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As the world continues to navigate between the “new normal” and the “next normal” of an ongoing pandemic, recovery plans of several tourism destinations are still not bringing desired results. The COVID-19 pandemic has exposed long standing structural weaknesses and gaps in tourism policies worldwide. The formulation of tourism policies based on the pandemic context is therefore a need of the hour. However, due to lock-down and physical distancing measures, data collection for the development of research-based tourism policies has not been possible. In this case, evidence-based policies stand as a workable option. Drawing from the book Tourism Destination Management in a Post-Pandemic Context, this policy document proposes a synthesis of tourism policies embraced by destinations struggling in the pandemic context. Lessons show that rebuilding tourism requires policies that address structural weaknesses, advance key priorities, foster global solidarity and take advantage of new opportunities. This piece of study comes to the conclusion that tourism policies post pandemic need to be based on seven pillars, namely mitigation, vaccination, collaboration, information, promotion, education and investigation.

The purpose of this paper is to analyze the incorporation, prioritization and depth of equity, diversity and inclusion (EDI) initiatives in tourism industry restart policies of Canadian provinces and territories. This study investigates how the detailing of EDI in policies determine the priority in emancipating tourism workers from the inequities exacerbated during the pandemic. Such investigation enables a better understanding of the complexities, tendencies and rationale of involving EDI in the tourism industry’s recovery.

The research investigated the presence and prioritization of equity, diversity, and inclusion using systematic text analytics of 38 publicly available restart plans and statements from 52 government and non-government agencies. Using web-based software Voyant Tools to assist in text analytics, a hybrid deductive-inductive coding approach was conducted.

Key outcomes from the analysis revealed scarce to no full and dedicated content on EDI as a holistic initiative necessary for tourism industry relaunch. This lack of EDI content was a result of the greater impetus to prioritize economic generation and limited data due to practical and ideological issues. Results also suggested the tokenizing of EDI in some policies.

Difficulties in data used for research include the lack and availability of restart policies specifically for tourism; most policies were generalized and referred to economic recovery as a whole. Studies of tourism-specific EDI issues were also limited.

The research is revelatory for investigating EDI prioritizations in restart policies even among well-developed and worker-diverse tourism industries such as in Canada, where inequities and injustices to women, Black, Indigenous, gender-diverse, and newcomer tourism workers among others have been withstanding.

Complexity and interconnections of the wicked problems constantly challenge policy-makers and public authorities. The tourism system, with its diverse nature and entangled connections among the stakeholders, provides a favourable ground for the emergence of numerous wicked issues. The Bulgarian tourism policy ecosystem has a well-developed legislative basis, envisaging most of the possible problems among the actors. Still, the decision-makers, service delivery managers, technical experts and social researchers need close coordination and a systematic approach to reach a coherent and acceptable solution. The current chapter reveals the gaps in the work of the tourism policy institutions in Bulgaria, caused mainly by the lack of coordination and limited communication among them.

This study investigated the micro–macro link in the hospitality and tourism (H&T) sector, specifically considering whether the gender diversity, independence and board attendance rates of H&T firms' boards, alongside the moderation effect of board policies, played a significant role in tourism sector performance.

The 2011–2018 data were retrieved from the World Bank and the Thomson Reuters Eikon databases, and fixed effects panel regression was conducted.

While female directors were a significant driver of tourism sector performance in terms of tourist arrivals and tourism receipts, independent directors were effective in improving tourist arrivals only. Furthermore, moderation analyses demonstrated the inefficacy of board policies in enhancing these directors' contributions to the sector's development. Moreover, the findings revealed the inefficiency of board meetings.

Concerning the efficacy of board policies, the results suggest that firms' boards should review and revise their policies. Surprisingly, while board-diversity policies made no difference to female directors' role in the sector's development (although females were influential), board-independence policies produced unexpected results. In the absence of a board-independence policy, independent directors are influential, but if a policy exists, they are not.

Although prior firm-level studies tested whether board characteristics enhanced firms' performance in the H&T sector, they did not investigate whether board characteristics promoted tourism sector performance. Moreover, the moderating effect of board policies on boards' structures and tourism sector performance has not yet been examined.

This paper aims to critically examine the discourse on the disability workforce in Australian tourism policy and planning documents.

