Political transitions and transition events in a tourism destination

Abstract

Despite the growing body of research on the interconnectedness between tourism and politics, significant research gaps remain. One such area is the relationship between political transitions and changes in tourism destinations. This article examines Iran as a case study of the interrelations. Drawing on semistructured interviews with key informants, this paper highlights the significant impacts that political transitions have had on Iranian tourism in general and inbound tourism in particular over time. The findings reveal that the divergent perceptions of key actors in Iran's political arena have affected the tendency and outcomes of tourism development in the country and make it aligned with the domestic political agendas and foreign policies of different factions in the country. Tourism has become a matter for political debate in the country's conservative‐dominated political institutions and is harnessed to the pursuit of policies that are linked to the dominant ideological orientation and religious doctrine. Overall, the study deepens and extends existing knowledge surrounding politics, power, and tourism by providing new insights into the process of political transition in a non‐Western country and its ramifications for tourism destination development.

Tourism Management Synergies in Sub-Saharan Africa

“…The closest study on tourism development to the current research in terms of periodicity and geographical focusis Nyasha et al (2021) The study also departs from the attendant contemporary and non-contemporary literature on the nexus between political (in)stability and tourism which has largely focused on, inter alia: the management of tourism market borders and fluid goods in selected African countries (Akko, 2015); how terrorism influences tourist arrivals (Seabra, Reis & Abrantes, 2020); nexuses between tourism, terrorism and political instability ; political transitions and transition events in the choice of a tourism destination (Seyfi & Hall, 2020) and the incidence of geopolitical risks on tourism (Lee, Olasehinde-Williams & Akadiri, 2021).…”

Exploring protest tourism motivations: The case of Hong Kong

“…Tourism can be seen as political theater highlighting spatiality and temporality (Connell, 2019). Individual travelers may be motivated to travel to a particular location at a critical political moment when they oppose government policy (Hall, 2018; Raines, 2019; Seyfi and Hall, 2020a) or want to become informed of local circumstances (Mahrouse, 2016; Seyfi and Hall, 2020b) even if they do not themselves protest. Seyfi and Hall (2020a, 2020b) note that tourists increasingly choose destinations undergoing political change.…”

Tourism management synergies in Sub‐Saharan Africa

“…The study also departs from the attendant contemporary and noncontemporary literature on the nexus between political (in)stability and tourism, which has largely focused on, inter alia: the management of tourism market borders and fluid goods in selected African countries (Akko, 2015); how terrorism influences tourist arrivals (Seabra et al, 2020); nexuses between tourism, terrorism, and political instability (Sönmez, 1998); political transitions and transition events in the choice of a tourism destination (Seyfi & Hall, 2020); and the incidence of geopolitical risks on tourism (Lee et al, 2021).…”