The Political Geography of Tourism

This book offers an accessible introduction to the relationship between tourism and politics. Moving beyond traditional ideas about borders and passports, the chapters in this volume examine how everyday interactions, cultural ideologies, celebrity influence, and political decisions shape our understanding of place and power.

Through engaging examples―such as the recent controversy over pop star Taylor Swift’s concert tour in Southeast Asia and the wide-ranging impacts of digital nomads―the book highlights how tourism can both reflect and influence geopolitical tensions, alliances, and identities. It also reveals how the global flows of tourists and the politics behind them are deeply embedded in the broader structures of power, sovereignty, and international relations. By integrating insights from political and tourism geography, this collection demonstrates how tourism forms a vital part of contemporary geopolitics. Perfect for curious readers and students alike, the book invites us to see tourism as a window into the complex and often contradictory forces that shape global politics.

The chapters in this book were originally published in Tourism Geographies.

Benjamin Lucca Iaquinto is Assistant Professor in the Department of Geography, University of Hong Kong. His research explores the environmental and political implications of tourism mobilities. He is an Associate Editor of Tourism Geographies and a Steering Committee member of the Australian Mobilities Research Network.

Jamie Gillen is Associate Professor in Global Studies at Waipapa Taumata Rau/the University of Auckland, Aotrearoa New Zealand. Jamie is trained as a human geographer who researches political transformations in Asia, with a focus on Southeast Asia and Vietnam. Jamie is an Editor for Tourism Geographies and Associate Editor for the Global Vietnam Book Series.

Mary Mostafanezhad is Professor in the Department of Geography and Environment at the University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa. Her scholarship focuses on socio-environmental change in the Asia-Pacific. She is the Co-Editor-in-Chief of Tourism Geographies and editor for the Critical Green Engagements Series.