study examines the visitor experience of environmental education programmes on Tiritiri Matangi Island, New Zealand, and related impacts on their knowledge, awareness and intentions. The findings of this study suggested that the educational programmes on Tiritiri Matangi Island, including the guided walk, signage and storytelling, had transformative impacts on visitors as they came without the intent to learn and left feeling more knowledgeable and interested in conservation and responsible tourism.

This paper seeks to address the following question: How can we respond to the challenges and opportunities in contemporary eventscapes in meaningful, ethically rich, and enduring ways? By considering the intersections of risk, crisis, resilience, and creativity, the notion of ‘pragmatic hope’ emerges as the capacity to navigate the ever-changing risk environment and the ability to act in ethical, imaginative, creative, and practical ways through the medium of events. The paper highlights that considerations around risk and resilience have surfaced to the forefront of event decision-making processes and argues that creativity is increasingly bound up with wider societal, moral, ecological, and socio-economic conundrums. An agency-based view of events phenomena is suggested, with events contemplated as the extension and expression of ‘we’.