Joseph M. Cheer

Western Sydney University ·  School of Social Sciences and Psychology

For many tourism-centred communities around the globe, the process of adapting to and dealing productively with the transformations to social, political and economic contexts that influence and underline their tourism and wider prospects is an ongoing challenge. In the era of globalisation, the interconnectedness of the local to the global is unpre...

Tourism activity is emblematic of the challenge in understanding social and economic change because it is often both an agent of and contributor to social change and a victim of larger change process. This is demonstrated through the chapters in this book. A summary of the resilience lessons learned through include: the continuing challenge on defi...

Hana Kai Bowers is from Des Moines, Iowa. She lived and studied in Hawaii for 5 years at the University of Hawaii at Manoa. She also studied in Paris at the Sorbonne. Her love for travel brought her to Melbourne, Australia to pursue a Masters in International Sustainable Tourism Management at Monash University. Here, she discovered the growing spir...

The geo-psychological separation from the everyday that is embedded in spiritual travel practices, can be seen as a laboratory in which individuals can examine, consider and practice spirituality in a way that is not always available in daily life. This feature of the tourism experience is arguably the reason for the popularity of spiritual tourism...

CAB International, 2017. Cruise Ship Tourism, 2nd edition (eds R. Dowling and C. Weeden)

CALL FOR CHAPTER PROPOSALS "Blue-Green Restoration: Tourism and Leisure in River Cities" There has been a notable increase in river-based urban tourism since the early 1990s (Steinback, 1995; Prideaux & Cooper, Eds., 2009). There has also been a rapidly burgeoning research interest in the development of blue-green corridors – areas where waterway...

There is a growing scholarly interest in the potential of regenerative tourism approaches to address sustainability challenges. Drawing from an ecological worldview that interweaves Indigenous and Western knowledge systems, regenerative tourism approaches seek to increase the capacity of support systems for fulfilling net-positive social-ecological...

The transformational effects of tourism on livelihoods, land use and lifestyles and the related inter-generational effects often signal irreversible shifts that put local-level communities at risk in the event of a tourism slowdown are under acknowledged concerns. The economic impetus to develop pilgrimage tourism resonates and this often takes pla...

Irritation Index (or Irridex), established by Doxey (1975), is a simple and effective visitor–resident model that interprets and describe the negative sociocultural impacts of tourism. Its four stages (euphoria, apathy, irritation, and antagonism) explain the deteriorating responses of hosts to guests within tourism development. Ultimately, this le...

In February 2020, the 2nd Critical Tourism Studies-Asia Pacific conference was convened at Wakayama University, Japan, with the theme Tourism in Troubled Times-a prescient call for what was about to rapidly unfold. Since then, the tourism industry weathered the hardest cutbacks since modern tourism emerged, as the COVID-19 pandemic raged across the...

For rural and peripheral communities with long-established or growing links to tourism, the sector provides a vital fillip to more traditional economic activities, particularly primary production including agriculture, aquaculture, forestry, mining and allied extractive industries. As such, tourism often helps shift path dependencies of destination...

Manuscript draft of article

The extraordinary circumstances of the COVID-19 pandemic have evidently led to increased levels of cycle commuting and cycle tourism closer to and around the home (we refer to this as everyday cycling mobilities). Cycling is a popular tourism pursuit in Japan and in the pandemic era, is acknowledged to be a COVID-secure activity. In response to, an...

In this special issue, a critical political economy approach is employed as a central tenet of queries into tourism development in Southeast Asia. The intersection between geopolitics and the political economy, and the manifestation of tourism in this milieu is a mandatory framing. Papers accepted for publication in this special issue must employ e...

Call for Chapter Contributions Book Title: A Research Agenda for Religious Tourism Editors Kiran A. Shinde - La Trobe University, Australia Joseph M. Cheer - Wakayama University Japan; AUT New Zealand; UCSI University Malaysia Publisher Edward Elgar Please refer to the attached PDF. Here is brief summary: For this volume, we invite scholars fr...

