Tourism theory and the earth

Given that tourism is an “earthly business”, why is it that the Earth rarely explicitly appears in tourism studies and tourism theory? In an attempt to grapple with this paradox, this paper seeks to contribute to a conceptual re-cognition of the Earth in tourism theory by probing some theoretical obstacles and possibilities. The paper demonstrates how the Earth has been conceptually erased in tourism theory by a privileging of the mapping of tourism and tourists onto the reference plane of the social. As an alternative the paper seeks to provide a geo-philosophically informed conceptualisation of the Earth as a primary plane of reference of which tourism is a particular form of de/re-territorialisation.

Research highlights
► The paper aims to add to the conceptual and theoretical debate in tourism studies.
► The paper argues that tourism is predominantly theorised through social theory.
► The paper makes room for the hitherto ignored Earth as part of tourism theory.
► The paper introduces terms and ways to address tourism theory on ‘earthly terms’.
► The paper argues this is of consequence to greater global environmental rhetoric.