Tracking Tourists

"This book is the most comprehensive text examining the many issues relating to tracking tourist movements. It is well written, logically developed and easy to follow. A must read for anyone interested in this subject." Professor Bob McKercher, Chairman of the Board, the International Academy for the Study of Tourism

"Based on Dr Hardy’s meticulous research and observations over many years, this book is a fascinating exploration of the connections between travel, technology, and mobility. What sets this book apart is the important focus on the ethical - and very human side - of tourism tracking. It’s also a really good read!"Professor Erica Wilson, Associate DVC (Academic), Office of Deputy Vice Chancellor, Southern Cross University, Australia

Unlike previous texts that have focussed on migratory patterns of tourists and new mobilities in tourism, Tracking Tourists: Movement and mobility is the first text to address tourist movement in from a methodological angle in the post-digital era. It assesses how movement and migration has been recorded in the past, how it may be recorded and assessed now and the possibilities for exploring movement in the future.

Using international case studies that are both current and historical, it explores the range of options that exist for assessing tourists’ movement, along with the relative merits of each method. It will give a special focus to new technologies that facilitate our understanding of movement, such as the use of big data, hashtag scraping, Wi-Fi tracking, farming data from mobile phone towers and cutting-edge GPS tracking. It discusses the positive and negative consequences of the use of these new technologies and tackles issues such as ethical dilemmas and future trends and technology needs.

Tracking Tourists: Movement and mobility:

• Serves as the definitive guide for understanding the methods involved in understanding tourist movements and tourist migration patterns’
• Uses international case studies from around the world, both current and historical to explore the range of options that exist.
• Gives a special focus to new technologies that facilitate our understanding of movement.

Publication: Nov 2020