Journal articles
Hutchison F, Bailey AR, Coles T (In Press). An Evidence Based Methodology for Cultural Institutions Seeking to Identify and Profile their Local Populations. Museum Management and Curatorship (RMMC)
Wilkinson T, Coles T (In Press). Do tourists want sustainability transitions? Visitor attitudes to destination trajectories during COVID-19. Tourism Geographies
Wilkinson T, Coles T, Petersen C (In Press). Mindful continuation?. Stakeholder preferences for tourism development in Northern Devon during COVID-19.
Tourism GeographiesAbstract:
Mindful continuation?. Stakeholder preferences for tourism development in Northern Devon during COVID-19
Discourse in the early stages of the COVID-19 pandemic explored its likely effects on the tourism sector including the nature of recovery. Viewed through the lens of Evolutionary Economic Geography, this paper examines the preferences of four stakeholder groups for future tourism development in Northern Devon. Specifically, it reports on their views from 2021 and 2022 of three potential scenarios which were elaborated before the pandemic, and it explores whether COVID-19 was a trigger event for a change in trajectory. There was consistent support for the most sustainable trajectory, which represented the continuation of the existing arc of development, not a fundamental change in direction triggered by COVID-19. Not only does this finding contribute a retrospective critique of early opinions on possible COVID-induced change, it suggests an alternative view of the role of trigger events in destination evolution. The pandemic offered space for reflection on tourism development, as a form of ‘mindful continuation’ of transformation, not a 'mindful deviation' identified in some previous studies.
Abstract.
Hall CM, Prayag G, Safonov A, Coles T, Gossling S, Koupaei SN (2022). Airbnb and the sharing economy INTRODUCTION.
CURRENT ISSUES IN TOURISM,
25(19), 3057-3067.
Author URL.
Price S, Wilkinson T, Coles T (2022). Crisis? How small tourism businesses talk about COVID-19 and business change in the UK. Current Issues in Tourism, 25(7), 1088-1105.
Coles T, Garcia G, O'Malley E, Turner C (2022). Experiencing Event Management During the Coronavirus Pandemic: a Public Sector Perspective.
Frontiers in Sports and Active Living,
3Abstract:
Experiencing Event Management During the Coronavirus Pandemic: a Public Sector Perspective
Events have played a significant role in the way in which the Coronavirus pandemic has been experienced and known around the world. Little is known though about how the pandemic has impacted on supporting, managing and governing events in municipal (i.e. local) authorities as key stakeholders, nor how events have featured in the opening-up of localities. This paper reports on empirical research with senior events officers for local authorities in the UK on these key knowledge gaps. Specifically, it examines events officers' unfolding experiences of the pandemic. The paper points to unpreparedness for a crisis of this scale and magnitude, and the roles of innovation, adaptation and co-production in the emergent response. It highlights the transformative nature of the pandemic through reconsiderations of the purpose of public sector involvement in events and, from a policy perspective, how relatively smaller-scale, more agile and lower-risk arts events and performances can figure in local recovery. Finally, while the effects on, and response of, the body corporate (the local authority) to crises is an obvious focus, it is important to recognise those of the individuals who manage the response and drive change.
Abstract.
Nevola F, Coles T, Mosconi C (2022). Hidden Florence revealed? Critical insights from the operation of an augmented reality app in a World Heritage City. Journal of Heritage Tourism, 17(4), 371-390.
Hood L, Bailey AR, Coles T, Pringle E (2022). Liminal spaces and the shaping of family museum visits: a spatial ethnography of a major international art museum. Museum Management and Curatorship, 37(5), 531-554.
Coles T (2022). The sharing economy in tourism and property markets: a comment on the darker side of conceptual stretching.
CURRENT ISSUES IN TOURISM,
25(19), 3068-3075.
Author URL.
Pham LDQ, Coles T, Ritchie BW, Wang J (2021). Building business resilience to external shocks: Conceptualising the role of social networks to small tourism & hospitality businesses.
Journal of Hospitality and Tourism Management,
48, 210-219.
Abstract:
Building business resilience to external shocks: Conceptualising the role of social networks to small tourism & hospitality businesses
Micro and small enterprises comprise the majority of the tourism and hospitality businesses globally and contribute heavily to the economic livelihood of many communities. However, their distinctive characteristics also make them among the most vulnerable to the impacts of external shocks. This paper proposes a conceptual model of how social networks may help micro-small tourism and hospitality businesses build resilience to disasters and crises. Informed by concepts of social capital theory, business continuity goals, and the resource-based view, we argue that social networks are a crucial factor in assisting the survival and recovery of micro-small tourism and hospitality businesses after external shocks through the provision of greater access to a multitude of resources (natural, physical, financial, human, social). Drawing on relevant literature on tourism disaster and crisis management as well as small business management and social network research, we develop a series of propositions and an agenda for future studies. In doing so, this paper contributes to currently limited theoretical work in the tourism disaster and crisis management literature while encouraging greater research attention to micro-small tourism and hospitality businesses as a means of helping to foster more resilient businesses in the face of possible future shocks.
Abstract.
Coles T (2021). Tourism, Brexit and the climate crisis: on intersecting crises and their effects. Journal of Sustainable Tourism, 29(9), 1529-1546.
Coles T (2020). Impacts of climate change on tourism and marine recreation.
MCCIP Science Review,
2020, 593-615.
Abstract:
Impacts of climate change on tourism and marine recreation
Tourism. and. marine. recreation form. a. major. component. of. the. UK. visitor economy. with. the. tourism. sector. alone. worth. £127. billion. and. accounting for. 3.1. million. jobs. in. 2017. Much. of. this. activity. takes. place. in. coastal resorts and natural settings. While the nature and value of such activity and settings. have. been. extensively. researched. far. less. is. known. about. the magnitude. of. possible. impacts. of. climate. change. on. them. and. the. likely adaptations. that. will. be. necessary. Many. likely. effects. recognised. in. 2013 remain. broadly. evident. but. have. not. been. revisited. in. light. of. subsequent advances in climate science. The body of knowledge on ‘what is happening’ and ‘what may happen’ has not grown, and together this suggests a relative decline in the evidence base relating to tourism and marine recreation. Three knowledge. gaps. identified. in. 2013. (visitor. preferences. for. conditions, vulnerability of coastal destinations, and the magnitude and timing of climate change. impacts). have. not. been. satisfactorily. addressed. in. the. interim. In 2019. the. key. challenges. and. emerging. issues. are. more. broadly. based, namely:. to. move. beyond. the. 2013. picture. in. particular. to. consider. the potential and effectiveness of current and planned approaches to adaptation; to appraise. both. vulnerabilities andopportunities. for. business. more systematically; and to improve analytical precision by considering the effects ofclimate change on different types of tourism and marine recreation and the attendant combinations of activities, stakeholders and geographies at the local (i.e. destination) level.
