Jarkko Saarinen

Abstract

Geographical study of tourism has a long history and well-established relationship with human geography. The purpose of this paper is thus to discuss the role and nature of tourism geographies in relation to humangeography, by focusing on connections/disconnections between the fields. The issue of responsibility, representing one of the latest major focal points in geographical tourism studies of tourism, is also overviewedin relation to sustainability. It is concluded that, although the field of tourism geographies has become versatileand closer to the conceptual and theoretical understandings of human geography, there are increasin gprocesses challenging the academic production and circulation system of international tourism geographies, which scholars need to deal with.

Keywords: tourism, tourism geography, sustainability, responsibility, academic capitalism

Jarkko Saarinen [jarkko.saarinen@oulu.fi], University of Oulu Department of Geography P.O. Box 3000, FI-90014, Oulu: Finland