Here is the current call for papers:
CALL for Book Chapters
Sensory Tourism: Senses
and SenseScapes Encompassing Tourism Destinations (CABI)
Ian
S. Jenkins and Robert S. Bristow
CABI
has commissioned us to compile the first-ever book on Sensory Tourism and we
are very excited to be given the opportunity to build a global collaboration of
academics and practitioners for this seminal text.
Much
has been written about tourism since its arrival in the realms of academia.
However,
some
areas remain relatively unexamined or unexplored, one of these being sensory
tourism. New forms of tourism are being developed but the notion of sensory
perception and its close link to the holiday experience has not been studied in
any depth.
Tourism
offers countless global locations, providing a multitude of sensory experiences
including commercialised tourism products such as saunas and floatation tanks
through to natural phenomenon such as mountains and wilderness destinations.
Consequently, sensory elements are a curious concept within tourism because
every destination provides a sensory experience of one kind or another, even
the new area of space tourism. It therefore seems timely to produce a text book
examining holidays and tourism through sensory perceptions which either
encourage or deter consumers.
Literature
does exist which discusses the effects of the senses and sensoryscapes within
tourism, but there now appears to be another emerging element whereby tourists
seek locations where ‘types of senses’ or ‘qualities of senses’ can be found;
this is especially relevant with the substantial growth of wellness tourism
over the last decade.
Furthermore,
tourism has become divided into a multitude of different types of niches, which
in some cases reflect a desire for destinations which emulate or represent wildernesses.
These will have different sensory qualities or natural sensoryscapes. Even
within urban areas, there is a growing desire to find some form of solace away
from bustling, noisy environments. Yet there are others who actively seek the
dynamic and sometimes chaotic sensory overloads at destinations such as Hong
Kong or Las Vegas.
How
do our senses engage with the physical space around us? The sound of the waves,
smell of the sea, touch of the cold water and sand, taste of the salt, the
warmth of the sun on our bodies etc. are all sensory components of enjoyment
which affect our experience but which have not been fully explored or studied.
This
volume will also explore the interplay between senses in travel choice, recognising
that one predominant sense may ‘over-ride’ the overall importance of others.
The visual attraction of the Grand Canyon may permit the tourist to ignore the
screaming adolescent in the background, while the stench of overflowing garbage
may repel the experience of a beautiful sonata performed in the Theater an
der Wien. Thus, we note how senses can contribute to or suppress other
senses.
In
sum, the book will explore aspects of the senses both through a theoretical
framework as
well
as the more practical aspects of the tourist product, such as micro level
inputs at a
destination
and the evaluative experience of the whole tourist package or journey engaged
in the senses.
The
book is aimed at all academic establishments teaching tourism and other subject
areas such as the social sciences, which would be interested in the concept of
sensory perception. The book is pitched at undergraduate level but could also perhaps
serve as an introductory text for post graduates given the subject area and the
likely enriched content of the book.
The
proposed structure of the book is as follows:
Section
1
Theoretical
aspects of sense in tourism
A
review section of the literature surrounding sensory perception and its
relevance to tourism in today’s competitive market to include a Sense of Place.
The
Tourist Experience
Reviewing
changes in mass tourism since its take-off in the 1960s and how markets and consumers
have changed.
Sensory Disabilities
This
is perhaps the area most associated with sensory tourism and there is a body of
literature that has covered this subject to a significant degree. Leisure
activities and tourism now cover leisure activities ranging from surfing
through to gardening including for people with health conditions or
impairments.
Triggers
for choice
Exploring
the methods tourists use to choose their holiday, based upon which senses they
consider important when making their choices.
Decisions
to go
Exploring
the key sensorial elements that tourists use to choose certain types of tourist
experiences.
Section
2 The Sensorial Aspects of Tourism
Section
2.1 Sound and Silence in Tourism
Introduction
Silence
is an area of tourism that is relatively unexplored, yet it plays an important
role in some tourist journeys. In the ultra-busy world many of us live in,
there is a growing need to escape from the manmade noise which surrounds us
most of the time. Mountains are not silent and neither are most wildernesses,
but the sounds that are present are naturally occurring phenomena such as wind
or animal calls. These locations appear to have an added attraction for
tourists where anthropogenic sound is absent.
