Melanie Smith

Holistic Holidays: Tourism And The Reconciliation of Body, Mind and Spirit

This paper will explore on the current trend towards spiritual tourism, focusing on the quest for the enhancement of self through physical, mental and creative activities. This will include, for example, reference to holistic holidays, yoga tourism, ashram visits, and certain kinds of religious and pilgrimage tourism. The paper will provide an analysis of the factors that have created a need for personal and collective engagement in such forms of tourism. It will be argued that the postmodern era of global capitalism has, in many Western developed countries, created a feeling of existential angst or alienation amongst its citizens. Long working hours and the fragmentation of communities and traditions have exacerbated feelings of isolation, depression and stress. Individuals are consequently starting to seek solace in activities which enhance their physical, mental and spiritual well-being (e.g., yoga, pilates, meditation, ayurvedic treatments, aromatherapy, health spas). Many use travel as a form of escapism or as a quest to reconcile body, mind and spirit in a way that they can rarely do at home. Tourists are increasingly being drawn away from the materialistic, secular environments that they have been complicit in creating, towards simpler and natural environments in which they can attempt to be more of themselves. Drawing on a range of sources including academic and travel literature, popular fiction and promotional materials, the author will explore the way in which the ‘holistic’ tourism sector is developing. Although the analysis will focus partly on commercial developments, it will also address some of the more philosophical and religious questions that underpin this current trend. The need for escapism through travel is by no means a modern day phenomenon, nor is the personal or social alienation that renders it necessary or desirable. Throughout the centuries, writers, poets, and philosophers have often felt the need to travel to escape the malaise of the age or to assuage their own restlessness. The French poet Baudelaire would frequently set off on journeys in the vain hope of escaping the ‘spleen’ of contemporary living; Flaubert went in search of the exotic; Wordsworth sought the sublime. The Grand Tour of the 17th and 18th Century afforded the young noble the chance to enhance his personal and cultural growth through travel, and pilgrimages have traditionally enabled travellers to experience enlightenment, or physical and spiritual healing.

Old city, new image: perception, positioning and promotion of Budapest.

Abstract This paper takes a multi-level approach to the analysis of Budapest as a capital city and tourism destination, focusing on the international, European, regional and national elements used in image construction. Drawing on perception studies undertaken by the Hungarian National Tourist Office (2002) and on visitor profiles of budget airline passengers by the Tourist Office of Budapest (2005), the authors will examine the factors that distinguish the city from other national capitals, especially in the CEE region and ‘new’ EU. An analysis will be made of the promotional strategies that are employed at both a national and city level by the HNTO and the TOB in order to position and brand Budapest in an international, European and regional context. Much of the analysis will attempt to ascertain the extent to which Budapest is being promoted as a quintessentially Hungarian city as opposed to a European or global city. The final part of the paper will make recommendations for image creation, branding, and product development.

New Places in Old Spaces: Mapping Tourism and Regeneration in Budapest

Abstract The aim of this paper is to map some of the new developments that have been taking place in Budapest since 1989, in particular focusing on the role that tourism and cultural regeneration have played in transforming old spaces into new places. The redevelopment of former socialist cities is politically complex, as new power relationships need to be negotiated, heritage values must be reassessed, and widening economic and social disparities should be addressed. Tourism needs to be managed carefully if it is to contribute in a positive way to economic development, heritage conservation and promotion, and enhancement of the local quality of life. A number of examples are used to demonstrate the spatial transformations that are taking place in Budapest. In some cases, historic spaces have been accorded new and symbolic status (e.g. as World Heritage Sites); some attractions have been re-packaged as itineraries or trails (e.g. the Cultural Avenue project). Some socialist heritage has been removed to the outskirts of the city (e.g. Statue Park). Some previously derelict areas are being transformed and regenerated into national cultural or international business spaces. New shopping and leisure areas are also being created in accordance with Budapests desire to be recognized as a dynamic and cosmopolitan city. Questions are then raised about the implications of these developments for the future planning of the city as a new tourism destination in a competitive market.

Tourism-Specific Quality-of-Life Index: The Budapest ModelBudapest Model

Tourism is a complex industry. It provides employment opportunities and tax revenues and supports economic diversity. It has very different impacts, both positive and negative, or even mixed ones. However, from a national, regional or local planning point of view, tourism should support the development of the quality of life of citizens too. If the implications of tourism have mainly negative impacts on the local community and environment, citizens will not support tourism and will not welcome visitors. This could mean a sad end to a destination.

Service Innovations and Experience Creation in Spas, Wellness and Medical Tourism

Originality/valuenExisting service innovation models are applied to new sectors (spa, wellness and medical tourism) and new insights are given into how these sectors can increase innovation and enhance customer experiences.

Towards a Thirdspace Approach to Tourism and Related Research

This paper explores new ways of conceptualizing and researching the Postmodern city, focusing in particular on Sojas (1996) development of a Thirdspace approach to the theorization of human and cultural geography and planning. Despite its shortcomings, his work arguably has important implications for multi-disciplinary fields of research such as tourism and regeneration. Thirdspace is what might be described as a ‘ludic’ postmodern construct (Kincheloe and McLaren 2000), which enables a researcher to (re)conceptualize the ways in which a city (or other environment) can be perceived, interpreted and represented. It affords the researcher a mechanism with which s (he) can make better sense of urban spatial developments, practices and representations. However, like many postmodern concepts, Thirdspace could be seen as overly theoretical and abstract. For example, Allmendinger (2001) questions its practical relevance to contemporary urban planning. Although Soja (1996) contests that Thirdspace thinking can lead to potentially emancipatory praxis, his own attempts at demonstrating its application tend to be somewhat eclectic and inconclusive. This paper, therefore, focuses on questioning the extent to which a Thirdspace approach can be applied to practical research contexts with tangible outcomes. Emphasis is placed on both policy-making and cultural planning within the framework of ‘Third Way’ politics in a UK-based case study of Maritime Greenwich.

Journeys of Expression III: Tourism and Festivals as Transnational Practice, Innsbruck, May 5th-7th, 2004

©2004 Tourism Recreation Research This was a fascinating conference, which focused on a number of important research trajectories that are pertinent to festival studies. The two previous Journeys of Expression conferences in Bonn and Vienna were organised in parallel with the IFEA (International Festivals and Events Association) conference, whereas this one functioned as a stand-alone event, aimed mainly at academics and researchers. The previous practitioner-based orientation was thus replaced by an emphasis on more theoretical issues, which provided the overarching framework for a deeper, more discursive analysis of festivals as transnational practice, the conference’s main theme.