tourism topic in geography

• Subject List
• Take a Tour
• For Authors
• Subscriber Services
• Publications
• African American Studies
• African Studies
• American Literature
• Anthropology
• Architecture Planning and Preservation
• Art History
• Atlantic History
• Biblical Studies
• British and Irish Literature
• Childhood Studies
• Chinese Studies
• Cinema and Media Studies
• Communication
• Criminology
• Environmental Science
• Evolutionary Biology
• International Law
• International Relations
• Islamic Studies
• Jewish Studies
• Latin American Studies
• Latino Studies
• Linguistics
• Literary and Critical Theory
• Medieval Studies
• Military History
• Political Science
• Public Health
• Renaissance and Reformation
• Social Work
• Urban Studies
• Victorian Literature
• Browse All Subjects

How to Subscribe

• Free Trials

In This Article Expand or collapse the "in this article" section Tourism Geography

Introduction, general overviews.

• Progress in Human Geography Reports
• The Institutional Environment Shaping Tourism Geography Education
• Culture and Heritage Tourism
• Tourism and Agriculture
• Economic Geography and Tourism
• Migration and Mobilities
• Destination Place Branding

Related Articles Expand or collapse the "related articles" section about

About related articles close popup.

Lorem Ipsum Sit Dolor Amet

Vestibulum ante ipsum primis in faucibus orci luctus et ultrices posuere cubilia Curae; Aliquam ligula odio, euismod ut aliquam et, vestibulum nec risus. Nulla viverra, arcu et iaculis consequat, justo diam ornare tellus, semper ultrices tellus nunc eu tellus.

• Cultural Geography
• Economic Geography
• Geography of Beer
• Geography of Wine
• Globalization
• Touristification

Other Subject Areas

Forthcoming articles expand or collapse the "forthcoming articles" section.

• Indigeneity
• Geography Faculty Development
• Urban Greening
• Find more forthcoming articles...
• Export Citations
• Share This Facebook LinkedIn Twitter

Tourism Geography by Deborah Che LAST REVIEWED: 27 April 2017 LAST MODIFIED: 27 April 2017 DOI: 10.1093/obo/9780199874002-0156

Geography is the ideal discipline for studying the global tourism industry; as the key journal Tourism Geographies (under Journals ) explains, there are many fundamentally geographical aspects to tourism which (1) “occurs in places, (2) is sold and begins in a place of origin and is consumed in destination places, (3) transforms the environment of visited places in ways that are distinct from non-tourism processes, (4) involves the movement of people, goods, services, ideas, and money over space, and (5) presents a distinct way that people view, understand and relate to the world.” Given the inherently spatial aspects of tourism, geographers have contributed significantly to academic tourism studies. They have developed some of the most important conceptual models for explaining tourism development, including resort morphology, the tourist-historic city, and the tourist area life cycle. Additionally geographers have made the most sustained contributions to the study of the environmental dimensions of tourism and have been major contributors to the concepts of sustainable tourism and Ecotourism . Even though it has been at the core of tourism studies and also strengthened geography department enrollments, tourism geography ironically has been somewhat peripheral in academic geography. This status may be due in part to the inertia of academic institutions and staff in not seeing tourism as a serious subject for study, as well as the difficulty in measuring the tourism industry as compared to primary and secondary industries. This bibliography highlights the contributions of tourism geography and geographers to tourism research and education through a review of general overviews, Handbooks , Journals , Progress in Human Geography Reports , and Textbooks and publications on Tourism Geography Education , as well as those on specific topical areas including Culture and Heritage Tourism , Sustainability and Tourism , Migration and Mobilities , Economic Geography and Tourism , and Destination Place Branding .

The sources in this section provide overviews of tourism geography and are references to the extensive literature reviewed. Butler 2004 interweaves personal experiences from Butler’s academic career in geography in Canada and tourism management in the UK in discussing geographical research on tourism before 1950, from 1950–1980 and post-1980 to the early 21st century. His earlier contributions primarily concerned environmental aspects of tourism such as sustainable development, carrying capacity, and limits to use, while his later work diversified into areas including mobilities and movement, regional development, and cultural topics. Hall 2013 reviews contemporary tourism geography and argues that the subdiscipline has been a significant contributor to the melding and hybridity of geographic binaries, especially in the development of more critical applied geographies of environmental change. Hall and Page 2009 identifies themes emerging from the research of geographers, including explaining spatialities, tourism planning and places, development and its critiques, tourism as an “applied” area of research, and future prospects in the development of spatiality in tourism research. Focusing on the state of North American tourism geography, Meyer-Arendt and Lew 2003 highlights the research themes and approaches of members of the Recreation, Tourism and Sport specialty group of the Association of American Geographers. In contrast to the former pieces, which largely focus on tourism geography research published in English, Kreisel 2004 provides an insight into the German geographical research on tourism and leisure which—with the exception of Christaller’s application of his central places theory to tourism and his hypothesis that zones more distant from urban and industrial agglomerations were more favorable for tourism development—is largely unfamiliar to non-German readers. Likewise, Lazzarotti 2002 reviews French tourism geography research outside the Anglo-American dominated academic literature. The general overviews in Butler 2004 , Hall 2013 , and Hall and Page 2009 note that while geography has been foundational to tourism studies, with over one-third of the most cited tourism scholars from 1970–2007 having graduate qualifications in geography ( Hall and Page 2009 ), tourism has been marginalized in academic geography, with few positions in geography departments and barely a mention in key publications on the history of geographical thought. Likewise Butler 2004 (see also Sustainability and Tourism ) found hardly any articles on tourism and recreation were published in the leading geographical journals from 1950–1990. While the 1970s embargo on tourism research at the Annals of the Association of American Geographers ended with a change in editors and policy ( Butler 2004 ), tourism research has remained relatively peripheral in geography as contrasted to geography’s core status within tourism.