"Evidence-based sustainable tourism: Governance, policy and practice" | Call for papers for a Special Issue of the Journal of Sustainable Tourism For full details scar QR code on poster or see https://t.co/LwSTgHIFz6

In contemporary society, spirituality has dissociated from the tenets of organized ‘official’ religion, resulting in a rise of ‘private’ spirituality, defined by each individual’s beliefs. In this context, visitors from a great variety of national backgrounds are increasingly visiting pilgrimage sites across the globe, even if they have little to n...

The latest attempt to promote tourism by the Fijian government has raised eyebrows. It features a celebrity actor, Rebel Wilson, and has people talking about its appropriateness. The popular view is that Fiji’s tourism must build back better in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic. Fijians have long debated what a “better tourism” might be. What so...

Purpose | The aims of this Editorial are twofold: (i) synthesise emergent themes from the special issue (ii) tender four theoretical frameworks toward examination of crises in tourism. Design/methodology/approach | The thematic analysis of papers highlights a diversity of COVID-19 related crises contexts and research approaches. The need for robus...

The project compared various strategies by tourism authorities in different Australian states and different countries in managing the Chinese tourist market. In collaboration with experts in different destinations, this study conducted a media survey of five Australian states and three popular Chinese country destinations on how they attract and ma...

In 2019, Massey University in New Zealand hosted the world’s first research conference on tourism and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The aims of this conference were to bring together a wide range of stakeholders to discuss (i) challenges to tourism contributing to the SDGs, and (ii) ways in which tourism can deliver on its potential to...

Tourists put their trust in maps and guidebooks and they expect information within to be accurate. Unfortunately, vital information can often be incorrect such as the accuracy of altitude above sea level. Cartographic misrepresentations and the impact on tourism is the focus of this study. Altitude data from maps, guidebooks and summit signs were c...

Using case study analysis, this paper aims to examine the application of capacity development perspectives, critical towards urban tourism that is inclusive and regenerative. The study design used a mixed qualitative methods approach underpinned by the inclusive tourism development framework following Scheyvens and Biddulph (2017). This comprised i...

From the British Century of the 1800s to the American Century of the 1900s to the contemporary Asian Century, tourism geographies are deeply entangled in broader shifts in geopolitical power (Luce, 1999; Scott, 2008; Shenkar, 2006). This paper considers what the transition into the Asian Century means for some of the most urgent issues of our time...

Mountain peaks and their altitude have been of interest to researchers across disciplines. Measurement methods and techniques have changed and developed over the years, leading to more accurate measurements and, consequently, more accurate determination of peak altitudes. This research transpired due to the frequency of misstatements found in exist...

The central purpose of this special issue is to solidify and reaffirm the links between sustainability and tourism as a focus of scholarly research. In principal, the special issue is an entreaty to scholars actively working in sustainability thinking and praxis, and is aimed at fostering the potentially fecund frontier of tourism themed research....

The discourse on responsible tourism, although not new, has been given a new lease on life in the wake of COVID-19. Before 2020, global tourism mobilities were unparalleled with seemingly little standing in the way of the juggernaut that tourism had become. Typically, tourism is seen through an economic lens – for the jobs it provides and the impet...

Over the past four decades, while the increasing demand for mobility, leisure and unique experiences have been examined as key factors in the growth of tourism, the attendant growth paradigm has historically centered around exponential increments in visitation and this has been at the centre of debates concerning the pressure from and dependence on...

The COVID-19 pandemic brought the global tourism industry to a screeching halt in 2020. With vaccines starting to be rolled out, there is hope international travel can resume soon, but exactly when — and how — is the million-dollar question. Before COVID-19, there was much concern about whether tourism had grown too big for our planet. There were...

The links between art events and sustainable development in rural contexts where revitalisation is pressing is becoming increasingly obvious. The village of Mitarai is an example of a small peripheral community in Japan faced with the impacts of depopulation, ageing and socio-economic decline. The urgency to stem further regression has seen art eme...

