Travel agent discourses of mass tourism: beyond stereotypes?

Does sustainability matter to package tourists? The case of large‐scale coastal tourism

“…This is in line with Torres () who notes that it is an ambiguous term lacking a clearly agreed definition and with Vera Rebollo and Ivars Baidal () who claim that it represents a simplification of the reality. Vainikka () points out that this term has to be conceptually revised. Burns () states that it has become an “overused clichè” that carries no significant meaning.…”

The commodification of English language teaching in tourism: A sustainable solution?

“…The TEFL Package: Evidence from the Teacher The prominence of the use of agencies such as those discussed above was evident through the collection of survey data, where almost half (49%) of respondents stated that they had utilised an agency to organise their TEFL placement. As suggested above, these packages were reflective of a post-modern holiday experience (Vainikka, 2014), as opposed to the traditional package holiday model. Rather than incorporating transportation and accommodation as key components, packages consumed by respondents included a range of different elements, outlined in table 2.…”

“…Holiday packages, an integral part of the mass tourism sector, are commonly facilitated through the use of third party agents, often referred to as tour operators, whose function is to purchase and assemble a number of components in the transportation, accommodation and other travel sectors before selling these as a commodified holiday package (Holloway, 1992;Fletcher et al, 2013). Although this fundamental purpose has remained the same for the past twenty-five years, the nature of packages has evolved in situ with the dynamicity of the tourism industry (Vainikka, 2014). Often considered a manifestation of mass tourism, package holidays have traditionally been associated with sea, sun and sand motivations and destinations, along with the homogenous and standardised nature of Fordist mass (Fletcher et al, 2013;Poon, 1993).…”

“…Often considered a manifestation of mass tourism, package holidays have traditionally been associated with sea, sun and sand motivations and destinations, along with the homogenous and standardised nature of Fordist mass (Fletcher et al, 2013;Poon, 1993). Despite the progressive move away from this association, however, mass and alternative forms of tourism largely remain dialectically polarised (Weaver, 2007) and have been described as hierarchical (Vainikka, 2014), with mass tourism associated with negative connotations and alternative or sustainable tourism forms viewed as 'good' or 'better'. Weaver (2007) argues that alternative forms of tourism, such as TEFL tourism, have begun to converge with the mass market, but the process is asymmetrical and heavily skewed towards mass tourism.…”

TEFL tourism: the tourist who teaches

“…Similar to many volunteer tourism packages, examination of TEFL organisations advertised on the Internet presents parallels in many ways with the traditional travel agent, acting as post-modern tour operators that have moved beyond the traditional stereotype of the package holiday Vainikka, 2014). Many programs offer travel advice and orientation prior to departure, in-country transportation, accommodation and visa assistance.…”