Butler, Richard. “Geographical Research on Tourism, Recreation, and Leisure: Origins, Eras, and Directions.” Tourism Geographies 6.2 (2004): 143–162.

DOI: 10.1080/1461668042000208453

Draws on the author’s four-decade involvement in the field of leisure, recreation, and tourism. Uniquely interweaves personal narratives in discussing the diverse research emphases and contributions by geographers; the explosion in tourism programs (mainly in business and management schools); and future contributions possible if a strong spatial focus and a synthesizing approach are maintained.

Hall, C. Michael. “Framing Tourism Geography: Notes from the Underground.” Annals of Tourism Research 43 (2013): 601–623.

DOI: 10.1016/j.annals.2013.06.007

While noting the context in which tourism geography operates as a foundational discipline to the study of tourism (although perceived as marginal to institutional geography) the article argues that tourism geography has been a significant contributor to bridging geographic binaries, including the applied versus theoretical and physical versus human.

Hall, C. M., and S. J. Page. “Progress in Tourism Management: From the Geography of Tourism to Geographies of Tourism—A Review.” Tourism Management 30.1 (2009): 3–16.

DOI: 10.1016/j.tourman.2008.05.014

Provides a review of the state of tourism geography thirty years from when the journal first began publishing articles by geographers; especially timely given the subdiscipline is at a crossroads with the retirement of those who contributed significantly to tourism studies and the emergence of a new generation of tourism geographers.

Kreisel, Werner. “Geography of Leisure and Tourism Research in the German-speaking World: Three Pillars to Progress.” Tourism Geographies 6.2 (2004): 163–185.

DOI: 10.1080/1461668042000208435

This article provides an insight into German-language research in this subdiscipline, from Hans Poser’s 1939 on landscape and tourism regions to current applied foci on sustainable tourism, including strategic resource and quality management planning and the transformation of former industrial landscapes for recreation, leisure, and tourism.

Lazzarotti, Olivier. “French Tourism Geographies: A Review.” Tourism Geographies 4.2 (2002): 135–147.

DOI: 10.1080/14616680210124909

This article provides an historical overview of the French geographical literature on tourism since the end of the 19th century, which has been hampered by academic institutional assumptions of what is/is not geography.

Meyer-Arendt, Klaus J., and Alan A. Lew. “Recreation, Tourism and Sport.” In Geography in America at the Dawn of the 21 st Century . Edited by Gary L. Gaile and Cort J. Willmott, 526–542. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2003.

A useful overview that identifies the broad tourism geography themes and approaches in which recreation, tourism and sport academics have published, including travel; historical tourism; perception; environmental aspects; destination studies; specialized tourism including cultural, farm, and rural tourism and resorts and marketing; and economic aspects of tourism.

back to top

Users without a subscription are not able to see the full content on this page. Please subscribe or login .

Oxford Bibliographies Online is available by subscription and perpetual access to institutions. For more information or to contact an Oxford Sales Representative click here .