This research draws on a database of 490 Australian tourism policy and planning documents, across national, state, regional and local levels of governments, destination management organisations and peak industry bodies, to systematically examine the issues pertaining to disability workforce over the ten-year policy cycle (2013–2023), through critical discourse analysis.

Analysis revealed 20 of the existing 490 documents had mentions of the inclusion of people with disability (PWD) in the tourism workforce. Through critical discourse analysis, the nuances of political attitudes are evident. Tourism policies tend to exert a cautious approach towards the inclusion of PWD employment. PWD do not have a strong voice when it comes to the formation of tourism policy, especially not as members of the tourism workforce.

This research underscores an emerging call for the government’s commitment to considering the underrepresented social group of PWD in the tourism workforce. By shedding light on critical discourse analysis of the disability workforce, tourism scholars and practitioners understand the current challenges and explore opportunities to implement tangible actions for an inclusive work environment for all.

The research is novel and innovative as it critically examines the discourse of the disability workforce in the tourism sector through an institutional theory perspective. The limited emphasis of government policies on the disability workforce may result in missed opportunities to encourage meaningful employment engagement of PWD in tourism organisations. Consequently, this research contributes a tripartite model of policy recommendations that explicitly articulates the mechanisms for change that are tailored to tourism workforce and advocates for the active voices of PWD community in the policy formation process.

本研究旨在对澳大利亚旅游政策和规划文件中有关残疾人劳动力的讨论进行批判性话语分析。

本研究采用了490份澳大利亚旅游政策和规划文件, 涵盖了国家、州、地区和地方政府、目的地管理组织和行业峰会机构的文件, 系统地分析了 2013 年至 2023 年的10年政策周期内有关残疾人劳动力的讨论。

分析显示, 在现有的 490 份文件中, 有20份提到了在旅游业中的残疾和工作包容性。通过批判性话语分析, 可以看出政治态度的细微差别。旅游政策在雇佣残疾人时往往采取谨慎的态度。在关于旅游业工作政策的制定过程中, 残疾人的声音略显薄弱。

本研究强调了政府应致力于考虑残疾人这一少数社会群体在旅游劳动力中的参与度。通过揭示残疾人工作的批判性话语分析, 旅游学者和从业者能够了解当前面临的挑战, 并采取切实可行的措施来创造更具包容性的工作环境。

本研究具有新颖性和创新性。它从制度理论的角度批判性地审视了旅游业中残疾人工作的讨论。政府政策对残疾人工作的重视不足可能导致错失在旅游相关公司促进残疾人有意义的就业参与机会。因此, 本研究提出了一个三方政策建议模型, 明确阐述了针对旅游业工作的变革机制, 并倡导在政策制定过程中积极听取残疾人社区的建议。

Este artículo tiene como objetivo examinar en profundidad el tema del personal discapacitado en los documentos de política y planificación turística en Australia.

Esta investigación parte de una base de datos de 490 documentos de política y planificación del turismo australiano del gobierno a nivel nacional, estatal, regional y local, de las organizaciones de gestión de destinos y de los organismos del sector turístico, para examinar sistemáticamente las cuestiones relativas al personal con discapacidad a lo largo del ciclo político de 10 años (2013–2023).

El análisis reveló que 20 de los 490 documentos existentes mencionaban la inclusión de personas con discapacidad (PcD) en el empleo turístico. El análisis crítico del discurso pone de manifiesto los matices de las actitudes políticas. Las políticas turísticas tienden a adoptar un enfoque cauteloso hacia la inclusión laboral de las PcD. Las PcD no presentan una voz fuerte cuando se trata de la formación de la política turística, especialmente como miembros del empleo turístico.

Esta investigación destaca la necesidad emergente de un compromiso gubernamental para considerar al grupo social subrepresentado de personas con discapacidad en el empleo turístico. Al arrojar luz sobre el análisis del discurso crítico del empleo turístico con PcD, los investigadores y profesionales del turismo comprende los retos actuales y exploran las oportunidades de poner en práctica acciones tangibles para un entorno laboral inclusivo para todos.