This was an IGU India conference virtual session. There is a you tube video of the session at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OGanKcYgGXQ

That “tourism is a geographical phenomenon linking places through mobility (Müller, 2019, p. 1) is an axiom that holds. In establishing the journal Tourism Geographies in 1999, Lew (1999, p. 1) outlined that “for most geographers, it was a fascination with places on a map - a desire to learn more about how they came to be - that first drew them to...

The magnitude in which global crises and the ongoing societal challenges affects our life has called for attentions to be more socially responsible, environmentally friendly and caring for the wider community. A lot has been said recently about tourism restart or recovery as a consequence of COVID-19, highlighting the need for greater pragmatism an...

To consider small islands as places for sustainable tourism-or sustainable anything, for that matter-must surely be cause for critical deliberation. Small islands as sanctuaries, or rare citadels for ecological safekeeping and tight-knit communities, runs counter to islands as sites for extraction and development, yet increasingly the latter prevai...

Bringing the political geography of tourism to bear on responses to the COVID-19 pandemic, this commentary reveals how the geopolitical anxieties of tourism are mediated by historical geographies of race as well as contemporary geoeconomic relations and the broader pivot to the Asia-Pacific region.

This special issue is a reflection by tourism scholars on the initial impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on the world, with travel and tourism being among the most sig- nificant areas to bear those impacts. However, instead of an analysis of the impacts of COVID-19 on tourism places and sectors, as is the emphasis for many other journal special issue...

Covid-19 has hit tourism-reliant destinations hard. Bali for example, has had few inbound international tourists since February 2020, leading to record job and income losses for those who work in the tourism and hospitality sector. The Indonesian Tourist Industry Association reported that there was a 93 percent decline of foreign tourist arrivals i...

In contemporary society, spirituality has dissociated from the tenets of organized ‘official’ religion, resulting in a rise of ‘private’ spirituality, defined by each individual’s beliefs. In this context, visitors from a great variety of national backgrounds are increasingly visiting pilgrimage sites across the globe, even if they have little to n...

The underlying purpose of this volume is to critically analyze the inter-relationship between host communities and pilgrimage travel in contemporary Asia and beyond, through anthropological and geographical perspectives that align with the following four themes: (1) socio-cultural impacts, (2) economic impacts, (3) environment and sustainability, a...

As the planet remains in the grips of COVID-19 and amidst enforced lockdowns and restrictions, and possibly the most profound economic downturn since the Great Depression, the resounding enquiry asks-what will the new normal look like? And, in much the same way, tourism aficionados, policy makers and communities are asking a similar question-what w...

On Tourism Sustainability Webinar Series: After the Virus TOPIC: From Overtourism to a COVID-19 Immobile world DATE: Apr 24, 2020 at 10.30am London time. Tourism like any other industry would need to be regulated and managed in a post COVID-19 era. The third webinar will focus on issues concerning the crisis surrounding the tourism industry: The...

Until the emergence of COVID-19, cruising, as a holiday choice, faced little widespread public scrutiny, and largely maintained its allure. But in the space of several weeks, no amount of public relations has been able to avert the public gaze away from the predicament of passengers and crew of several cruise ships stranded across various jurisdict...

SAVE THE DATE I 6-8 DECEMBER, 2021 3RD CRITICAL TOURISM STUDIES ASIA-PACIFIC CONFERENCE Hosted by Vietnam National University, Hanoi See you in Hanoi for Bia Hà Nôi and Banh Mi 😃. More details soon - see https://www.criticaltourismstudies.com

This special issue of the Journal of Tourism Futures appeals for a timely and pressing call for action in research and practice. It invites researchers and scholars working on diverse topics to engage actively with the global threats that are likely to affect travel and tourism in the 21st century, and offer directions that facilitate resilience, s...