Soundscapes in Tourism/Spatial
Location of Soundscapes / Soundscapes and links to other senses
Examples
/ Case studies
Noise Pollution
The need for silence
Technology and noise
Transport
Energy and sound
The City and Urban experience
Nature Parks and Protected Areas to include:
NPs, beaches, oceans, mountains, jungle, forests with exception of developed
landscapes i.e., Brighton, ski resorts etc.
Urban areas and sound to include Urban Beaches, Ski
Resorts etc.
Medical, health and wellness tourism to include: Spas
and noise
Adventure tourism: e.g., Wild camping, Skydiving,
Diving, Spelunking
Section
2.2 Sight in Tourism
Introduction
There
is currently a growing body of work examining the visual sense within the
tourism field. Indeed, vision is probably the most important sense associated
with tourism in terms of marketing and souvenirs (the ubiquitous postcard) now
supported by visual apps such as TicTok, Instagram etc.
Examples/case
studies/proposed chapters:
Dark skies and their resonance with silence
Arctic and Antarctic
Landscapes from a visual and colour palette
Colour and its use in the marketing of tourism
packages
Caves and the lack of light and the creation of new
light effects
Virtual reality and its allusion of a tourist
experience
Section
2.3 Taste in Tourism
Introduction
Gastronomy
has been widely covered by tourism academics and is a significant element in
the many marketing campaigns of tourist boards. (It is also an area in which
both editors of this book have published). Although taste is clearly related to
food it can also invoke aspects of smell and sight, as the three are closely
related.
Examples/case
studies/proposed chapters:
Food through the context of cultural culinary experiences
and their place in the tourism of the senses
Restaurants and street food and how taste is imbued
into the motivation to travel
Food adventures in sustainable development through
foraging and wild camping experiences
Wine and other beverages are very closely linked to
this sense, wines in particular, as their distinct taste can often be
identified by their growing location. Hence wines can be associated with a
destination’s ambience.
Brewing: pubs, bars
Local foods, exotic cuisine
Section
2.4 Smell in Tourism (Olfactory)
Introduction
This
is an extremely evocative sense, often overlooked but which creates many
different feelings and emotions. It has a powerful ability to create a reality
and image of a sense of place. It could also be argued that every location in
space has a distinctive aura and odour that helps to create the sense of experiencing
the physical space. Smells are associated with good and bad experiences which
resonate with individuals.
Examples/Case
studies/proposed chapters:
Religious spaces and the use of scents and odours to
evoke feelings of peace and calm
Countryside smells and their ability to induce a sense
of place
Urban: differentiation between city spaces based upon
the odour of the location
Seaside: a well known and understood experience, as
the smell of the sea and its debris create a very distinct experience. Also
french fries, doughnuts and candyfloss smell of the more traditional seaside
resorts e.g., Ocean City, USA, Blackpool, UK.
Mountains are seen as clean, pure places, free from
pollution with a distinct smell of purity
Section
2.5 Touch in Tourism
Introduction
This
is perhaps the sense least discussed in terms of its effect on tourism and
tourism consumption. It is usually referenced in terms of disabilities and the
way that touch can stimulate feelings and images not necessarily aroused by
other senses. Some tourism products are clearly designed to focus on touch,
possibly the most popular being that of wellness tourism, focusing on the use
of spas. Spas were one of the first initiators of tourism and are now becoming
increasingly popular once more.
Examples/case
studies/proposed chapters:
Massage and spas
Water and its effect on the skin
Wellness and the need for affection in the tourist
experience
Sexual harassment and negative tourism experiences
Robotics versus human touch in tourism
Tourism with Disability and the use of touch
Wind and the action of moving air felt by parachutes,
hang-gliders, surfers, extreme weather conditions.
Cold/hot/humid/dry tourism
Section
2.6 Extra Sensory Perception in Tourism
Introduction
This
is a relatively new area of tourism reflecting the need for tourism innovation.