• About Geography »
• Meet the Editorial Board »
• Abortion, Geographies of
• Accessing and Visualizing Archived Weather and Climate Dat...
• Activity Space
• Actor Network Theory (ANT)
• Age, Geographies of
• Agent-based Modeling
• Agricultural Geography
• Agricultural Meteorology/Climatology
• Animal Geographies
• Anthropocene and Geography, The
• Anthropogenic Climate Change
• Applied Geography
• Arctic Climatology
• Arctic, The
• Art and Geography
• Assessment in Geography Education
• Atmospheric Composition and Structure
• Automobility
• Aviation Meteorology
• Beer, Geography of
• Behavioral and Cognitive Geography
• Belt and Road Initiative
• Biodiversity Conservation
• Biodiversity Gradients
• Biogeography
• Biogeomorphology and Zoogeomorphology
• Biometric Technologies
• Biopedoturbation
• Body, Geographies of the
• Borders and Boundaries
• Brownfields
• Carbon Cycle
• Carceral Geographies
• Cartography
• Cartography, History of
• Cartography, Mapping, and War
• Chicago School
• Children and Childhood, Geographies of
• Citizenship
• Climate Literacy and Education
• Climatology
• Community Mapping
• Comparative Urbanism
• Conservation Biogeography
• Consumption, Geographies of
• Crime Analysis, GIS and
• Crime, Geography of
• Critical GIS
• Critical Historical Geography
• Critical Military Geographies
• Cultural Ecology and Human Ecology
• Cultural Landscape
• Cyberspace, Geography of
• Desertification
• Developing World
• Development, Regional
• Development Theory
• Disability, Geography of
• Disease, Geography of
• Drones, Geography of
• Drugs, Geography of
• Economic Historical Geography
• Edge Cities and Urban Sprawl
• Education (K-12), Geography
• El Niño Southern Oscillation (ENSO)
• Elderly, Geography and the
• Electoral Geography
• Empire, Geography and
• Energy, Geographies of
• Energy, Renewable
• Energy Resources and Use
• Environment and Development
• Environmental Electronic Sensing Systems
• Environmental Justice
• Ethics, Geographers and
• Ethics, Geography and
• Ethnography
• Ethnonationalism
• Everyday Life, Geography and
• Extreme Heat
• Family, Geographies of the
• Feminist Geography
• Film, Geography and
• Finance, Geography of
• Financial Geographies of Debt and Crisis
• Fluvial Geomorphology
• Folk Culture and Geography
• Future, Geographies of the
• Gender and Geography
• Gentrification
• Geocomputation in Geography Education
• Geographic Information Science
• Geographic Methods: Archival Research
• Geographic Methods: Discourse Analysis
• Geographic Methods: Interviews
• Geographic Methods: Life Writing Analysis
• Geographic Methods: Visual Analysis
• Geographic Thought (US)
• Geographic Vulnerability to Climate Change
• Geographies of Affect
• Geographies of Diplomacy
• Geographies of Education
• Geographies of Resilience
• Geography and Class
• Geography Education, GeoCapabilities in
• Geography, Gramsci and
• Geography, Legal
• Geography of Biofuels
• Geography of Food
• Geography of Hunger and Famine
• Geography of Industrialization
• Geography of Public Policy
• Geography of Resources
• Geopolitics
• Geopolitics, Energy and
• Geospatial Artificial Intelligence (GeoAI)
• GIS and Computational Social Sciences
• GIS and Health
• GIS and Remote Sensing Applications in Geomorphology
• GIS and Virtual Reality
• GIS applications in Human Geography
• GIS, Ethics of
• GIS, Geospatial Technology, and Spatial Thinking in Geogra...
• GIS, Historical
• GIS, History of
• GIS, Space-Time
• Glacial and Periglacial Geomorphology
• Glaciers, Geography of
• Health Care, Geography of
• Hegemony and Geographic Knowledge
• Historical Geography
• Historical Mobilities
• Histories of Protest and Social Movements
• History, Environmental
• Homelessness
• Human Dynamics, GIScience of
• Human Geographies of Outer Space
• Human Trafficking
• Humanistic Geography
• Human-Landscape Interactions
• Humor, Geographies of
• Hydroclimatology and Climate Variability
• Identity and Place
• "Imagining a Better Future through Place": Geographies of ...
• Immigration and Immigrants
• Indigenous Peoples and the Global Indigenous Movement
• Informal Economy
• Innovation, Geography of
• Intelligence, Geographical
• Islands, Human Geography and
• Justice, Geography of
• Knowledge Economy: Spatial Approaches
• Knowledge, Geography of
• Labor, Geography of
• Land Use and Cover Change
• Land-Atmosphere Interactions
• Landscape Interpretation
• Literature, Geography and
• Location Theory
• Marine Biogeography
• Marine Conservation and Fisheries Management
• Media Geography
• Medical Geography
• Migration, International Student
• Military Geographies and the Environment
• Military Geographies of Popular Culture
• Military Geographies of Urban Space and War
• Military Geography
• Moonsoons, Geography of
• Mountain Geography
• Mountain Meteorology
• Music, Sound, and Auditory Culture, Geographies of
• National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) in Geog...
• Nations and Nationalism
• Natural Hazards and Risk
• Nature-Society Theory
• Neogeography
• New Urbanism
• Non-representational Theory
• Nuclear War, Geographies of
• Nutrition Transition, The
• Orientalism and Geography
• Participatory Action Research
• Peace, Geographies of
• Pedagogical Content Knowledge in Geography Education
• Perspectives in Geography Internships
• Phenology and Climate
• Photographic and Video Methods in Geography
• Physical Geography
• Polar Geography
• Policy Mobilities
• Political Ecology
• Political Geography
• Political Geology
• Popular Culture, Geography and
• Population Geography
• Ports and Maritime Trade
• Postcolonialism
• Postmodernism and Poststructuralism
• Pragmatism, Geographies of
• Producer Services
• Psychogeography
• Public Participation GIS, Participatory GIS, and Participa...
• Qualitative GIS
• Qualitative Methods
• Quantitative Methods in Human Geography
• Questionnaires
• Race and Racism
• Refugees, Geography of
• Religion, Geographies of
• Retail Trade, Geography of
• Rural Geography
• Science and Technology Studies (STS) in Geography
• Sea-Level Research, Quaternary
• Security and Securitization, Geographies of
• Segregation, Ethnic and Racial
• Service Industries, Geography of
• Settlement Geography
• Sexuality, Geography of
• Slope Processes
• Social Justice
• Social Media Analytics
• Soils, Diversity of
• Sonic Methods in Geography
• Spatial Analysis
• Spatial Autocorrelation
• Sports, Geography of
• Sustainability Education at the School Level, Geography an...
• Sustainability Science
• Sustainable Agriculture
• Synoptic Climatology
• Technological Change, Geography of
• Telecommunications
• Teleconnections, Atmospheric
• Terrestrial Snow, Measurement of
• Territory and Territoriality
• Terrorism, Geography of
• The Climate Security Nexus
• The Voluntary Sector and Geography
• Time, Geographies of
• Time Geography
• Time-Space Compression
• Tourism Geography
• Transnational Corporations
• Unoccupied Aircraft Systems
• Urban Geography
• Urban Heritage
• Urban Historical Geography
• Urban Meteorology and Climatology
• Urban Planning and Geography
• Urban Political Ecology
• Urban Sustainability
• Visualizations
• Vulnerability, Risk, and Hazards
• Vulnerability to Climate Change
• War on Terror, Geographies of the
• Weather and Climate Damage Studies
• Whiteness, Geographies of
• Wine, Geography of
• World Cities
• Young People's Geography
• Privacy Policy
• Cookie Policy
• Legal Notice
• Accessibility

Powered by:

• [66.249.64.20|185.80.151.9]
• 185.80.151.9

Geotourism is defined as tourism that sustains or enhances the distinctive geographical character of a place—its environment, heritage, aesthetics, culture, and the well-being of its residents.