The purpose of this Handbook is to critically evaluate the evolution of the contemporary niche tourism phenomenon. By framing the discussions around contemporary sustainable development concepts and thinking, authors are invited to critically reflect on niche tourism trends and practices, and are particularly encouraged to highlight stories of succ...

That overtourism has come to dominate discourses on destinations groaning under the weight of rapid visitor economy growth has become increasingly obvious. In some quarters, the issue is seen as an exaggeration of phenomena that is not new and is instead put down to media sensationalism and mismanagement. While in others, overtourism is seen as gen...

Virtual Special Issue in Tourism Geographies from 1st Critical Tourism Studies-Asia Pacific Conference in 2018 at Universitas Gadjah Mada, Indonesia is now out (All papers will be open access to end February soon). Guest Editors: Harng Luh Sin (Sun Yat Sen University, China), Mary Mostafanezhad (University of Hawai'i, USA), Joseph M. Cheer (Wakayam...

"Contemporary travel to the global South typically takes place against a backdrop of poverty, enduring legacies of conflict and environmental crises, natural resource scarcities, and developmental deficiencies such as a lack of diversified economies. This leads to perhaps the most contentious aspect of global travel: beyond the clash of cultures, d...

This volume draws from the overarching discourses of sustainable, ethical, responsible, inclusive and resilient tourism and uses this to underpin the deliberate linkage between what are considered modern day slavery practices and what is, for all intents and purposes, the niche practice of orphanage tourism (Cheer, 2018; Guiney & Mostafanezhad, 201...

Last weekend marked 34 years since the land title to Uluru was handed back to the local Yankunytjatjara-Pitjantjatjara peoples. It was also when joint management of the Uluru-Katja-Tjuta National Park began between the traditional owners (Anangu people) and Parks Australia. The arrangement recognised Anangu title to the land and ensured the direct...

Overtourism is a contemporary phenomenon, rapidly evolving and underlined by what is evidently excessive visitation to tourist destinations. This is obvious in the seemingly uncontrolled and unplanned occurrence of urban overtourism in popular destinations and arguably a consequence of unregulated capital accumulation and growth strategies heavily...

SPECIAL ISSUE: Overtourism and Tourismphobia: a journey through four decades of tourism development, planning and local concerns GUEST EDITORS: Claudio Milano, Marina Novelli and Joseph M. Cheer

As the European summer of 2019 beckons, it seems more than likely that the spectre of overtourism will once again emerge amidst the hordes of travellers flocking to popular cities including Barcelona, Venice, Amsterdam and Reykjavik as featured in this volume. But of course, these destinations represent one end of the overtourism spectrum; that is,...

Session Title: Tourism Geographies: Accentuating a Geography of Promise Session Convenors: Ben Iaquinto (University of Hong Kong) and Joseph M. Cheer (Wakayama University, Japan) This session is endorsed by the International Geographical Union (IGU) Commission on Tourism and Leisure and Global Change.

CTS-Asia Pacific | Wakayama, Japan | 17-19 February 2020 FIRST CALL FOR PAPERS 1 August, 2019. Abstract submission deadline (250-300 words) Confirmed Keynotes speakers. Tony Wheeler (Author and co-founder of the travel publisher The Lonely Planet). Christine R. Yano (Professor of Anthropology at the University of Hawai`i). Dr. Tazim Jamal (Profes...

This book is concerned with the various dimensions of overtourism, including the social and economic impacts of excessive tourism and the management and policy measures to address it. The 10 chapters present case studies contributing to the overtourism discussion from diverse perspectives and contexts including urban, coastal and rural destinations...

Over the past four decades, while the increasing demand for mobility, leisure and unique experiences have been examined as key factors in the growth of tourism, the attendant growth paradigm has historically centered around exponential increments in visitation and this has been at the centre of debates concerning the pressure from and dependence on...

Global tourism growth is unprecedented. Consequently, this has elevated the sector as a key plank for economic development, and its utility is deeply embedded in political, economic and social-ecological discourse. Where the expansion of the sector leverages natural and cultural landscapes, this applies pressure to social and ecological underpinnin...