Abstract.
Coles T (2018). Tourism Geographies at 20: notes from a ‘small island’. Tourism Geographies, 20(5), 923-925.
Borden DS, Shaw G, Coles TE (2017). Consensus building in social marketing campaigns through the Delphi method.
Social Marketing Quarterly, 1-14.
Abstract:
Consensus building in social marketing campaigns through the Delphi method
This article investigates the application of the Delphi method as a tool for building stakeholder consensus on the impact and prioritization of campaign initiatives as applied in a campaign to promote water efficiency behavior. To date, use of the Delphi method has been underutilized and not yet applied to evaluating and prioritizing social marketing initiatives. Ten potential initiatives were developed during previous research, aiming to promote water efficiency in tourism accommodation. A Delphi panel of experts (n=21) in tourism, water, and social marketing evaluated, prioritized, and rated the importance of factors used for prioritizing each initiative. Three initiatives received the greatest level of prioritization and were considered to have the highest effectiveness to reach project goals. In the context of this research, a Delphi consultation was a viable method toward this application. Best practices and limitations unique to the social marketing process are offered to aid future social marketing efforts in applying the Delphi method.
Abstract.
Borden DS, Coles TE, Shaw G (2017). Social marketing, sustainable tourism, and small/medium size tourism enterprises: challenges and opportunities for changing guest behaviour. Journal of Sustainable Tourism
Church A, Coles TE, Fish R (2017). Tourism in Sub-Global Assessments of Ecosystem Services.
Journal of Sustainable Tourism,
25, 1529-1546.
Abstract:
Tourism in Sub-Global Assessments of Ecosystem Services
Published in 2005, the United Nations Millennium Ecosystem Assessment (MA) stressed that influencing governments, businesses and communities to address the supra-national challenge of limiting biodiversity loss and ecosystem degradation requires a fuller understanding of the range of values and benefits people derive from ecosystems, including tourism. The MA was informed by, and has shaped, several conceptually- and methodologically-distinctive sub-global assessments (SGAs) of ecosystem services. Through content analysis, this paper is the first detailed examination of how tourism features in 14 extant SGAs identified in a database held by a major supra-national environmental organization. Although the SGAs should have incorporated the widest range of specialist subject expertise, expert tourism scholars played only peripheral roles in producing them even for territories where tourism is a significant land use. The SGAs examined did not benefit from the extensive body of knowledge relating to sustainable tourism. Limited portrayals of tourism restrict the capacity of SGAs in their current format as management solutions. It is also contradictory to the ethos, principles and purpose of ecosystem assessments. With the ecosystem services perspective set to become more important to policy and decision making, the paper argues for greater incorporation of recent progress in sustainable tourism in ecosystem assessment.
Abstract.
Coles T (2016). Book Review: Cities and visitors: regulating people, markets, and city space. Progress in Human Geography, 30(2), 268-270.
Coles T (2016). Book Reviews. European Urban and Regional Studies, 10(4), 376-377.
Coles T, Warren N, Borden DS, Dinan C (2016). Business models among SMTEs: identifying attitudes to environmental costs and their implications for sustainable tourism. Journal of Sustainable Tourism, 25(4), 471-488.
Coles TE, Dinan C, Warren N (2016). Carbon Villains? Climate Change Responses among
Accommodation Providers in Historic Premises.
Journal of Heritage Tourism,
11(1), 25-42.
Abstract:
Carbon Villains? Climate Change Responses among
Accommodation Providers in Historic Premises
Building stock is a major anthropogenic source of emissions contributing to global warming. Older buildings are conventionally portrayed as performing worse environmentally than more recent
buildings. For a sector like tourism, which relies heavily on historic building stock, this raises questions about its ability to contribute to emissions reductions moving forward. This paper explores the relationship between the age and environmental performance of historic premises for small accommodation businesses in South West England, first by correlation analysis and then three extensive case-studies. It argues that the failure to integrate heritage buildings in tourism scholarship on climate change is a major lacuna. Empirically, no statistically significant relationship is found between environmental performance and the date when the original premises were first built. Far from being carbon villains, several ccommodation providers in older premises perform very well against environmental benchmarking schemes. Three types of heritage accommodation providers are identified on the basis of their perceived and actual levels of environmental performance. The paper concludes that heritage building stock of itself is no impediment to action on climate change. Guidance to tourism businesses in such properties should make them aware of this, and provide tailored advice to help them realise potential opportunities.
Abstract.
Coles TE, Dinan C, Warren N (2016). Energy Practices among Small- and Medium-sized Tourism Enterprises: a Case of Misdirected Effort?.
Journal of Cleaner Production,
111(B), 399-408.
Abstract:
Energy Practices among Small- and Medium-sized Tourism Enterprises: a Case of Misdirected Effort?
Discussion of sustainable tourism has become dominated by the issue of climate change. As a major source of emissions, the tourism sector has a vital role to play in efforts to mitigate the effects of climate change. Within the current body of knowledge and among major policy discourses, the prevailing paradigm has been
to encourage action: reduced emissions will follow innovations in managerial practices and the uptake of the latest, most resource-efficient technologies. This paper examines energy practices among small- and medium-sized tourism enterprises (SMTEs), reporting empirical research conducted as part of a five-year
programme. Although energy was a significant cost of production, it did not feature prominently in the business administration of most SMTEs. A major knowledge gap was exposed regarding how energy was consumed and administered by individual businesses. The paper argues for a major shift in thinking away from the number of actions as the key success criterion. Action alone is no guarantee of
emissions reductions in a sector where growth is the dominant imperative. Instead, a crucial reorientation towards stimulating higher levels of energy literacy among SMTEs is necessary in parallel to rebalancing of attention towards energy generation.
Abstract.
