In search of ‘Other’ voices: on the need for non-Western (auto)ethnographic/(auto)biographical accounts of tourist culture

• DOI: 10.4337/jqrt.2020.01.06
• Publication Date: 2020-12-03T15:15:31Z
• Authors: Animesh Tripathi; Stuart Hayes; Hazel Tucker
• Keywords: 4. Education; 0502 economics and business; 05 social sciences

With an increase in tourists originating from Asia, the geographies of tourism have changed considerably in recent decades. Arguably, however, tourism scholarship remains largely Western-centric. In this research note, we focus on one particular area of tourism scholarship where Western-centrism may be especially problematic: tourist culture. As part of this, we draw on a case study of ‘lifestyle travel’ to illustrate the need for more inclusive, diverse and non-Western-centric (auto)ethnographic/(auto)biographical studies in tourist culture scholarship. In so doing, we argue that such studies may be especially useful for capturing the stories of ‘Others’, thus helping to broaden our knowledge base in light of tourism’s shifting geographies.