ABSTRACT
This section summarizes the key points discussed throughout the book, namely that travel journalism needs to evolve in order to remain relevant in an online media landscape. Practitioners need to understand the ethical and economic issues surrounding their work, and how they can incorporate new practices within these frameworks. Engaging with social media and following examples set by non-professionals could help professional journalists keep afloat as audience expectations change. Ultimately previous definitions of travel journalism remain operational, but the elements require critical analysis for online practitioners. Throughout the previous chapters, discussions of ethics, critiques, consumerism, and entertainment, among other ideas, illustrate how travel journalists can be applying theoretical concepts to their practice. Understanding the importance of being gatekeepers, curators, and influencers are just some of the lessons that future travel journalists need to absorb. In the end, even if they pursue alternative paths, thinking critically about travel journalism is a way for students and practitioners to apply their know-how to other areas, to professional ends. While a passion for reading, writing, and travel are all essential, professional travel journalism requires critical assessment, especially online where it often takes a back seat to non-professionally produced material.
