Rethinking “Place” in Tourism Development: A Conceptual Framework of Place for Tourism Planners and Sociologists

Rethinking “Place” in Tourism Development: A Conceptual Framework of Place for Tourism Planners and Sociologists

The notion of place has been discussed within many different fields. Nonetheless, not many conversations are happening between the different fields that study this concept. This has resulted in the creation of a body of knowledge that, on instances, tend to be secluded from the knowledge created in other fields. Among them, the gap between planners and sociologists is significant. For instance, only a small number of planning articles mention the human/emotional connections to place, while sociologists often overlook the potential contribution of the physical environment in their observations. In here we propose an integrated framework that includes these two fields. We provide insights into why these two fields think differently about place and why we need an incorporated framework of place by indicating the strength and shortcomings of each field. Furthermore, we will extend this framework to the context of tourism-dependent communities to suggest how this concept can be applied in the tourism sector. Throughout this framework, we may better understand the importance of the social and physical aspects in community and facilitate them in planning processes and in sociological research. This holistic view will not only be beneficial to residents but also to tourists as well.