La investigación es novedosa e innovadora, ya que examina en profundidad el personal con discapacidad en el sector turístico bajo un enfoque de la teoría institucional. El limitado énfasis de las políticas gubernamentales del personal con discapacidad puede hacer que se pierdan oportunidades de fomentar una participación laboral significativa de las PcD en las organizaciones turísticas. En consecuencia, esta investigación aporta un modelo tripartito de recomendaciones políticas que articula explícitamente los mecanismos de cambio adaptados a los trabajadores del sector turístico y aboga por la participación de la comunidad de PcD en el proceso de formulación de políticas.

After COVID-19, the tourism industry has been reshaped through a cycle of intertwined crises. So, the tourism industry has been the scene of discussions on how to proceed against vulnerabilities and uncertainties in recent years. Destinations have begun to think differently in terms of competitive advantage in order to survive. Therefore, the success of the tourism industry needs a change in mindset in order to keep up with the transformation accelerated by COVID-19. Regenerative tourism has triggered the search for a different mindset beyond sustainable tourism efforts by addressing responsibility and creativity together. As a result of these searches, regenerative tourism reveals a philosophical perspective as a mindset. Most of the studies on regenerative tourism contain conceptual clarification efforts. However, there is a need for a macro evaluation of regenerative tourism management on a destination basis. This chapter discusses the design of an appropriate policy and planning for the management of regenerative tourism. Regenerative tourism emphasizes a conscious intervention in the tourism industry with its creativity and innovative and responsible characteristics. This intervention can be evaluated within the scope of destination policy and planning for solving the problems about standardization and commercialization. Thus, it will conceptually be tried to put forward a planning and policymaking process that is suitable for regenerative tourism.

According to Head (2008), wicked problems are not just wicked problems in the sense of complex challenges, but situations that are confusing, unique, diffuse, without clear responsibilities or accountabilities, and difficult to resolve. These problems stand out for their uncertain nature, lack of clear solutions and possible irreversible consequences of attempted interventions. Recognising the pertinence of wicked problems in contemporary public policy discourse, this chapter aims to explore and better understand political decision-makers’ handling of these issues, in a tourism-specific context. The discourse on wicked problems, in accordance with 10 characteristics outlined by Rittel and Webber (1973), remains relevant when examining policy responses to mega trends, such as indigenous disparities, sustainability, digital transformation and demographic change. Against this backdrop and positioned within current academic discourse, this introductory chapter briefly foreshadows the volume’s various contributions by academics from around the world who present a wide range of wicked problems in tourism from their respective perspectives and contexts.

The term sustainable tourism has been in existence for many years, yet the concept is still lacking universal agreement in terms of definition, a situation reflected in the difficulties encountered in producing, particularly implementing and related policies. The broad range of issues involved with sustainable development makes integrated policy and governance difficult even in the more specific fields such as sustainable tourism. This chapter begins by reviewing the basic elements of sustainable tourism, its links with the parent subject of sustainable development, and the issues involved in applying the ‘triple bottom line’ concept to tourism. It then examines the relationship between policy formulation and application in the context of governance, and the links between governance and power at different levels. While one of the achievements of sustainable tourism has been its widespread acceptance and official adoption of the concept in many countries, regions and communities, this acceptance has not been translated very often into effective action, owing partly to the lack of integration between stakeholders and partly to the multiple viewpoints making up the tourism landscape which rarely achieve unanimity of policy issues. The chapter includes a discussion of case studies at different scales to illustrate the positive and negative results of the implementation of such policies and concludes with a general summation.

It is widely agreed that transformation processes that are triggered by crisis events can challenge conventional behavioural norms and stimulate new ideas and innovations that can assist in the preparations for future challenges. This impetus for transformation processes not only applies to the COVID-19 pandemic, but has also been seen in many other instances, such as the Global Financial Crisis in 2008 or the 2011 Fukushima nuclear disaster, which have sparked significant socio-political change processes often with a global reach. The multitude of wicked tourism policy problems discussed in our book often occur in parallel, are of growing complexities, are often not well understood and indistinguishable from one another and exert pressure on the resilience of vulnerable political, economic and community-based systems. These circumstances often present as tipping points which can trigger necessary long-term transformations. However, this process of long-term change must be well planned and strategically implemented. Thus, future transformative destination management should be built on a holistic approach, underpinned by adaptive political leadership in which tourism is not only seen as a driver for economic growth and employment, but as a strategy which successfully integrates social, cultural and ecological goals.