Sustainable Narratives and Technologies in Tourism
This post will be updated in 2026 when full details of the
new textbook are announced by Routledge. The ISBNs and the main DOI are now available
for you to cite the new book in references and bibliographies:
Chowdhury, D., Mansfield, C. & Potočnik Topler, J. (Eds.) (2026). Sustainable Narratives and Technologies in Tourism. Abingdon: Routledge. DOI: 10.4324/9781003747185.
Hardback ISBN: 978104125536 Paperback ISBN: 9781041255376 E-book ISBN: 9781003747185
And we are delighted to share the book cover design below:
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What will tourism look like in the 2030s?
Tourism
destination development will take sustainability as a given. Social media and
emerging technologies will be integrated into the stories of co-created visitor
experience. This book for tourism, hospitality and heritage management explores
these converging areas in a way that will inform your own studies and research.
Local stakeholders as active participants
Local communities and local inhabitants are at the heart of
every tourism story as
sustainable tourism development is fundamentally dependent on the active
participation and endorsement of local communities. The locals are the best
protectors of the socio-cultural and ecological resources upon which the
tourism offer is developed. Their inclusion is not merely an ethical imperative
but a valuable necessity. True sustainability can only be achieved when the
interests, knowledge, and well-being of local populations are systematically
heard, observed, and integrated into all stages of planning, development and
management. When local stakeholders are engaged as
active participants rather than passive subjects, they are more interested to
support conservation efforts, help preserve authentic cultural heritage, and
ensure that economic benefits are equitably distributed, thereby promoting and
protecting long-term resilience. Exclusion of local
communities and stakeholders often leads to resentment, resource degradation,
and the erosion of social license for tourism operations, ultimately
undermining the essential pillars of sustainability.
Who has written this textbook for tourism?
A group of international research scholars and university
lecturers have collaborated with their local communities to write this textbook
for students and lecturers in universities across the globe. The chapters present
research studies that you can draw on in building your own picture of tourism as
it moves into the next decade. When you start your own research or dissertation
project then you will find that the methods can be readily replicated for your
tourism destination.
About the Editors
Dr Dababrata Chowdhury is a Reader in Digital Entrepreneurship in the Business School at Canterbury Christ Church University and Associate Professor in Entrepreneurship and Knowledge Management at Ravensbourne University, London. Dr Chowdhury specialises in digital technology, knowledge management and marketing. He graduated in Computer Science and Engineering (BSc) from Hacettepe University, Ankara and completed an MBA and PhD at the University of Plymouth, UK. He is a Fellow of the Higher Education Academy and has worked in higher education for over 20 years. Skills include improving student employability and entrepreneurial development. Having extensive knowledge of higher education, Dr Chowdhury has built strategic partnerships with stakeholders and communities across the globe.
Dr Charles Mansfield is an independent academic, teaching in universities since 1995. He is a freelance researcher and writer, regularly running summer schools for literary travel writers and destination managers. Charles completed a major, funded research project for the CNRS with the University of Paris 1 Panthéon-Sorbonne in digital heritage management and was a research academic with the University of Edinburgh from January 2005 until July 2009 where he successfully completed an AHRC-funded research project to digitise mediaeval literary texts. He is the co-author of Travel Writing for Tourism and City Branding: Urban Place Writing Methodologies published with Routledge, Taylor & Francis.
Dr Jasna Potočnik Topler has been teaching at the University of Maribor, Slovenia since 2014. She completed her studies in English language and literature and in Journalism and obtained her PhD at the Ljubljana University. In July 2025, she was promoted to Full Professor. Her field of research includes cultural tourism with its subtypes, languages, literary tourism and media discourse, and communication. She is the author of monographs, scientific articles, conference lectures, and an editorial board member of many journals. She has been engaged in many projects with the local community, industry stakeholders, EU partners and students.
Very nice cover and interesting topic. Looking forward to it!
ReplyDeleteThank you for the comment. More news in the New Year
DeleteLooking forward to reading this - and looking at the cover I now fancy a swim!
ReplyDeleteThanks for the comment.
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