Thomas GL, Coles T, Wilson MR (2016). Exploring mini rugby union coaches’ perceptions of competitive activities. Sports Coaching Review, 6(1), 94-107.
Coles TE, Hall CM, Duval DT (2016). Tourism and post-disciplinarity: back to the future?.
Tourism Analysis,
21(Special issue on Post-disciplinarity), 373-387.
Abstract:
Tourism and post-disciplinarity: back to the future?
This paper revisits post-disciplinary approaches to the study of tourism that were first proposed around a decade ago. Specifically, it sets out to examine the extent to which such approaches have continued relevance to tourism scholarship moving forward. Basic literature searches suggest that the world has changed yet the
tourism academy has not. Traditional disciplines, especially in the social sciences,
continue to be the basic building blocks of knowledge production in tourism. However if a more sophisticated approach is taken to analysis, there is ample evidence of more reasonable, flexible approaches to enquiry about tourism, in particular in the areas of tourism mobilities and climate change. Free from
disciplinary dogma and orchestration, these take as their initial cues issues, questions or problems and how best to tackle them. Indeed, the evidence points to a future trajectory even further in this direction. Many of the major issues facing the research community are so wide of scope and complex in nature that they require academic coalitions to tackle them. Discipline-specific or -exclusive approaches will not suffice on their own. Over ten years ago, the move towards post-disciplinary modes of enquiry was argued to be inevitable, mainly from
intellectual grounds. While this rationale remains valid, the paper argues that unfolding institutional structures and the organisation of higher education are also far more encouraging of post-disciplinary approaches. Research investment, especially in advanced economies, is increasingly being targeted towards grand challenges and transformative research.
Abstract.
Coles T (2016). Transformation of the Retail Sector in Eastern Germany after Unification. European Urban and Regional Studies, 5(1), 77-83.
Coles TE, Dinan CR, Warren N (2015). Climate change mitigation and the age of tourism accommodation buildings:. a UK perspective.
Journal of Sustainable Tourism,
23(6), 900-921.
Abstract:
Climate change mitigation and the age of tourism accommodation buildings:. a UK perspective.
Recent research on climate change mitigation has emphasized decision-making within tourism businesses is vital for sustainable futures. However, there has been little consideration of how the age of buildings and (historic) property frames, modifies or constrains the sector’s response to climate change. Through surveys of accommodation providers in South-West England, this paper explores relationships between property age, energy performance and pro-environmental innovations requiring adjustment to the fabric of buildings. Findings are presented from empirical research with small- and medium-sized tourism enterprises (SMTEs) occupying properties often well over a century old. This paper’s large-scale dataset and series of intensive case-histories demonstrates that property age does not play a straightforward role in encouraging or hindering efforts among accommodation providers to tackle climate change. Some (but not all) businesses with the oldest buildings performed and responded strongest, successfully introducing the latest renewable energy technologies, although adapting older buildings was not without complications and cost implications. Conceptually, this research points to the limits of calls for greater pro-environmental behaviour change without clearer understanding of the contexts and settings in which such behaviour takes place. Its findings are important to heritage based destinations worldwide: accommodation in heritage buildings can be a unique selling point.
Abstract.
Hall CM, Amelung B, Cohen S, Eijgelaar E, Gössling S, Higham J, Leemans R, Peeters P, Ram Y, Scott D, et al (2015). Denying bogus skepticism in climate change and tourism research.
Tourism Management,
47, 352-356.
Abstract:
Denying bogus skepticism in climate change and tourism research
This final response to the two climate change denial papers by Shani and Arad further highlights the inaccuracies, misinformation and errors in their commentaries. The obfuscation of scientific research and the consensus on anthropogenic climate change may have significant long-term negative consequences for better understanding the implications of climate change and climate policy for tourism and create confusion and delay in developing and implementing tourism sector responses.
Abstract.
Hall CM, Amelung B, Cohen S, Eijgelaar E, Gössling S, Higham J, Leemans R, Peeters P, Ram Y, Scott D, et al (2015). No time for smokescreen skepticism: a rejoinder to Shani and Arad. Tourism Management, 47, 341-347.
Coles TE (2015). Tourism mobilities: still a current issue in tourism?.
Current Issues in Tourism,
18(1), 62-67.
Abstract:
Tourism mobilities: still a current issue in tourism?
It is over a decade since the mobilities agenda first emerged in substantive form. Cohen and Cohen’s (2014) paper provides a timely opportunity to reflect on the achievements of mobilities thinking as it relates to travel and
tourism, in other words ‘tourism mobilities’. Viewed in multiple historical contexts, the emergence of a mobilities approach to understanding tourism is entirely justified. However, it is an important backdrop for any state-ofthe-art or cutting-edge analysis of tourism mobilities. Three enduring but fundamental issues regarding the study of tourism mobilities are raised, including whether the tourism mobilities agenda travels well. International comparative work of this nature on emerging world regions is clearly welcome and offers significant insights. However, viewed against its historical backdrop, it raises questions about the level of interest and
penetration of the tourism mobilities agenda generally, and beyond Europe, North America and Australasia specifically. In the process, it raises the spectre that interest in tourism mobilities is perhaps not what it once was
and the tourism academy may have moved on to the next grand challenge.
Abstract.
Coles TE, Zschiegner A-K, Dinan CR (2014). A cluster analysis of climate change mitigation behaviours among SMTEs.
Tourism Geographies: an international journal of tourism place, space and the environment,
16(3), 382-399.
Abstract:
A cluster analysis of climate change mitigation behaviours among SMTEs
Research on tourism and climate change has emphasised the contribution that the sector should make to the effort to reduce and stabilise greenhouse gas emissions. However the tourism sector response on the supply side has been disappointing and highly variable between and within its sub-sectors. This paper addresses the knowledge gap on the willingness and capacity for tourism businesses to mitigate. Innovation is used as the conceptual framework. At the firm level, mitigation requires innovation yet businesses innovate at different rates and hence their ability to contribute towards emissions reductions varies. A Cluster Analysis is presented of over 400 accommodation providers from Southwest England, a major UK destination region. Three distinctive clusters of SMTEs are identified based on how they innovated to mitigate climate change. The smallest (12%) had introduced a range of process and managerial innovations and was most forward-thinking and active. A second cluster (23%) had introduced several process innovations but its approach to managerial innovations was both partial and confused. The largest cluster (65%) had mainly enacted straightforward process innovations but failed to introduce managerial innovations to measure, monitor and act on their environmental performance. Taken together, these data suggest. that the contribution from accommodation providers to emissions reductions targets has been at best modest. Moving forward, greater analytical precision is needed if (this part of) the tourism sector is to be widely mobilised towards tackling climate change. Specifically, policy interventions have to be more effectively targeted at business needs and based on a more differentiated view of planned and enacted behaviour changes. One-size-fits-all prescriptions are inappropriate, arguably even counter-productive for encouraging the greatest level of mitigation activity across the widest range of tourism businesses.
