Publications in review / Annals of Tourism Research 36 (2009) 743756 745

REFERENCE
. Knutsson
Hjalager, A.-M., P. Huijbens, P. Bjork, S. Nordin, A. Flagested, and O
2008 Innovation Systems in Nordic Tourism. Nordic Innovation Centre. http://
www.nordicinnovation.net/prosjekt.cfm?Id=1-4415-282.

Assigned 5 December 2008. Submitted 3 April 2009. Accepted 15 April 2009.

doi:10.1016/j.annals.2009.04.008

Annals of Tourism Research, Vol. 36, No. 4, pp. 745746, 2009

Printed in Great Britain

PHILOSOPHICAL ISSUES IN TOURISM

Edited by John Tribe. Channel View Publications (http://www.multi-
lingual-matters.com/) 2009, xi + 302 pp (illustrations, bibliography,
index) 24.95 Pbk ISBN-13 978-1845410971

Krzysztof Przecawski
University of Warsaw, Poland

Tourism is the subject of many various scientific disciplines: first of all economy,
then history, physical planning, sociology, recently psychology, and many others.
But there exists rather few philosophical investigations in tourism. This book, edi-
ted by John Tribe, Philosophical Issues in Tourism fills this gap.
Containing 16 chapters by 20 authors from many different nations, the construc-
tion of the book is organized around three fundamental values expressed in Greek
philosophy: truth, virtue, and beauty. Traditionally, beauty is the consequence of
truth and virtue, although the book uses a different sequence: truth, beauty and
virtue. The book is divided into four parts, an introduction and then three parts
devoted to each of these values. The introduction, by the editor, explores some
essential questions such as what is wisdom and what is the nature of reality.
Not surprisingly these questions are not fully answered. The next section, Truth,
examines the nature of reality, knowledge, and academic disciplines in the context
of tourism. The, Beauty section explores well-being, aesthetics, and art, again in
a tourism context. Finally, Virtue consists of contributions on ethics, values, and
the good life.
The book, as a whole, is an overview of some essential questions connected with
tourism. The overall content of the book is well-balanced as it the coverage of its
various topics is well-balanced. Several of the chapters are particularly important
in terms of addressing fundamental philosophical questions. For example, Scott
McCabe, in Chapter 2, explores the question, Who is a Tourist? He explores a
number of conceptual principles and concludes that tourists are more than leisure
travellers. However, a question about the degree to which tourism should be seen
as an economic phenomenon or interpreted within the context of an economic
paradigm remains.
746 Publications in review / Annals of Tourism Research 36 (2009) 743756

Alexandre Panosso Nettos Chapter 3, What is Tourism, merits special atten-

tion in that he presents a convincing case for the need for a new paradigm for tour-
ism science. Another important chapter is Chapter 4, by Maureen Ayikoru, on
Epistemology, Ontology, and Tourism. Unfortunately, though, the author does
not adequately reflect the fundamental difference between epistemology and
ontology. They are closely connected, but still are separate concepts in science.
The authors of Chapter 5, Post-disciplinary Tourism, Tim Cole, Michael Hall,
and David Duval, are convinced that the study of tourism should be beyond dis-
ciplines. It is refreshing to read a clear argument that the study of tourism cannot
be limited to only one discipline. Kevin Hannam reflects on The End of Tour-
ism? in chapter 6. He also introduces a concept he calls the mobilities para-
digm as a basis for pursuing knowledge in tourism. One may note his proposal
corresponds with Przeclawskis statement that [t]ourism, in its broad sense, is
the sum of the phenomena pertaining to spatial mobility, connected with a volun-
tary, temporary change of place, the rhythm of life and its environment, and involv-
ing personal contact with the visited environment (natural, cultural, or social.)
(Przecawski, 1993. p.10).
Part 3, Beauty: Well-being, Aesthetics, and Art deals with such problems as res-
toration of historic sites for tourism purposes; sthetic pleasures; spiritual tourism;
connections among tourism, nature, and beauty; and the role of fine arts in
tourism. The authors of the chapters in this part address a number of important
but also difficult and interconnected problems such as restoration, re-creation,
relaxation, the interrelation between the beauty of nature and the beauty of art.
Of particular note is Shalini Singh and Tej Vir Singhs chapter entitled, Aestetic
Pleasures: Contemplating Spiritual Tourism.
The fourth part of the book focuses on Virtue: Ethics, Values and The Good
Life. David Fennells lead chapter in this section, Ethics and Tourism explores
the function and significance or ethics in tourism, with particular attention to what
he calls responsible tourism. Tazim Jamal and Christopher Menzel describe
Good Actions in Tourism followed by Jim Butchers recommendations on
how and why the concept of ethical tourism should be revised.
In conclusion, the book is an excellent and wide-ranging addition to the scarce
literature on philosophical aspects of tourism. It will be a valuable source of in-
sights for both working scholars as well as students. On a practical level, the writing
of the papers is of uniformly high quality and the technical production of the book
is excellent. The book is available in both paperback and hard-bound editions.

Krzysztof Przecawski: Department of Sociology, University of Warsaw, Wilcza,

Poland. Email <Kris@pedagog.uw.edu.pl>.

REFERENCE
Przecawski, K.
1993 Tourism as the Subject of Interdisciplinary Research. In D. Pearce & R. Butler
(Eds)., Tourism Research: Critiques and Challenges. London: Routledge.

Assigned 9 April 2009. Submitted 12 May 2009. Accepted 20 May 2009.

doi:10.1016/j.annals.2009.05.004