• Terms of Use
• Privacy Policy
• Your US State Privacy Rights
• Children's Online Privacy Policy
• Interest-Based Ads
• About Nielsen Measurement
• Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information
• Nat Geo Home
• Attend a Live Event
• Book a Trip
• Inspire Your Kids
• Shop Nat Geo
• Visit the D.C. Museum
• Learn About Our Impact
• Support Our Mission
• Advertise With Us
• Customer Service
• Renew Subscription
• Manage Your Subscription
• Work at Nat Geo
• Sign Up for Our Newsletters
• Contribute to Protect the Planet

Copyright © 1996-2015 National Geographic Society Copyright © 2015-2024 National Geographic Partners, LLC. All rights reserved

Tourism and Climate Change in the 21st Century

Challenges and Solutions

• © 2024
• Paula Remoaldo 0 ,
• Hélder Lopes 1 ,
• Vítor Ribeiro 2 ,
• Juliana Alves 3

Department of Geography, University of Minho, Landscape, Heritage and Territory Laboratory (Lab2PT), Guimarães, Portugal

You can also search for this editor in PubMed   Google Scholar

• Highlights the impact of climate on tourism and the effectiveness of climate adaptation in the sector
• Examines the territorial dimensions of risks of climate effects on tourism
• Focuses on adaptation, mitigation, and resilience to climate change

Part of the book series: Advances in Spatial Science (ADVSPATIAL)

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this book

• Available as EPUB and PDF
• Read on any device
• Instant download
• Own it forever
• Durable hardcover edition
• Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
• Free shipping worldwide - see info

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Other ways to access

Licence this eBook for your library

Institutional subscriptions

Table of contents (10 chapters)

Front matter, an introduction to spatial and territorial dimensions of tourism and climate change.

• Hélder Lopes, Paula Remoaldo, Vítor Ribeiro, Juliana A. Alves

Challenges and Crossroads Towards Sustainability‐Oriented Tourism Facing Humanity and Its Relationship with Nature Throughout Contemporary History

• Alexandra Esteves, Isabel Amaral

A Scientific-Metric Analysis of Urban Tourism and Climate Change—An Investigation Based on Web of Science and Scopus

• Hélder Lopes, Paula Remoaldo, Vítor Ribeiro, Javier Martín-Vide, Juliana Araújo Alves

Is the Tourism Perspective Envisaged in Climate Change Adaptation Planning?

• Carmen Mínguez, Sandra Ricart

Climate Change Acknowledgement and Adaptation and Mitigation Responses in Rural Tourism Destinations

• M. Belén Gómez-Martín, Xosé A. Armesto-López, Martí Cors-Iglesias, Emilio Martínez-Ibarra

Regional Resilience and Dependence on Tourism in a Changing Climate

• André Samora-Arvela, Patrícia Pinto, Thomas Panagopoulos, Eric Vaz, Jorge Ferreira, Helena Pina et al.

Climate Change and Tourism in Spain. The Case of the Canary Islands and the Costa Blanca (Alicante)

• Pedro Dorta-Antequera, Esther Sánchez-Almodóvar, Abel López-Díez, Jaime Díaz-Pacheco, Jorge Olcina-Cantos

Coastal Tourism Adaptation to Climate Change in Brazil

• Isabel Jurema Grimm

A Debate on Turkey Tourism’s Adaptation to Climate Change

• Gamze Coban Yildiz, Onur Sevket Yildiz

Conservation-Based Tourism Development, Climate Change, Inclusion of Locals, and Post-human-Wildlife Co-existence Conflicts

• Tawanda Makuyana, Regina Makoni, Serena Lucrezi
• Spatial Dimension of Tourism
• Spatial Science
• Spatial analysis
• Geographic Information Systems
• Climate Change
• Climate Services
• Big Data and Tourism
• Climate Adaptation
• Resilience to Climate Change
• Circular Economy and Tourism
• Adaptation of the Tourism Sector to Climate Change
• Climate Effects on Tourism

About this book

Editors and affiliations.

Paula Remoaldo, Hélder Lopes, Vítor Ribeiro, Juliana Alves

About the editors

Hélder Lopes is Professor in the Department of Geography at the Institute of Social Sciences at the University of Minho. He holds a Ph.D. in Geography and Regional Planning at the University of Minho and Geography, Environmental Management and Territorial Planning at the University of Barcelona. He has also received 9 awards. He carried out training at national and international level to update skills, in some of the most prestigious universities inthe world, in the areas of urban tourism, climate change, geographic information systems, qualitative and quantitative methods, and health and urban and environmental design techniques.

Vítor Ribeiro is Professor in the Department of Geography at the Institute of Social Sciences at the University of Minho and at Paula Frassinetti's School of Education. He holds a Ph.D. in Geography and Regional Planning from the University of Minho/Universidad Complutense de Madrid (Spain). He is Integrated Member of the Laboratory of Landscapes, Heritage and Territory (Lab2PT) at the University of Minho. His main subjects of research are in the area of Transport Geography, Geographic Information Systems, Tourism and Regional and Local Development, Crime Geography and Geographical Education, having in such fields several research publications in journals and books.

Juliana Alves is Geographer and Researcher in Landscape, Heritage and Territory Laboratory (Lab2PT)at the University of Minho (Portugal). She holds a Ph.D. in Human Geography from the same university in 2017. Her main subjects of research are in the area of Tourism and Local Development, Health and Environment, and Cultural and Creative Tourism.

Bibliographic Information

Book Title : Tourism and Climate Change in the 21st Century

Book Subtitle : Challenges and Solutions

Editors : Paula Remoaldo, Hélder Lopes, Vítor Ribeiro, Juliana Alves

Series Title : Advances in Spatial Science

DOI : https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-59431-1

Publisher : Springer Cham

eBook Packages : Economics and Finance , Economics and Finance (R0)

Copyright Information : The Editor(s) (if applicable) and The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2024

Hardcover ISBN : 978-3-031-59430-4 Published: 21 June 2024

Softcover ISBN : 978-3-031-59433-5 Due: 22 July 2024

eBook ISBN : 978-3-031-59431-1 Published: 20 June 2024

Series ISSN : 1430-9602

Series E-ISSN : 2197-9375

Edition Number : 1

Number of Pages : XIV, 257

Number of Illustrations : 2 b/w illustrations, 48 illustrations in colour

Topics : Regional/Spatial Science , Economic Geography , Tourism Management

• Publish with us

Policies and ethics

• Find a journal
• Track your research

• 0 Shopping Cart

Welcome to the tourism main menu

Tourism Main Menu

Use the images below to explore this topic.

What is tourism?

How has tourism grown?