Indeed, there has been a significant growth in dark tourism attractions
possibly linked to the genre. Certain people claim to have an extra sense in
addition to the usual senses which can be used in many ways. Predicting the
future through fortune telling has existed from time immemorial and is found
within the tourism industry, often as side shows or specific acts. The media
has helped to proliferate this idea of a sixth sense resulting in the tourism
market developing a number of products to meet consumer demand. One example is
Disney which has established its Haunted House Mansion. Several companies also
use the title ‘Sixth Sense’ to market their holidays and products. Perhaps the
mainstay of this type of tourism is ghost hunting holidays and paranormal
excursions.
Examples/case
studies/proposed chapters:
Ghost hunting
Festivals of the Dead
Meditation and Spirituality
Section
2.7 Multi-sensory experiences in Tourism
Introduction
Although
each sense can be seen as powerful in affecting tourism development and
experience, generally, senses are used in combination. This combination of
senses can be attributed to most tourism packages with perhaps an emphasis on
one particular sense to provide the key experience and enjoyment. This can be
seen within the context of adventure and the thrill that such holidays create.
It
is the combination of senses that provide the tourist with the experiences they
seek. For example, the notion of freedom is used many times by adventurers such
as Alpinists. Understanding freedom within the context of adventure and how the
senses combine to achieve this feeling of ‘freedom’ is extremely problematic.
Examples/case
studies/proposed chapters:
Spas and Saunas
Wild Camping
Wild Swimming
Mountaineering and adventure climbers
Theme Parks
Dark Tourism
Section
3 Summaries and Practical Applications
Written
by Ian Jenkins and Robert Bristow
Rubric for Submission
We invite academics and practitioners to join us in the investigation of
Senses and SenseScapes Encompassing Tourism Destinations. Each sense examination should include the
specific SenseScapes in Tourism (sight, taste, sound etc.), Spatial Location of
SenseScapes and the SenseScapes’ links to other senses.
A 150 – 200 abstract should highlight the sense, locational
characteristics and possible links to other senses and should be emailed to rbristow@westfield.ma.edu by 28th February 2023. Please state “SenseScapes” in subject line.
• Successful authors will be
notified by 15th March 2023.
• Draft manuscripts to be
submitted to Editors by 31 August 2023.
• Revised manuscripts
(after Editor comments) to be submitted by 31 December 2023.
• Final manuscript
submitted to Publisher by 30 April 2024.
• Expected publication –
late 2024.
Each chapter should be approximately 6,000 to 8,000 words (including the bibliography).
A chapter abstract is also required (150-200 words). Figures, schematics, and
photographs (with relevant permissions) are also highly encouraged.
Editors Biographies
Dr Ian Jenkins is a geographer who has worked in the tourism and leisure
industries as a researcher, associate professor, consultant and director of
several research units, at a number of Universities in Wales, Switzerland and
Iceland. His numerous publications have included industry reports, conference papers,
academic articles and book chapters and books; he has also been a peer reviewer
for journal articles. Some of the research projects he has been involved with
have resulted in legislative change and improved industry standards. In
addition, he has undertaken work for prestigious organisations such as UNESCO,
British Council, British Standards Institute, Health and Safety Executive,
VisitWales and CEN. His research and consultancy expertise covers subjects such
as: responsible/sustainable tourism, niche tourism development, risk and safety
management, adventure tourism and literary tourism. Ian has been an examiner for
the University of South Wales, the University of Birmingham at both
undergraduate and postgraduate level and also a PhD examiner at Cranfield
University. Ian has been the co-editor of a special edition of the Laureate
Hospitality Journal.
Robert S. Bristow, Westfield State University ·
Geography Planning and Sustainability. Rob is Professor Emeritus at Westfield
State University. As a geographer, he has been involved with the planning and
management of parks and protected areas throughout his academic and
professional career. He has taught undergraduate and graduate courses in travel
and tourism, quantitative methods, GIS and site planning. He has published over
70 research papers in peer-reviewed journals, government documents, community
plans, and book chapters and has delivered a similar number of presentations at
regional, national and international conferences. For parks and protected lands,
he has expertise in volunteer management, cultural landscape monitoring and
hiking. Applying the remote sensing tools of LiDAR has been used to identify
and manage our cultural resources in parks. When not outside his research
agenda has focussed on the liminality of fright tourism.
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