ABSTRACT
As we move into the new millennium we are constantly told this will be the ‘Asian century.’ By 2050, India and China will be the powerhouses of the global economy. If this is the case, then it can be safely assumed that modernization, development and vast increases in wealth for hundreds of millions of people will lead to unprecedented levels of travel. Urry’s (2007) suggestion that contemporary globalization demands us to re-conceive societies in terms of ‘mobilities’ holds extremely important consequences for understanding and making sense of the rapid changes now occurring in Asia. The near overnight growth of budget airlines across the region and the launch of a car costing US$2,500 by Tata that will bring the freedom of movement to hundreds of thousands of families are just two indicators of a mobile future. Is the world of academia, and in particular the field of tourism studies, institutionally and intellectually equipped to address the profound social changes Asian tourism will inevitably bring? I believe it isn’t. In this final chapter I want to spell out why not and offer some initiatives that might help us better address the myriad challenges and possibilities Asian tourism poses. The chapter begins by highlighting some of the key problems that continue to lie at the heart of scholarship on tourism. This is followed by a discussion of how such issues might be tackled in ways that create a more pluralistic, less Western-centric discourse.