What is the impact of tourism?

Tourism in an MEDC – The UK

What are National Parks?

The National Parks of England and Wales

Problems in National Parks

Castleton – A tourist honey pot in The Peak District

Castleton – Case Study Page

Tourism in an LEDC – Kenya

Ecotourism – Case Study

Share this:

• Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window)
• Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)
• Click to share on Pinterest (Opens in new window)
• Click to email a link to a friend (Opens in new window)
• Click to share on WhatsApp (Opens in new window)
• Click to print (Opens in new window)

Please Support Internet Geography

If you've found the resources on this site useful please consider making a secure donation via PayPal to support the development of the site. The site is self-funded and your support is really appreciated.

Search Internet Geography

Top posts and pages.

Latest Blog Entries

Pin It on Pinterest

• Click to share
• Print Friendly

100+ Tourism Research Topics: Trends and Future Directions

Tourism research stands at the crossroads of exploration and understanding, dissecting the intricacies of an industry that transcends geographical boundaries. In this blog, we delve into the realm of tourism research topics, examining their importance, trends, popular areas of study, challenges faced by researchers, and the future directions that the field is poised to take.

Key Trends in Tourism Research

Table of Contents

• Sustainable Tourism

Sustainable tourism has become a cornerstone of research in recent years, reflecting the global shift towards eco-conscious travel. Researchers are delving into the intricate balance between satisfying the wanderlust of tourists and preserving the environment.

Initiatives such as wildlife conservation, eco-friendly accommodations, and community engagement are key focus areas.

Technology in Tourism

The pervasive influence of technology on tourism cannot be overstated. From online booking platforms to virtual reality experiences, researchers are exploring the impact of technology on travel behavior.

Emerging areas of study include the use of artificial intelligence in personalized travel recommendations and the implications of augmented reality for enhancing tourist attractions.

What is the Importance of Tourism Research for Students?

Tourism research holds significant importance for students pursuing studies in various disciplines, including tourism management, hospitality, business, sociology, and environmental studies. Here are some key reasons why tourism research is valuable for students:

Academic Enrichment

• Increases Understanding: By conducting study on the tourist business, students may increase their comprehension of the intricate relationships between the economic, social, cultural, and environmental facets of the sector.
• Application of Theoretical information: This increases the practical relevance of their education by giving them the chance to apply the theoretical information they have learned in the classroom to real-world situations.

Skill Development

• Research Skills: Gathering, analyzing, and interpreting data are just a few of the vital research skills that come from conducting tourist research. These abilities are adaptable and useful in a range of work environments.
• Communication abilities: Through research papers, presentations, and conversations, students learn how to effectively express their results, which improves both their writing and spoken communication abilities.

Industry Insights

• Current Trends and Issues: Research allows students to stay abreast of current trends, challenges, and emerging issues in the tourism industry. This awareness is crucial for adapting to the dynamic nature of the field.
• In-Depth Knowledge: By delving into specific tourism research topics, students gain in-depth knowledge of particular sectors within the industry, positioning themselves as experts in specialized areas.

Career Opportunities

• Competitive Advantage: Having experience in tourism research can provide students with a competitive advantage in the job market. Employers value candidates who can bring a research-driven perspective to decision-making.
• Diverse Career Paths: Whether in academia, policy-making, destination management, or market analysis, a background in tourism research opens doors to a variety of career paths within the broader field of tourism and hospitality.

Contributions to Sustainable Practices

• Environmental and Social Responsibility: Tourism research often focuses on sustainable practices. Students, through their research, can contribute ideas and solutions for promoting responsible tourism, minimizing negative impacts on the environment and local communities.

Global Perspective

• Cultural Awareness: Researching diverse tourism topics exposes students to various cultures, traditions, and perspectives. This global perspective is crucial in an industry where interactions with people from different backgrounds are common.

Problem-Solving Skills

• Analytical Thinking: Research involves analyzing complex issues and developing solutions. This cultivates students’ analytical thinking and problem-solving skills, valuable attributes in any professional setting.

Personal Growth

• Confidence Building: Successfully conducting research and presenting findings builds students’ confidence in their abilities. It empowers them to tackle challenges and approach tasks with a systematic mindset.

In summary, tourism research is a multifaceted learning experience that goes beyond textbooks, providing students with the skills, knowledge, and perspectives needed for a successful and impactful career in the tourism industry or related fields.

