| dc.description.abstract | This is the second volume of the ongoing research programme on
backpacking developed by the Backpacker Research Group (BRG) of the
Association for Tourism and Leisure Education (ATLAS). The BRG aims
to act as a platform for the discussion and debate between researchers of
backpacker travel worldwide. It follows on from the success of the first
volumeThe Global Nomad(Richards & Wilson, 2004) and seeks to further
shape this relatively new area of tourism research.
The idea for the book was initiated at a meeting at Kasetsart
University in Bangkok in September 2005 attended by 31 members of
the BRG including researchers from the UK, Germany, Spain, the
Netherlands, Finland, Australia, New Zealand, Japan, Korea, Israel and
Malaysia. Drafts of the chapters contained in this volume were presented
at this three-day meeting and these generated continued discussion and
updates on the nature, meaning and significance of backpacker tourism.
The meeting also enabled feedback to be given to the contributors to this
volume and helped to develop the concept of the book.
This book, however, is not an exhaustive account of backpacker
tourism research and nor is it meant to be. There are clear areas of
theoretical, methodological and geographical research on backpacker
tourism still to be covered and we point to this in the concluding chapter
of the volume. Furthermore, at the time of writing new meetings of the
BRG are being planned in Malaysia and India. Information about the
ATLAS BRG activities can be found on the Internet (www.atlas-euro.org). | en_US |