Given tourism’s economic importance, its potential to create positive social change is often promoted, including the possibility for it to become a force for cross-cultural understanding through empathy. Because of its capacity to open new forms of intersubjective understanding, it is believed that empathy can harness more ethical relations between...

This book examines the evolution of the phenomenon and explores the genesis of overtourism and the system dynamics underlining it. The ‘overtourism’ phenomenon is defined as the excessive growth of visitors leading to overcrowding and the consequential suffering of residents, due to temporary and often seasonal tourism peaks, that lead to permanent...

Critical Perspectives of Tourism in Sri Lanka: Toward Sustainable, Resilient and Inclusive Growth in the Post-Conflict Era EDITORS: Dr. Joseph M. Cheer, Monash University, Australia Prof. Dimitri Ioannides, Mid-Sweden University, Sweden A/Prof. Dharma Arunachalam, Monash University, Australia Prof. Suranga Silva Dac, University of Colombo, Sri Lan...

The image of Pacific Islands as a benign utopia – an exotic paradise of green palms, sandy beaches and smiling locals – is a lingering vestige of the first colonial era contact with Europeans. The same clichéd themes can be seen in modern day advertising campaigns to encourage foreign holiday–makers: “Where happiness finds you” (Fiji), “Discover th...

The summer holidays are in full swing – and protests against overtourism have begun (yet again) in a number of popular European cities. Overtourism is not a new problem.

In the 21st century, Pacific island countries (PICs) continue to leverage for tourism the attributes that have imbued them, including appeals to their cultural, geographical, and climatic allure. However, the question raised more frequently by many is why despite the many decades of tourism across the region, development impacts from the sector rem...

Abstract: The exponential growth of Chinese inbound tourism to Australia has seen a commensurate increase in the presence of Chinese tourists in regional Australia. This exploratory study raises questions about the extent to which Australian destinations in general, and peripheral or regional areas in particular, are ‘China ready’, and why the vas...

At first glance, relating modern slavery to tourism might seem excessive and an exaggeration to what are seemingly unrelated concerns. While modern slavery practices in the global textiles, mining, agricultural, domestic services and sex industries have been on the receiving end of much critical research and mainstream commentary, the global touris...

The term the exotic other is invoked in this paper via the 2016 film, Tanna (Bentley Dean and Martin Butler). Set in the South Pacific nation Vanuatu, Tanna is an emblematic rendering of the exotic other through ethnography-inspired film. Film and narrative analysis is a fundamental method used to scrutinise and ponder the discernible and latent di...

The clutch of papers in this special issue shares some very common traits and in striving to address the aims of this initiative, some unexpected themes consistent across all offerings came to the fore. Most vividly, all papers examine the links between film, tourism and representations of the exotic other in Asia-Pacific contexts. What this implie...

The Asia Pacific is one of the fastest growing regions in the world for both international and domestic tourism. The growth of this region has radically altered the global tourism landscape and contributed to new modes of tourism practice, while engendering a decentering of Anglo-Western centrism in tourism theory. In this inaugural conference of t...

The demise of "voluntourism" and "orphanage tourism" has been widely reported in recent months, based on the argument that it's exploitative to both recipient and volunteer. But we don't need to write off volunteering overseas altogether to improve the experience for everyone involved. See http://www.abc.net.au/news/2018-01-31/improving-orphanage-v...

If the current narrative in Chinese media is anything to go by, there is growing angst concerning Australia’s diplomatic language towards China and why confrontation and suspicion rather than cooperation seems to have intensified. China is lauded as Australia’s key trade relationship and the country’s economic stability is heavily tied to it. It wa...

The Asia Pacific is one of the fastest growing regions in the world for both international and domestic tourism. The growth of this region has radically altered the global tourism landscape and contributed to new modes of tourism practice, while engendering a decentering of Anglo-Western centrism in tourism theory. In this inaugural conference of...