Abstract.
Coles TE, Fencolva E, Dinan C (2014). Corporate Social Responsibility Reporting among European Low-Fares Airlines: Challenges for the Examination and Development of Sustainable Mobilities.
Journal of Sustainable Tourism,
22(1), 69-88.
Abstract:
Corporate Social Responsibility Reporting among European Low-Fares Airlines: Challenges for the Examination and Development of Sustainable Mobilities
This paper examines corporate social responsibility (CSR) practices among the growing Low-Fares Airlines (LFAs) flying between mainland Europe and the UK. A mixed methods approach was employed combining a content analysis of 22 airlines’ documentation with key-informant interviews with 11 airlines including three of the four market leading LFAs. The research discovered evidence that LFAs were aware of the need to act more responsibly but how far intentions resulted in action was difficult to establish. To date the examination of LFAs has relied heavily on secondary sources and perspectives external to the firm. The firms’ own CSR-related texts do not represent a reliable basis for examining responsibility among LFAs; they have a high degree of fragmentation and variable quality. In-depth interviews showed that while there is more CSR activity than is made public, incomplete knowledge was a more significant problem than bias or spin. Very few LFAs had conducted a systemic audit of CSR-related activity. Integrative approaches are required to overcome the limitations of single methods, to contribute towards a fuller understanding of responsibility among LFAs, and to inform debate on whether it is necessary to regulate in order to encourage sustainable development in this high growth sector.
Abstract.
Hunter-Jones P, Mccabe S, Coles T, Fyall A (2014). Editorial for the Special Issue of the International Journal of Tourism Research linked to the PhD Colloquium, Exeter, UK, 2nd-4th April 2012. International Journal of Tourism Research, 16(4), 313-314.
Warren N, Coles TE (2014). Out of sight and out of mind?. Tourism, the Journal of the Tourism Society, 160, 16-17.
Coles TE, Dinan CR, Hutchison, FC (2014). Tourism and the Public Sector in England since 2010:. a Disorderly Transition?.
Current Issues in Tourism,
17(3), 247-279.
Abstract:
Tourism and the Public Sector in England since 2010:. a Disorderly Transition?
The recent financial crisis has reconfigured tourism production and consumption. Many states have cut public spending to reduce deficits. However, there has been no analysis of the nature, extent or outcomes of such changes to state support for, or mediation of, the tourism sector. This paper examines how reforms since the Coalition Government came to power in May 2010 have impacted on tourism governance and administration in England, and how they have been experienced as they have been unfolding. This paper argues, more generally, for a greater appreciation of sense-making in critical studies of tourism and public policy. More specifically, rapid reforms to the preferred nature and scale of state intervention have had destabilising effects. New localism, sub-regional bodies, and a desire in central government to reduce public contributions to a minimum have introduced complexity and uncertainty to a previously ordered and understood system. The implications are that these reforms may frustrate other national policy aspirations they are intended to facilitate. As it is likely that other states will also downgrade their support for tourism in response to the crisis, the paper points to the importance of developing a deeper understandings of what happens as public sector support is withdrawn.
Abstract.
Coles TE, Zschiegner A-K, Dinan CR (2013). Climate change mitigation policy and the tourism sector: perspectives from the South West of England.
Journal of Policy Research in Tourism, Leisure and Events,
5(1), 1-27.
Abstract:
Climate change mitigation policy and the tourism sector: perspectives from the South West of England.
Climate change is one of the major challenges of our times and state intervention has been identified as a critical success factor in attempts to tackle it. This paper critically explores the reciprocal relationship between climate change policy and the tourism sector in the United Kingdom. It examines on the extent to which current mitigation activities within accommodation businesses in the South West of England reflect recent UK policy on climate change as well as the prospects of the tourism sector contributing to the delivery of the state’s aspirations in this area. Among tourism businesses there has been weak recognition of, and direct response to, recent policy UK initiatives and their associated instruments. If the tourism sector is to make a greater contribution to abating climate change, policy-making must progress from generic prescriptions towards a more nuanced approach that recognizes and addresses the particularities within key economic sectors such as tourism.
Abstract.
Coles TE, Dinan CR, Hutchison FC (2012). May we live in less interesting times?. Changing public sector support for tourism in England during the Sovereign Debt Crisis.
Journal of Destination Marketing and Management,
1-2, 4-7.
Abstract:
May we live in less interesting times?. Changing public sector support for tourism in England during the Sovereign Debt Crisis
This Regional Spotlight focuses on recent changes in public sector support for tourism in England since the Coalition Government was elected in 2010. It focuses on some of the early consequences of stripping away the long-established regional layer of tourism administration and its replacement with more flexible sub-regional arrangements of Local Enterprise Partnerships (LEPs) and Destination
Management Organisations (DMOs). Policy extols the importance of reaping the rewards of the 2012 Olympics, but the recent changes in tourism administration challenge this by creating great uncertainty and by putting responsibility for delivery in the hands of multiple quasi-independent, non-government bodies.
Abstract.
Fenclova E, Coles TE (2011). Charitable partnerships among travel and tourism businesses: perspectives from low fares airlines.
International Journal of Tourism Research,
13(4), 337-354.
Abstract:
Charitable partnerships among travel and tourism businesses: perspectives from low fares airlines.
Responsibility has been advocated as a key concept for the future management and governance of the tourism sector yet it has not been the subject of extensive empirical research among businesses and organisations. This paper addresses this knowledge gap by examining corporate philanthropy practises among low-fares airlines as a new and key sub-sector in travel and tourism. An analytical framework is developed and applied. Corporate philanthropy is practised more widely than may have been anticipated by the low-fares business model. For studies of tourism, the paper points to the need for greater theoretical and conceptual urgency in research on CSR and corporate philanthropy if future action is to match current advocacy.
