This volume addresses the transformative power of tourism social media and offers novel theoretical and methodological approaches to its academic investigation. Acknowledging the collective value creation mechanisms of new media, the authors explore how technology nurtures, augments and modifies social or commercial interactions in tourism. The book emphasizes the role of fantasy and imagination in fluid tourism experiences and critically scrutinizes contested concepts pertaining to human interaction in cyberspace, such as equality, anonymity, transparency, democratization, and publicity culture. The chapters summon insights from Media Studies, Actor-Network Theory, Communicative Action and Symbolic Convergence among others, and offer a palette of emerging methods suitable for academic enquiries of virtual worlds. The theoretical grounding, empirical evidences, and interdisciplinary analysis of the anthology expand the actual research agenda and shed light on conceptual tensions and ambiguities in the present literature. As such, Tourism Social Media: Transformations in Identity, Community and Culture contributes to increasing research reflexivity in tourism studies at large.

Academic studies have predominantly treated destination branding as a marketing phenomenon that happens to involve tourists as customers in a marketplace. "Tourism Branding: Communities in Action", the first volume in a new and exciting book series, considers a traditional marketing subject from multidisciplinary perspectives. Refreshingly this book attempts to free branding research and practice in tourism fields from the shackles of marketing that are dominated by the conventional approach of product, price, place, and promotion. Considering tourism branding as a community affair, this collection is distinguished from other publications by adopting a global and more multidisciplinary approach, and brings the subject of tourism branding outside of the conventional domains of marketing and destination. Special attention is given to the role and expectations of main tourism stakeholders, particularly residents, business, and government in the hosting community. Built on theoretical foundations with both empirical findings and practical cases, this book brings together different perspectives and offers an intellectual and open dialogue among academics and practitioners of the field.

Sixty years after its birth, contemporary tourism is at crossroads. It has grown to become a key element of economic well-being, but it is threatened and threatening. Its enemies are congestion, destruction of natural and cultural environments, and social unrest. However, it also contributes its fair share to these evils. How can tourism really become a fulcrum for development and sustainability in the 21st century? This is a matter of crucial importance for entrepreneurs, governments, and civil society stakeholders, and Knowledge Management in Tourism: Policy and Governance Applications provides these key players with answers and queries, and above all with the strategic tools to understand and act. Knowledge Management in Tourism: Policy and Governance Applications is an indispensable instrument for everyone interested in the theory and practice of this very important human pursuit: the quest for effectiveness, efficiency, and equity of tourism activities in helping build the future of mankind.