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easoned, unique issues identified and analysed,
theories invented and contested, methodologies
copied and adjusted, applications made and
sharpened. These efforts, whether performed
individually or collectively, all contribute paving
bricks �some half-baked) which shape the contour
of purposeful journeys �or `pilgrimages' to many)
for knowledge �or the `truth'), leading the exploration
beyond the visible peaks and valleys, to
destinations mostly hidden from view.
In the case of tourism, during its short course of
research and scholarship, the journey has occasionally
reached new heights affording panoramic
views of the expanding landscape and inviting new
thoughts and perspectives. On such rare occasions,
the march may be halted momentarily to write
`memoirs' or travelogues. For this discussion, two
types of such expositions come to mind. One, a
register or travelogue of the whole journey, recalls
what preceded the beginning, takes stock of what
has been crossed, claims discoveries made, names
peaks and valleys passed, lists new lands mapped,
and even notes sites bypassed and opportunities
lost. Such an annals of knowledge stored and
merits acquired can refine the hindsight into a
history of the field, first broadly brushed then
gradually detailed, to show the patterns and
conditions shaping the flow, from one development
to the next, from one phase to its successor.
Significantly from this overlooking vantage,
during this special recollection moment, the windshield
view can be synergized with the rear-view
for the production of a different `memoir' of the
journey. This second type gathers into its covers
extracts �or snapshots) from the whole expedition,
by featuring an inventory of individual bricks and
mortars, tools and methods, shapes and patterns,
occupied niches and unfilled cavities. Such a
registry of the known and tentative, practices and
philosophies, can result in a handy assortment of
brief texts which would constitute the contents of
an encyclopedia: intended to enable and guide the
rest of the expedition, to influence research
itineraries, to suggest goals and paths, to indicate
challenges and opportunities, and more. While the
first `memoir' ± the history of this scientification
�including its main events and players) ± is yet to be
fully researched and written, the encyclopedia
suggested itself as an urgently needed travel
Introduction xix
companion, as a carry-on baggage on this scholarly
journey. With this outlook, from this heightened
plateau, the ambition to publish this reference book
was conceived, gradually gestated, and slowly
brought to fruition.
Seeing a need for and making a commitment to
this reference source was easy from that high
altitude, but its practical development in the
ordinary plains below proved quite otherwise.
The real challenge of producing this publication
began immediately after the publishing contract
was signed. Initial questions were many, including
what actually constitutes a tourism encyclopedia,
what should be included or excluded and why, how
long each entry should be, who should write the
selected entries, what format would work best, and
much more. To comment on one of these concerns,
for example, even if a list of `headwords' �for
eventual entries) could be magically produced,
there still must be coherent procedures to generate,
co-ordinate, evaluate and discipline some hundreds
of contributions for inclusion. Despite these
ambiguities, or in the absence of a tested plan or
a blueprint in this field, this first traditional
encyclopedia devoted to tourism seemed almost
of itself to be determined to begin.
The initial decision, recorded in the 1995
project proposal submitted to the publisher, was
that the volume be international in scope and
multidisciplinary in nature and treatment, thus
offering the best road map to those landscape
topographies native to tourism. In many respects,
Annals of Tourism Research served to model the
development of the project at hand. From personal
knowledge of expertise in the field and outside
insights sought, a multidisciplinary editorial team
was formed in early 1996. Their disciplinary
representations, in alphabetic order, included
anthropology, economics, education, environment,
geography, history, hospitality, leisure, management,
marketing, political science, psychology,
recreation, religion, sociology and transportation.
Additional fields could indeed have been added,
but to expedite the project and keep it timely, this
team, with the rich range of expertise among them,
was deemed a representative compromise. In
addition to disciplinary editors, a smaller number
were appointed to oversee the development of
entries relating to major tourism generating/