Abstract.
Coles TE, Zschiegner AK (2011). Climate change mitigation among accommodation providers in the South West of England: comparisons between members and non-members of networks.
Tourism and Hospitality Research,
11(2), 117-132.
Abstract:
Climate change mitigation among accommodation providers in the South West of England: comparisons between members and non-members of networks
Networks are a well-established feature in contemporary tourism governance and management. This paper examines the extent to which there are differences among members and non-members of tourism networks in their efforts to introduce measures to mitigate the effects of climate change in their operations. Among accommodation providers in the South West of England, there is no significant difference between members and non-members of networks in the modest levels of innovation they have introduced. This is not to suggest that networks lack importance. Formal networks appear to provide an ideal platform if messages are promoted more carefully. Rather the paper
argues their importance may also lie 'beyond the network'. A fuller appreciation of their role in mediating sustainable tourism is only possible by considering the dynamics of membership and hence the potential for knowledge spillovers, boundary spanning behaviour, and the mediation of additional informal networks.
Abstract.
Coles TE, Fenclova E, Dinan CR (2011). Responsibilities, recession and the tourism sector:. perspectives on CSR among low-fares airlines during the economic downturn in the United Kingdom.
Current Issues in Tourism,
14(6), 519-536.
Abstract:
Responsibilities, recession and the tourism sector:. perspectives on CSR among low-fares airlines during the economic downturn in the United Kingdom
Responsibility has featured prominently in recent discussions about tourism governance. Nevertheless, research into corporate social
responsibility (CSR) among travel and tourism businesses is at a relatively early stage. This paper reports on external stakeholders’ perceptions of CSR among low-fares airlines (LFAs) in peripheral regions of the United Kingdom in late 2008; that is, during the
current global economic downturn. LFAs, their business plans and their ability to contribute towards sustainable development has been the source of much public discourse and media scrutiny in the last decade. This paper does not set out to reopen that debate per se. Rather it contributes to a deeper understanding of CSR in the tourism sector by arguing for a more nuanced approach to external stakeholders, one which is also informed by primary empirical
research from qualitative sources, and which is conceptually informed by the latest thinking from other sectors of economic activity. Important inter-regional variations exist in external stakeholders’ perceptions and valorisations of CSR, they are context-specific, and they are not static as their responses to the recent downturn reveal.
Abstract.
Coles TE, Hall CM (2011). Rights and Regulation of Travel and Tourism Mobility. Journal of Policy Research in Tourism, Leisure and Events, 3(3), 209-233.
Barr SW, Shaw G, Coles TE (2011). Sustainable Lifestyles: sites, practices and policy. Environment and Planning A, 43, 3011-3029.
Barr SW, Shaw G, Coles TE (2011). Times for (Un)sustainability? Challenges and opportunities for developing behaviour change policy. Global Environmental Change, 21, 1234-1244.
Marcevova K, Coles TE, Shaw G (2010). Young Holidaymakers in Groups: Insights on Decision-making and Tourist Behaviour among University Students.
Tourism Recreation Research,
35(3), 259-268.
Abstract:
Young Holidaymakers in Groups: Insights on Decision-making and Tourist Behaviour among University Students
While holiday behaviours among individual young people have been frequently studied, those among members of groups have been largely overlooked. This paper attempts to provide a better understanding of the determinants of multi-faceted holiday decisions made within travel parties of young people. The findings, which are derived from a quantitative analysis of a questionnaire survey and qualitative analysis of semi-structured interviews, revealed that the group is a vital component in how they take holidays. About 97% keep spend holidays accompanied by their parents, friends or partners depending on the age of young person. In this context, the power exerted by young people to influence the final decisions may vary significantly where an individual’s persuasion as well as financial and knowledge resources play an important role. The size of a travel party proved to be a statistically significant variable driving the holiday decision-making process itself. In larger travel parties, one member had a greater influence on holiday decisions and disagreements were experienced more often when compared to smaller groups.
Abstract.
Barr SW, Shaw G, Coles TE, Prillwitz J (2009). 'A holiday is a holiday’: practicing sustainability, home and away.
Journal of Transport Geography,
18(3), 474-481.
Abstract:
'A holiday is a holiday’: practicing sustainability, home and away
‘Behaviour change’ is one of the major concerns for academics and practitioners concerned with tackling climate change. Research amongst tourism geographers has conventionally focussed on the various choices that individuals can make, both before and during their holidays, to reduce environmental footprints, specifically through the use of sustainability criteria. However, whilst there is a developing understanding of the motivations for sustainable tourism practices, there is less appreciation of the relationship tourist practices have to everyday environmental activities in and around the home. This latter issue has been researched extensively by social psychologists and environmental sociologists. Accordingly, the paper will draw upon these two existing bodies of research to argue that a holistic understanding of ‘sustainable lifestyles’ is needed if effective behavioural change strategies for climate change are to be developed, revealing the complexities of contemporary environmental practices. Using data from a recent British Academy research project, the paper will explore the changing nature of sustainable lifestyles and will demonstrate the relationships between home- and tourism-based environmental practices. The paper will argue that whilst individuals are relatively comfortable with participating in a range of environmental behaviours in and around the home, the transference of these practices to tourism contexts can be problematic. This is particularly the case for high-consumption activities such as low-cost air travel. The paper concludes by arguing that both academics and policy makers need to re-frame their notions of ‘sustainable lifestyles’, transcending a series of practices and contexts.
Abstract.
Hall D, Singh TV, Henderson JC, Pearce PL, Brown F, Pike S, Coles T (2009). Book Reviews. Tourism Recreation Research, 34(1), 97-105.
Shaw G, Coles T (2009). Conference report. Urban History, 23(1), 90-92.
Coles T (2009). Ecotourism, NGOs and development. A critical analysis. Current Issues in Tourism, 12(3), 295-296.
Coles TE (2009). Tourism studies and the governance of higher education in the United Kingdom.
Tourism Geographies,
11(1), 23-42.
Abstract:
Tourism studies and the governance of higher education in the United Kingdom.
