John Towner

The grand tour: a key phase in the history of tourism.

Abstract Although the Grand Tour has been examined by various disciplines, it has rarely been examined from the perspective of tourism studies. This paper begins with a review of previous work and concepts about the tour and then outlines some of its principal features based on an analysis of the primary sources of information: the diaries, letters, and journals of the travelers. Four aspects of the Grand Tour are then examined: the tourists, spatial and temporal aspects of the tour, and the gradual development of a tourist industry. The degree of continuity and change in the character of the tour is assessed and major changes are attributed primarily to the changing social class of the tourists. The 1820s and 1830s are identified as an important transition period in the development of a more formalized tourist industry.

History and tourism.

Abstract This paper examines the contribution of history to the understanding of tourism. The historical perspective is described and a chronological survey of historical tourism research is presented, with emphasis on the ancient and medieval worlds, the Grand Tour era, and spas and seaside resorts. Developments in British leisure history are examined and European, particularly British, research emphases are compared and contrasted with those of North America. Tourism cycles are also discussed briefly. It is concluded that much European research has been concerned with resorts, whereas North American researchers have devoted more attention to tourism in park and wilderness settings.

What is tourism's history?

Abstract The conventional view of tourisms past is dominated by the history of western cultural experience. Tourism starts with the wealthy, with images of prestigious visits to spas and seaside resorts, Grand Tours and the activities of business entrepreneurs such as Thomas Cook, before it begins to filter down the social ladder. This paper argues that more attention should be paid to tourisms past in non-western societies and cultures and to the more ordinary and routine practices of a wider cross-section of the population. It is too simplistic to portray tourisms evolution as a geographical process of diffusion from one or two core areas and a social process of downward movement from the affluent. Reasons for the prevailing image of tourisms past are suggested and several ideas are proposed for broadening research into its history.

Women, gender, leisure and place: towards a more ‘humanistic’ geography of women's leisure

A growing interest in the role of place in social processes has led to a recognition of the need to incorporate these ideas into the study of leisure and recreation. A critique of the traditional geographical approach to the study of leisure and recreation is followed by a brief review of the geography of gender and humanistic geography literature, indicating the possible contribution that some of the perspectives contained in this material can make to our understanding of womens leisure. In conclusion, it is argued that it is only through developing a deeper understanding of the way individuals and groups perceive different places, with their complex mosaics of gender and class relations, that a more complete, more contextual representation of womens leisure can emerge.

Approaches to tourism history

Abstract This paper examines some of the methodological issues involved in the development of research in tourism history. An introduction is provided to the form and nature of the data involved including: statistical records, personal documents, items of mass communication, and archaeological remains. The main methodological approaches to tourism history are then considered. These stem from both history itself and the social sciences. The two fields have been influenced by a number of ideas, such as positivism, humanism, and structuralism and the paper argues that they now have a variety of methodologies in common. It is felt, therefore, that there is no methodological impediment to greater substantive links between historical and social science research in tourism history. The paper concludes with a review of some existing work in the field together with suggestions for future research.

The Grand Tour. Sources and a methodology for an historical study of tourism

Abstract Research into the history of tourism is at an early stage of development. This article examines the range of source material which relates to the Grand Tour and considers the problems involved in its interpretation. It then outlines a methodology designed to investigate this area of tourism research.