100+ Tourism Research Topics: Category Wise

• Impact of Technology on Travel
• Cultural Tourism and Heritage Preservation
• Dark Tourism: Ethics and Motivations
• Community-Based Tourism for Socioeconomic Development
• Wildlife Tourism and Conservation
• Gastronomic Tourism: Culinary Experiences
• Adventure Tourism: Risk and Reward
• Medical Tourism: Trends and Implications
• Religious Tourism and Pilgrimages
• LGBTQ+ Tourism: Diversity in Travel
• Film Tourism: Influence on Destination Choice
• Cruise Tourism: Environmental Impact
• Rural Tourism: Exploring Off-the-Beaten-Path
• Urban Tourism and City Planning
• Educational Tourism: Learning Journeys
• Wellness Tourism: Mind and Body Retreats
• Space Tourism: Future Frontiers
• Luxury Tourism and Experiential Travel
• Sports Tourism: Events and Impact
• Volunteer Tourism: Traveling for a Cause
• Accessible Tourism: Inclusive Travel
• Niche Tourism: Unusual Destinations
• The Psychology of Tourist Behavior
• Destination Marketing and Branding
• Over-tourism: Challenges and Solutions
• Impacts of Climate Change on Tourism
• Cruise Tourism: Cultural Interactions
• Heritage Tourism Management
• Tourism and Globalization
• Impact of Political Instability on Tourism
• COVID-19 and Tourism: Recovery Strategies
• Solo Travel: Trends and Safety Concerns
• E-Tourism: Online Booking Trends
• Responsible Tourism Practices
• Agritourism: Farm and Rural Experiences
• Wildlife Sanctuaries: Balancing Conservation and Tourism
• Backpacking Culture: Trends and Challenges
• Tourism Entrepreneurship and Innovation
• Social Media Influencers in Tourism
• Geotourism: Exploring Geological Wonders
• Virtual Reality in Tourism Experiences
• Tourism Policy and Regulation
• Sustainable Transportation in Tourism
• Wellness Retreats: Trends and Impacts
• Coastal and Marine Tourism
• Historical Tourism and Interpretation
• Space-Archaeology and Cultural Heritage Tourism
• Cross-Cultural Communication in Tourism
• Slow Tourism: Embracing the Journey
• Geopolitics and Tourism
• Adventure Sports Tourism: Risk Management
• Wellness Tourism: The Spa Industry
• Religious Festivals and Tourism
• Volunteer Tourism: Cultural Exchange
• Impacts of Terrorism on Tourism
• Tourism and Gender Equality
• Dark Sky Tourism: Stargazing Adventures
• Social Justice in Tourism
• Music Tourism: Festivals and Events
• Cruise Tourism: Port Infrastructure
• Urban Regeneration through Tourism
• Wellness Tourism: Mindful Travel
• Cultural Appropriation in Tourism
• Sports Mega-Events and Tourism
• Virtual Tourism: Exploring from Home
• Tourism Education and Training
• Destination Resilience to Crises
• Adventure Tourism: Environmental Stewardship
• Slow Food Movement and Culinary Tourism
• Accessible Tourism: Technology Solutions
• Adventure Tourism: Cultural Immersion
• Experiential Learning in Tourism
• Tourism and Biodiversity Conservation
• Indigenous Tourism: Empowerment and Challenges
• Film-Induced Tourism: Pop Culture Impact
• Ephemeral Tourism Events
• Adventure Tourism: Cultural Sensitivity
• Slum Tourism: Ethical Considerations
• Tourism and Water Conservation
• Space Tourism: Ethical Considerations
• Rural Tourism: Community Engagement
• Wellness Tourism: Mind-Body Connection
• Tourism and Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)
• Adventure Tourism: Extreme Sports
• The Role of Festivals in Tourism
• Cultural Tourism and Social Inclusion
• Wellness Tourism: Alternative Therapies
• Tourism and Human Rights
• Heritage Conservation and Tourism
• Adventure Tourism: Risk Perception
• Virtual Reality Museums and Tourism
• Responsible Wildlife Tourism
• Tourism and Disaster Management
• Festivals as Cultural Tourism Attractions
• Adventure Tourism: Psychological Benefits
• Wellness Tourism: Eco-Friendly Retreats
• Tourism and Aging Population
• Culinary Tourism: Fusion Cuisine
• Adventure Tourism: Cross-Cultural Interactions

Challenges and Opportunities in Tourism Research

Data collection and analysis.

While technology has streamlined data collection, challenges persist in ensuring data accuracy and relevance. Researchers are exploring advanced methodologies, such as big data analytics and machine learning, to overcome these hurdles and derive meaningful insights.

Globalization and Tourism

The globalization of the tourism industry poses both challenges and opportunities. Researchers are scrutinizing the impact of global trends on local economies, cultural identities, and the environment. Striking a balance between global and local interests is a complex task that requires careful consideration.

Future Directions in Tourism Research

Emerging tourism destinations.

The landscape of tourist destinations is ever-evolving. Researchers are turning their attention to emerging destinations, investigating the factors that contribute to their rise and the implications for the broader tourism industry. 

This includes understanding the appeal of off-the-beaten-path locations and the potential challenges associated with their sudden popularity.

Post-Pandemic Tourism

The COVID-19 pandemic has reshaped the tourism industry in unprecedented ways. Researchers are exploring the long-term effects of the pandemic on travel behavior, destination preferences, and the overall structure of the tourism sector. 

Strategies for recovery and resilience are also under the microscope as the industry adapts to the new normal.

Resources for Tourism Research Topics

• Academic Journals and Publications: Leading academic journals in tourism research, such as the “Journal of Sustainable Tourism” and the “Annals of Tourism Research,” provide a wealth of knowledge for researchers. These publications cover a wide array of topics, from sustainable practices to cultural tourism.
• Conferences and Events: Attending conferences and events, such as the “International Conference on Tourism Research” and the “World Tourism Forum,” offers researchers the opportunity to engage with peers, present their work, and stay abreast of the latest developments in the field.
• Online Databases and Research Platforms: Online databases, including Google Scholar, ResearchGate, and Tourism Management Database , provide access to a vast repository of research articles, theses, and reports. These platforms facilitate collaboration and information exchange among researchers.

In conclusion, the landscape of tourism research topics is vast and dynamic, reflecting the multifaceted nature of the tourism industry. As researchers continue to explore sustainable practices, emerging trends, and the post-pandemic landscape, the importance of their work cannot be overstated. 

By navigating the challenges and embracing the opportunities presented, tourism researchers contribute to a more informed and resilient industry, ensuring that the joy of travel remains accessible for generations to come.

Related Posts

Step by Step Guide on The Best Way to Finance Car

The Best Way on How to Get Fund For Business to Grow it Efficiently

Topic 1 Tourism Activity

1. What is a tourism system?

1. Components of the tourism system

a) key components include tourist generating regions, tourist destination regions and transit routes

b) volume and direction of travel between regions are influenced by transit routes

2. Relationship between tourist generating and destination regions

a) push factors at tourist generating regions and pull factors at tourist destination regions

b) interdependence of tourists, businesses and organisations at tourist generating and destination regions

3. Interactions between tourism and the environment

a) tourism activity interacts with nature, communities and economies in their local environment and beyond

b) changes to one part of the tourism system affects the local and wider environment, and vice versa

2. What led to the growth of tourism?

1. Motivation to travel

a) individuals seeking relaxation, self-fulfilment and unique travel experiences

b) made possible by growth in individuals’ incomes

2. Ability to travel

a) growth in disposable incomes and increased leisure time due to paid vacation.

b) facilitated by business innovations, lower transport costs and accommodation costs

3. Mobility in travel

a) expansion of public transport services and infrastructure, and new modes of air, land and sea travel

b) increased private car ownership improving travel convenience to nearby locations

3 . How do tourist destination regions develop over time?