A major academic debating point in recent times has been the impact of the Research Assessment Exercise (RAE) on the higher education sector in the UK. Ex-post analyses of the RAE’s effects have appeared but this paper argues for a more forward-looking perspective. RAE 2008 is different to previous exercises, set as it is amid a period of significant reform and
turbulence in the sector. Rather than exclusively dwelling on the past, it is necessary to explore how tourism studies and tourism geography will fare in the new era. While there has been transparency in the dissemination of change and much is known about what is to come, several important ‘unknowns’ remain, not least how several reforms will function together. An attempt is made to identify likely changes and to map their potential impacts on the future nature and
practice of tourism scholarship.
Abstract.
Coles T (2008). Book Review. Journal of Sustainable Tourism, 14(1), 109-111.
Coles T (2008). Book Reviews. Current Issues in Tourism, 11(2), 203-204.
Coles T (2008). Mountain Resort Planning and Development in an Era of Globalization. Mountain Research and Development, 28(2), 177-177.
Coles TE, Liasidou SL, Shaw G (2008). Tourism and New Economic Geography: Issues and Challenges in Moving from Advocacy to Adoption.
Journal of Travel and Tourism Marketing,
25(3-4), 312-324.
Abstract:
Tourism and New Economic Geography: Issues and Challenges in Moving from Advocacy to Adoption
Calls for closer, mutually-enriching dialogues between studies of tourism and economic geography are often justified by the argument that tourism scholars are offered considerable theoretical, conceptual, and analytical opportunities by progress in economic geography. This article examines this claim through a discussion of the epistemological and methodological issues raised in the course of a study on unfolding production and consumption
trends on Cyprus. Specifically, it focuses on how the concept of innovation is understood by
academics as well as industry stakeholders in their efforts to bring the island destination to
market. Innovation is a key construct in contemporary social science research and it has been the source of considerable research activity in economic geography. This article demonstrates the need to move beyond appeals for, and defenses of, more widespread adoption to the practicalities. Set against the backdrop of recent debates on the nature of geographical inquiry, this work argues for a more realistic assessment of the limits to which geographical bodies of knowledge are able to contribute to further progress studies of tourism, in particular in marketing and distribution.
Abstract.
Singh S, Wall G, Coles T, Fagence M, Smith VL, Grötzbach E, Prideaux B, Singh TV, Ryan C, Zhang G, et al (2007). Book Reviews. Tourism Recreation Research, 32(2), 91-103.
Coles T (2007). M.ShellerJ.UrryTourism mobilities. Places to play, places in play2004RoutledgeLondon0-415-33879-4xi+240pp, (pbk). Tourism Management, 28(1), 335-336.
Coles T (2006). Book Review. Journal of Sustainable Tourism, 14(4), 418-420.
Coles T (2006). Book review. Tourism Management, 27, 356-357.
Coles T (2006). Book review. Tourism Management, 27(2), 356-357.
Coles TE, Hall M (2006). Editorial: the geography of tourism is dead. Long live geographies of tourism and mobility. Current Issues in Tourism, 9(4-5), 289-292.
Scherle N, Coles TE (2006). Inter-cultural communications and power relations in international tourism commodity chains. Zeitschrift fur Wirtschaftsgeographie, 50(2), 109-122.
Coles TE, Hall CM, Duval DT (2006). Tourism and post-disciplinary enquiry.
Current Issues in Tourism,
9(4-5), 293-319.
Abstract:
Tourism and post-disciplinary enquiry
In-recent times there has been discussion about whether studies of tourism are variously a disciplinary, multi-disciplinary or inter-disciplinary pursuit and how these relate to the institutional landscapes and practices of higher education. For some academics, these discourses are somewhat arid, but we would contend they are vital as they serve to set the epistemological terms of references for tourism scholars and play a not insignificant role in orchestrating knowledge production about tourism. This paper revisits some of these concerns relating to disciplinarity, and it suggests that disciplines as we understand them today are an artefact of previous academic divisions of labour which still dominate current institutional regulatory regimes. The purpose of the paper is to suggest that tourism studies would benefit greatly from a post-disciplinary outlook, i.e. a direction 'beyond disciplines' which is more problem-focused, based on more flexible modes of knowledge production, plurality, synthesis and synergy. Three possible approaches to the post-disciplinary study of tourism are identified by drawing on lessons from studies of political economy. While post-disciplinary studies of tourism have considerable potential to further our understanding of several major contemporary research themes, their introduction may be frustrated by the tourism academy and frameworks of academic governance. © 2006 T. Coles et al.
Abstract.
Coles TE, Shaw G (2006). Tourism, Property and the Management of Change in Coastal Resorts: Perspectives from South West England. Current Issues in Tourism, 9(1), 46-68.
Coles T (2006). Tourism, creativity and regional development: on the 'project paradigm' in South West England.
Wirtschaftsgeographische Studien(32-33), 30-45.
Abstract:
Tourism, creativity and regional development: on the 'project paradigm' in South West England
This paper considers the development of the tourism sector ostensibly from a perspective of the emerging project paradigm. Based on the foundations and practitioner popularity of the so-called 'science' of project management, recent discussions of so-called 'project ecologies' have been identified as important to contemporary regional development; the creativity that is necessary to deliver regional competitive advantages is harnessed and realised through a series of short-term but interlinked collaborations among stakeholders with defined responsibilities. Advances to our understanding of other economic sectors are critically discussed here and an initial attempt is made to assess the relevance of the project paradigm towards progressing our knowledges of the geography of tourism production. Empirical evidence is drawn from the South West of England where the future of tourism is reliant on high profile, high value, highly creative investments, in order to test the conceptual constructs. Four sets of significant insights are reported. In terms of the strategic development of the tourism sector in the region, the paper points to the importance of adopting a project-driven perspective; of dissecting attractions, their execution and their stakeholders in time and space; the importance of harnessing the benefits from the construction stage of the project (more effectively); and the importance of the composition of competence teams in the realisation of attractions as projects.
Abstract.
SHAW G, VEITCH C, COLES TIM (2005). ACCESS, DISABILITY, AND TOURISM: CHANGING RESPONSES IN THE UNITED KINGDOM. Tourism Review International, 8(3), 167-176.
Coles TE, Duval DT, Hall CM (2005). Mobilising tourism: a post-disciplinary critique. Tourism Recreation Research, 30(2), 53-63.
Shaw G, Coles T (2005). Selling the City: Urban Tourism Within the UK. Stadtetourismus, 265-278.
