Routledge Handbook on Gender in Tourism

This comprehensive handbook delves into the multifaceted dimensions of the role of gender in tourism, spanning education, research, and practice.

With 40 international contributions from leading thinkers in the field, this book brings together diverse themes such as entrepreneurship, mobility, sustainability, and sexuality. In doing so it shatters traditional boundaries and dissects how gender influences perceptions, experiences, and opportunities, advocating for equality and challenging entrenched power dynamics. Informed by the United Nation's Gender Equality goals, this handbook champions the potential of gender-aware tourism to reshape the world by fostering inclusivity, empowerment, and understanding. It adopts diverse insights, encompassing feminist and queer perspectives, challenging norms, and exploring marginalised voices. By dissecting gender in educational, entrepreneurial, and research contexts, it unveils hidden dynamics. This book empowers readers to grasp the breadth of gender's role and equips them with tools to foster equality and reshape the tourism landscape, while making suggestions for future research agendas.

This book is intended for scholars, educators, researchers, government officials and practitioners in the fields of gender studies, tourism, education, entrepreneurship, employment, mobility, research, sustainability, and sexuality.

Magdalena Petronella (Nellie) Swart is an Associate Professor in Tourism at the University of South Africa (Unisa) and a Certified Meeting Professional. She holds a DCom in Leadership Performance and Change. Nellie authored and co-authored journal articles, books, book chapters, and several conference proceedings and has organised local and international conferences. Recently she co-edited two tourism handbooks and is a regular speaker at tourism industry events. She is the Chair of the Tourism Educators South Africa (TESA) and the programme leader for the Executive Development Programme for Women in Tourism at Unisa. In 2022 the International Hospitality Institute recognised Nellie as one of the 100 Most Powerful People in Africa Hospitality. She is also recognised as the G100 City Chair for Johannesburg.

Wenjie Cai is an Associate Professor in Tourism at the University of Greenwich, United Kingdom. Wenjie gained his PhD in Tourism from the University of Surrey, United Kingdom. Wenjie’s area of expertise and research interests include digital well-being, social inclusion, knowledge creation, technology use, and consumer behaviour. Wenjie aims to advocate digital well-being and support marginalised and disadvantaged groups through his research. Wenjie has more than 30 research outputs, including publications in world-leading journals in the field. His research has been reported globally by more than 500 media.

Elaine Chiao Ling Yang is a Senior Lecturer in Tourism at Griffith University. Elaine’s work focuses on the empowerment of marginalised groups in tourism, including women, children and migrants, as travellers, entrepreneurs, and workers. Most of her work entails an intersectionality lens that foregrounds the intertwined gender, race, and cultural identities. She also specialises in solo travel, Asian tourism, and visual research methods. Elaine is an associate editor of Frontiers in Sustainable Tourism (Social Impact of Tourism) and editorial board member of Tourism Management Perspectives. Elaine has received multiple research awards, including the CAUTHE Fellows Award in 2023.

Albert Nsom Kimbu is a Reader and Head of the Tourism and Transport Department in the School of Hospitality and Tourism Management, University of Surrey, Guildford, United Kingdom. He is also the co-founder of the Gender, Entrepreneurship and Social Policy Institute (GESPi). He is also a Senior Research Fellow at the School of Tourism and Hospitality, University of Johannesburg, South Africa. Dr Kimbu researches gendered entrepreneurial pathways, development-led, and inclusive tourism. He has received funding from the British Academy, Newton Fund, UKRI, UNWTO, UNIDO among others, to consult and undertake research on these topics, resulting in publications in leading tourism management journals, including Annals of Tourism Research, Tourism Management, Journal of Travel Research, Journal of Sustainable Tourism, industry reports, and edited books.