1. Exploration and involvement stages

a) small number of tourists undertaking individual and irregular travel to visit the destination’s primary attractions

b) locals offer tourist services, advertising the destination, requesting for more public tourist amenities and facilities

2. Development and consolidation stages

a) increase in tourist numbers with destinations having more man-made attractions, advertisements and foreign labour

b) growth in tourist numbers slow and tourists outnumber locals resulting in a tourism dependent economy

3. Stagnation and decline or rejuvenation stages

a) tourist numbers peak as a destination’s carrying capacity is reached, resulting in negative impacts

b) tourist numbers decline as a destination loses its tourist appeal or is rejuvenated with new cultural or man-made attractions

4. How do different personality characteristics of tourists affect tourist destination regions?

1. Spectrum of personality characteristics

a) Dependables and Venturers, with a small proportion of tourists on both extreme ends

b) majority of tourists in the middle of the spectrum with a mixture of both extremes

2. Features of personality characteristics

a) Dependables spend cautiously, guided by authoritative figures, prefer structures in daily living and the company of friends and family

b) Venturers spend readily, guided by personal judgement, prefer different activities and being alone

3. Personality characteristics influence travel patterns

a) different types of tourist destination regions appeal to tourists with different personality characteristics

b) tourists who are more Venturer types influence travel decisions of those who are more Dependable types

Learn the meaning of the content concepts below using the flashcards. You can click on the drop down menu on the bottom right to select a study mode - Learn, Match or Test. 

It’s been a record-setting year for global travel – here’s how we make tourism inclusive and sustainable

Inclusive and sustainable travel and tourism includes supporting micro-, small- and medium-sized businesses. Image:  Unsplash/Michael Barón

.chakra .wef-1c7l3mo{-webkit-transition:all 0.15s ease-out;transition:all 0.15s ease-out;cursor:pointer;-webkit-text-decoration:none;text-decoration:none;outline:none;color:inherit;}.chakra .wef-1c7l3mo:hover,.chakra .wef-1c7l3mo[data-hover]{-webkit-text-decoration:underline;text-decoration:underline;}.chakra .wef-1c7l3mo:focus,.chakra .wef-1c7l3mo[data-focus]{box-shadow:0 0 0 3px rgba(168,203,251,0.5);} Nicola Villa

.chakra .wef-1nk5u5d{margin-top:16px;margin-bottom:16px;line-height:1.388;color:#2846F8;font-size:1.25rem;}@media screen and (min-width:56.5rem){.chakra .wef-1nk5u5d{font-size:1.125rem;}} Get involved .chakra .wef-9dduvl{margin-top:16px;margin-bottom:16px;line-height:1.388;font-size:1.25rem;}@media screen and (min-width:56.5rem){.chakra .wef-9dduvl{font-size:1.125rem;}} with our crowdsourced digital platform to deliver impact at scale

• The global travel sector is experiencing a robust recovery, with tourists increasingly spending more on travel.
• Despite the overall positive outlook, some destinations struggle with operational challenges, including workforce issues and resource management amid rising tourist numbers and environmental concerns.
• The travel and tourism sector’s potential for advancing socio-economic prosperity is particularly impactful through the support of micro-, small-, and medium-sized enterprises.

The global travel sector forecast is in and it's sunny skies ahead. Through March 2024, consumer spending on travel remains strong, and passenger traffic has soared. Empowered by a strong labour market worldwide, tourists will be on the roads, air and seas once again, with more of people’s budgets on travel.

The latest report from the Mastercard Economics Institute, Travel Trends 2024: Breaking Boundaries , reveals that 2024 has already witnessed multiple record-setting days as consumer spending on leisure travel remains strong. The data shows that post-pandemic travellers continue to seek unique experiences rooted in local cultures while increasingly prioritizing spending on memorable events across sports, music and festivals.

The Mastercard Economics Institute’s analysis reveals that travellers also seek opportunities to extend their stays, prioritizing leisure for longer. For the first 12 months between March 2019 and February 2020, a trip’s average length of stay was about four days. As of March 2024, the average length of a leisure trip has edged closer to five days, which translates into an economic boost for the destinations and communities hosting them.

Have you read?

These are the top 10 countries for travel and tourism, what is travel and tourism’s role in future global prosperity, travel & tourism development index 2024, tackling tourism’s challenges.

Yet, while the overall outlook for travellers looks bright, that’s not the case for all destinations. Some tourism hotspots and lesser-known locales are facing growing challenges around operating conditions. The World Economic Forum’s Travel & Tourism Development Index (TTDI) 2024 highlights the ongoing constraints facing the global travel and tourism sector – including the lack of investment in skilled and resilient workforces and issues around resource management – cultural and natural – as destinations grapple with higher tourist visitor numbers and rising environmental concerns.

The report offers travel and tourism decision-makers recommendations around how the sector can take a more active role in tackling social challenges across socio-economic prosperity, peace and cultural exchange. As the industry accounts for approximately one-tenth of global gross domestic product and employment , the public and private sectors must work together to ensure future tourism development is, first and foremost, inclusive and sustainable.

Supporting the backbone of travel and tourism

As the TTDI 2024 notes, one area where the sector’s potential in advancing socio-economic prosperity can be particularly impactful is in the economic empowerment of micro-, small- and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs). According to the World Travel & Tourism Council, more than 80% of travel and tourism businesses fall under this category.