Coles TE, Hall D (2005). Tourism and EU enlargement: Plus ça change. International Journal of Tourism Research, 7(2), 51-61.
Coles T (2004). A Local Reading of a Global Disaster. Journal of Travel & Tourism Marketing, 15(2-3), 173-197.
Shaw G, Coles T (2004). Disability, Holidaymaking and the Tourism Industry in the UK. Tourism Management, 25, 397-403.
Coles T, Church A, Desforges L (2004). Discussion forum. Tourism Geographies, 6(2), 257-260.
Coles TE (2004). Tourism and leisure: reading geographies, producing knowledges. Tourism Geographies, 6(2), 1-8.
Coles TE (2004). Tourism and retail transactions: lessons from the Porsche experience. Journal of Vacation Marketing, 10(4), 378-389.
Coles T, Shaw G (2003). Strategy and tactics at the tourist-resident interface: Lessons for sustainable tourism management from the World Heritage city of Bath.
Tourism,
51(2), 165-176.
Abstract:
Strategy and tactics at the tourist-resident interface: Lessons for sustainable tourism management from the World Heritage city of Bath
This paper reports on research into local residents' attitudes to tourism and tourists, and their tactics towards consuming town centre spaces during peak season. Recent advances in sustainable tourism research have extolled a collaborative approach to tourism planning in which heterogeneity and plurality among the community more widely and local residents in particular are incorporated within solutions and visions. As valid as these approaches are, the results presented here suggest that a further, key facet of differentiation has to date been largely overlooked. While feelings among local residents to tourism and tourists have been routinely recorded on broad attitudinal scales, it is critical that the recognition of diversity among local residents, and its incorporation into the tourism planning process, extends further to address activity patterns. Such behaviours are vital if probable trajectories and outcomes of future tourism development are to be accurately appraised, especially in urban contexts.
Abstract.
Coles TE (2003). The emergent tourism industry in eastern Germany a decade after Unification. Tourism Management, 24(2), 217-226.
Coles T (2003). Tourism, Diaspora and the Mediation of Vacationscapes : Some Lessons from Enticing Jewish- Americans to Germany.
Espace, populations, sociétés,
21(2), 327-340.
Abstract:
Tourism, Diaspora and the Mediation of Vacationscapes : Some Lessons from Enticing Jewish- Americans to Germany
This paper attempts to inject a new impetus to research into the relationship between tourism and diaspora communities. A review of the discourses and ideas underpinning the concept of diaspora suggest that the tourism-diaspora interface has been both undertheorized and only partially revealed. While some revalorisation of this relationship is suggested in some recent work, this paper identifies four types of travel flows, destination spaces and experiences distinctive to diasporas. In so doing it suggests that, rather than by adopting the usual tourist- centred approach, a supply-side reading of the attempts to present Germany to Jewish- Americans reveals that the vacationscapes, products, events and the experiences are like the groups they seek to access: namely, hybridised. In effect, 'hybrid holidays' for produced for 'hybrid people'. Some of the conceptual and management implications of this observation are discussed.
Abstract.
Coles TE (2003). Urban tourism, place promotion and economic restructuring:. the case of post-socialist Leipzig. Tourism Geographies, 5(2), 190-219.
Coles T (2002). Dark tourism— the attraction of death and disaster, by John Lennon and Malcolm Foley. Continuum, London and New York, 2000. No. of pages: 184. Price £15.99. 0‐8264‐5064‐4. International Journal of Tourism Research, 4(6), 485-486.
Coles T (2002). Tourism, Recreation and Sustainability: Linking Culture and the Environment. Land Use Policy, 19(3), 269-271.
Coles T (1999). Competition, contested retail space and the rise of the department store in Imperial Germany. The International Review of Retail, Distribution and Consumer Research, 9(3), 275-289.
Coles T (1999). Department Stores as Innovations in Retail Marketing: Some Observations on Marketing Practice and Perception in Wilhelmine, Germany. Journal of Macromarketing, 19, 34-47.
Coles T (1999). Reviews. Journal of Historical Geography, 25(4), 578-579.
Coles T (1999). Reviews. Journal of Historical Geography, 25, 578-579.
Coles T, Shaw G (1997). A sign of the times: Scandinavian town directories as sources for urban historical geography.
Geografiska Annaler, Series B: Human Geography,
79(2), 65-81.
Abstract:
A sign of the times: Scandinavian town directories as sources for urban historical geography
The position of town and trade directories as sources for the reconstruction of former urban geographies of Scandinavia is discussed. Scandinavian directories have a long history which, in the case of major urban centres, can be traced back to the eighteenth century. They contain valuable information with respect to the social, economic, political and demographic organization of modern Scandinavian urban environments through extensive listings of names and addresses. Despite the wealth of information contained therein, directories remain an underused and unresearched data source due mainly to their perceived incompatibility with the themes pursued by research in urban historical geography and the diversity of alternative high quality sources available. Admittedly, the use of directories is not without problems and an assessment of the accuracy, availability and reliability of directory information is presented in this paper. Nevertheless, to dismiss directories represents a serious oversight: the continued history, rapid rate of update and spatial ubiquity of publication across the region after the onset of industrialization make directories a powerful source for comparative urban historical geography research in Scandinavia. Moreover, directories are highly versatile data sources and represent powerful artefacts of modernity insofar as they function as mirrors of cultural change and consumption.
Abstract.
Coles T, Alexander A, Shaw G (1997). Following the script: Optical Character Recognition Technology and the British Town and Trade Directory.
History and Computing,
9(1-3), 1-16.
Abstract:
Following the script: Optical Character Recognition Technology and the British Town and Trade Directory
Directories are a universal data source widely used in urban historical research. This paper reports on a series of experiments to explore the applicability of Optical Character Recognition (OCR) technology as a means of mass directory data entry.
Abstract.
Coles T (1997). Trading places. Applied Geography, 17(4), 315-333.
Shaw G, Coles T (1995). Directories as elements of town life - the case of National Socialist Germany.
Geographical Journal,
161, 296-306.
