Regional Science and Tourism in the Era of Global Uncertainty

(NECTAR Special Session in North American Meetings of the Regional Science Association International RSAI 2020)

NECTAR Clusters 5-6 Special Session

San Diego, CA, USA November 11-14, 2020

Call for papers

As part of the Annual Meetings of 2020 North American Regional Science Council (NARSC) in San Diego, CA from November 11 to 14, 2020, we would like to invite you to special session(s) for “Tourism and Regional Science in the Era of Global Uncertainty” that Nectar clusters 5 and 6 are organizing jointly with the NARSC and RSAI.

The website for submission is now open in the User Area of NARSC website (https://www.narsc.org/newsite/userarea/UserArea.php). Short abstracts as well as full papers (also in draft format) will be accepted for the Special Session.

If you are interested in presenting your research in this special session, please submit an abstract (2,000 to 5,500 characters and spaces) through the conference portal. Information on how to do that can be found here. Upon submitting your abstract, you will receive an abstract ID number (e.g. P12345). Please send your abstract ID number and a copy of your abstract to Jaewon Lim, University of Nevada Las Vegas, This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it., Juan Carlos Martin, University of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. and Luca Zamparini, University of Salento,   This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. no later than June 30, 2020.

Selected full papers will be invited for publication in a special issue of the Regional Science Policy & Practice Journal, following standard review/revision procedures. (https://rsaiconnect.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/journal/17577802).

Main topic

Christaller (1964) was probably one of the first regional scientists who analysed, after the conference held in Lund during 1963, the patterns on geographical location of tourist activity. Christaller found that “It is typical for places of tourism to be on the periphery. In this way, regions economically benefit from factors which cannot be utilized otherwise: high mountain chains, barren, rocky landscapes, heather, unproductive dunes.” (p.86). Since then, the tourism industry has changed dramatically. It is not so much the activity to move away from each other but instead to be with each other visiting their places and new places, also being involved with tourists in our own places because the we, and the places we live, are nice. That is why regional science – the study of human interaction within space with sound methods – has a say that can change the scientific perspectives on tourism that often miss space and the relation with each other. Regional Science as a discipline needs to analyse multiple strategies, policies and trends that are critical for tourist destinations that aspire to position and to consolidate their image in the world-wide network of tourist destinations at different geographical levels, urban or rural, within a framework of tough global competition. However, as world is currently experiencing, the unexpected events including but not limited to pandemic contagious diseases, regional political instabilities, safety issues with terrorist attacks, make the future of tourism uncertain. Due to the increasing concerns for mobility across space with the growing global uncertainty, tourism activities are expected to get downward pressure, while the increasing demand for various types of experience in tourism destinations may boost the worldwide growth of tourism in the future.

For this reason, potential topics discussed at the Special Session include:

• How can tourism studies benefit from Regional Science?

• Quantitative methods of Regional Science applied to Tourism

• Pandemic Diseases and Tourism Industry

• Consumer Behavior & Tourism Analysis

• From Well-Being and Happiness of tourists to Quality of Life of host residents.

• New Directions and Paradigms in Regional Science applied to Tourism

• From Decision Making to Travel Behavior

• Regional Science and Hospitality Research. The notion of industrial clusters.

• Tourism Infrastructure. Natural and Cultural Endowments

• Tourism Flows. Place, Time and Activities

• National and Regional Tourism and Travel Competitiveness

• Tourism Trends. Climate Change and Sustainable Tourism

• Tourism Demand: Demographic, Behavioral and Social Changes.

The abstracts/papers will be reviewed by the Organizing Committee and the notification of paper acceptance will be distributed by July 15th, 2020.

Organizing committee. For more information or questions please contact Jaewon Lim, University of Nevada Las Vegas (This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.), Tomaz Dentinho, University of the Azores (This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.): Juan Carlos Martin, University of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. and Luca Zamparini, University of Salento, This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

NECTAR is a European-based scientific association. The primary objective is to foster research collaboration and exchange of information between experts in  the field  of transport, communication and mobility from all European countries and the rest of the world. It is a multidisciplinary social science network. It brings together a wide variety of perspectives on transport and communication problems and their impacts on society in an international perspective. For further information see: http://www.nectar-eu.eu