Abstract:
Directories as elements of town life - the case of National Socialist Germany
The position of town directories as sources in urban geography is discussed here. Traditionally attention has focused on their use in studies of social or commercial change in urban environments, and making use of the extensive listings of names and addresses contained therein. They are, however, far more versatile sources than this and provide excellent information on political and cultural change. Directories were often compiled not just with an administrative or commercial role in mind but to broadcast a particular image of society to the outside world. Perhaps nowhere is this more clearly illustrated than in Germany in the National Socialist period where directories were used as instruments of propaganda and social control. Concerted, and often quite subtle, efforts were made by the NSDAP through directories to cultivate a new image of society, one which was closely tied to their ideology. Moreover, when viewed against Hitler's town building programme, directory evidence casts it in a different light as one interested as much in projected image as urban regeneration.
Abstract.
Shaw G, Coles T (1995). European directories: a universal source for urban historians. Urban History, 22(1), 85-102.
Chapters
Coles TE (In Press). Globalization. In Jafari J, Xiao H (Eds.)
Encyclopedia of Tourism, Berlin: Springer.
Abstract:
Globalization
Abstract.
Coles T, Hall CM, Duval DT (2022). A Post-disciplinary Perspective on e-Tourism. In (Ed) Handbook of e-Tourism, Springer Nature, 95-118.
Coles T, Hall M, Duval D (2021). A post-disciplinary perspective on e-tourism. In Xiang Z, Fuchs M, Gretzel U, Höpken W (Eds.)
Handbook of e-Tourism, Cham: Springer, 1-24.
Abstract:
A post-disciplinary perspective on e-tourism
Abstract.
Coles T, Hall CM, Duval DT (2019). Chapter 5. Post-disciplinary Tourism. In (Ed) Philosophical Issues in Tourism, Channel View Publications, 80-100.
Borden DS, Coles T, Shaw G (2019). Social marketing, sustainable tourism, and small/medium size tourism enterprises: challenges and opportunities for changing guest behaviour. In (Ed) Marketing for Sustainable Tourism, Taylor & Francis, 35-52.
Coles TE, Fenclova E, Dinan CR (2015). Tourism and corporate social responsibility. In Hall CM, Gossling S, Scott D (Eds.)
The Routledge Handbook of Tourism and Sustainability, Abingdon: Routledge, 270-279.
Abstract:
Tourism and corporate social responsibility
Abstract.
Coles TE (2013). Much ado about nothing?. Tourism and the financial crisis. In Visser G, Ferreira S (Eds.) Tourism and Crisis, Abingdon: Routledge, 35-52.
Coles TE, Zschiegner AK (2013). Responses to climate change mitigation during recessionary times:. perspectives from accommodation providers in the Southwest of England. In Visser G, Ferreira S (Eds.) Tourism and Crisis, Abingdon: Routledge, 140-158.
Pitts MEJ (2012). Globalization. In Bagnall R, Broderson K, Champion C, Erskine A, Huebner S (Eds.) The encyclopedia of Ancient History, Wiley-Blackwell.
Hall CM, Coles T (2010). Introduction. In (Ed) International Business and Tourism, Taylor & Francis, 1-25.
Shaw G, Coles T (2010). Selling the City: Changes in Urban Tourism within the UK. In (Ed) Städtetourismus, R. Oldenbourg Verlag, 265-278.
Coles T (2008). Citizenship and the state. In (Ed) Routledge International Series in Tourism, Business & Management, Informa UK Limited, 55-69.
Scherle N, Coles T (2008). International business networks and intercultural communications in the production of tourism. In (Ed) Routledge International Series in Tourism, Business & Management, Informa UK Limited, 124-142.
Coles TE, Hall CM, Duval DT (2008). Post-disciplinary tourism. In Tribe J (Ed) Philosophical Issues in Tourism, Clevedon: Channel View, 80-100.
Coles TE (2008). Telling tales of tourism: mobility, media and citizenship in the 2004 EU Enlargement. In Burns PM, Novelli M (Eds.) Tourism and Mobility: Local-Global Connections, CAB International, 65-80.
Coles T (2008). The implementation of sustainable tourism: a project-based perspective. In (Ed) Sustainable Tourism Futures: Perspectives on Systems, Restructuring and Innovations, 203-221.
Coles TE (2008). The implementation of sustainable tourism: a project-based perspective. In Gossling S, Weaver D, Hall CM (Eds.) Sustainable Tourism Futures. Perspectives on Innovation, Scale and Restructuring, London: Routledge, 204-221.
Shaw G, Coles T (2007). The Resort Economy: Changing Structures and Management Issues in British Resorts. In Agarwal S, Shaw G (Eds.) Managing Coastal Tourism Resorts, Channel View, 40-56.
Shaw G (2006). Disability legislation and the empowerment of tourists with disabilities in the United Kingdom. In (Ed) Tourism, Power and Space, 83-100.
Coles TE (2006). Enigma Variations? the TALC, marketing models and the descendents of the Product Life Cycle. In Butler RW (Ed) The Tourism Area Life Cycle: Conceptual and theoretical issues, Clevedon: Channel View Books, 49-66.
Coles T, Duval DT, Hall CM (2005). Chapter 24 Tourism, mobility, and global communities: new approaches to theorising tourism and tourist spaces. In (Ed) Global Tourism, Elsevier, 463-481.
Coles TE (2004). Diaspora, Cultural Capital and the Production of Tourism: Lessons from Enticing Jewish-Americans to Germany. In Coles TE, Timothy DJ (Eds.)
Tourism, Diasporas and Space, London: Routledge, 217-232.
Abstract:
Diaspora, Cultural Capital and the Production of Tourism: Lessons from Enticing Jewish-Americans to Germany
Abstract.
Coles TE, Duval DT, Hall CM (2004). Tourism, mobility and global communities: new approaches to theorising tourism and tourist spaces. In Theobald W (Ed) Global Tourism, Amsterdam: Elsevier Butterworth-Heinemann, 463-481.
Coles TE (2004). Tourism, retailing and shopping: an axiomatic relationship?. In Lew AA, Williams AM, Hall CM (Eds.) A Companion to Tourism, Oxford: Wiley-Blackwell, 360-373.
Coles T (2004). What makes a resort complex?: Reflections on the production of tourism space in a Caribbean resort complex. In (Ed) Tourism in the Caribbean: Trends, Development, Prospects, 235-256.
Coles T, Shaw G (2002). Tourism, Tourists and Local Residents: Management Implications for the World Heritage City of Bath. In (Ed) City Tourism 2002, Springer Nature, 230-240.