Policies and investments promoting the adoption of digital solutions and enhancing digital skills development while improving access to credit can provide a major boost to tourism-focused MSMEs.

In Costa Rica, the Instituto Costariccense de Turismo, a member of Mastercard’s Tourism Innovation Hub , is championing such an approach to ensure increased tourist traffic results in better opportunities for MSMEs. Last year, the institute launched Tico Treasures , a platform facilitating tourist connections with Costa Rica’s Crafts with Identity programme, a group of 17 artisan collectives across the country. The platform allows visitors to discover local Costa Rican products, learn about artisan communities and then purchase and ship the goods back to their home country – all through one experience.

The programme is an example of public-private collaboration, including backing from Correos de Costa Rica, Banco de Costa Rica and the Instituto Costariccense de Turismo. Its objectives are multifold: delivering more authentic experiences for tourists, expanding citizens’ access to the digital economy and contributing to MSME resilience.

Protecting future environments

There are also novel approaches to solving destinations’ sustainability challenges underway. A key role of the Travel Foundation , a global non-government organization, is to facilitate innovative public-private collaborations in tourism that accelerate and scale sustainable solutions. One notable example is in Scotland, where the national tourism organization VisitScotland is partnering with the Travel Corporation, a global tour operator, to help decarbonize the destination supply chain. Both organizations are pooling their insights, data and expertise to support local businesses, develop new ideas for reducing carbon footprints and identify barriers to a green transition.

The learnings from this and other projects led by the Travel Foundation will be shared to influence future policy, investment and product development decisions at national and global levels. By combining public sector resources and capabilities with private sector technological expertise, travel and tourism decision-makers can enact policies and programmes that balance tourism growth with environmental protection, providing a nuanced approach that works for unique destinations.

It’s an important time for the sector – to leverage travel and tourism’s robust recovery and advance socio-economic prosperity, fuelling a more inclusive future for our treasured destinations. By accelerating collaboration between governments, destination management organizations and technology companies, we can ensure destinations, the communities that power them and the environments they inhabit are at the heart of all future tourism development.

Don't miss any update on this topic

Create a free account and access your personalized content collection with our latest publications and analyses.

License and Republishing

World Economic Forum articles may be republished in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International Public License, and in accordance with our Terms of Use.

The views expressed in this article are those of the author alone and not the World Economic Forum.

The Agenda .chakra .wef-n7bacu{margin-top:16px;margin-bottom:16px;line-height:1.388;font-weight:400;} Weekly

A weekly update of the most important issues driving the global agenda

.chakra .wef-1dtnjt5{display:-webkit-box;display:-webkit-flex;display:-ms-flexbox;display:flex;-webkit-align-items:center;-webkit-box-align:center;-ms-flex-align:center;align-items:center;-webkit-flex-wrap:wrap;-ms-flex-wrap:wrap;flex-wrap:wrap;} More on Trade and Investment .chakra .wef-17xejub{-webkit-flex:1;-ms-flex:1;flex:1;justify-self:stretch;-webkit-align-self:stretch;-ms-flex-item-align:stretch;align-self:stretch;} .chakra .wef-nr1rr4{display:-webkit-inline-box;display:-webkit-inline-flex;display:-ms-inline-flexbox;display:inline-flex;white-space:normal;vertical-align:middle;text-transform:uppercase;font-size:0.75rem;border-radius:0.25rem;font-weight:700;-webkit-align-items:center;-webkit-box-align:center;-ms-flex-align:center;align-items:center;line-height:1.2;-webkit-letter-spacing:1.25px;-moz-letter-spacing:1.25px;-ms-letter-spacing:1.25px;letter-spacing:1.25px;background:none;padding:0px;color:#B3B3B3;-webkit-box-decoration-break:clone;box-decoration-break:clone;-webkit-box-decoration-break:clone;}@media screen and (min-width:37.5rem){.chakra .wef-nr1rr4{font-size:0.875rem;}}@media screen and (min-width:56.5rem){.chakra .wef-nr1rr4{font-size:1rem;}} See all

New report details global trade challenges - and other international trade stories to read this month

Khalid Alaamer

June 21, 2024

How an affordable cross-border delivery service will unlock the promise of millions of SMEs in Southeast Asia

Pete Chareonwongsak

June 17, 2024

IDEA: Investing in the Digital Economy of Azerbaijan

Digitalization is disrupting global trade – here's how AI can help customs and businesses to respond

Sebastian Klotz, Steve Barr and Jimena Sotelo

June 6, 2024

TradeTech is revolutionizing global trade

June 5, 2024

US hikes tariffs on Chinese imports, and other global trade stories to read this month

Guillaume Dabré

May 24, 2024

Lost with the Titanic: Will submarine passengers' remains ever be found?

Corrections & clarifications: This story has been updated to clarify how many people died on the Titanic .

The shock of losing loved ones suddenly is one of the most troubling of tragedies. But add to that the mystery of where their bodies might lie at the bottom of the ocean.

For the families of the explorers who died in the Titan sub implosion, those are feelings likely to haunt them forever, as they have for generations of other families who lost relatives under similar circumstances: the sinking of the Titanic itself over a century ago.

No bodies have ever been found from the wreckage of the Titanic at a depth of 12,500 feet, where over 1,100 passengers are likely to have dissolved after years of salt-water erosion and undersea life foraging the site.

A similar scenario is likely for the Titan submersible. And then, there are the harsh realities of the violent implosion itself.

"It's not so much about deep sea as much as it is about the implosion. The force was compressing so rapidly that those bodies and souls had nowhere to go," said Aileen Maria Marty, an expert in infectious disease and disaster medicine at Florida International University's Herbert Wertheim College of Medicine.

Marty said that because of the way the sub imploded and likely crushed the bodies inside, "it’s very, very unlikely you’ll find any distinguishable body parts."

The conditions of the deep sea are so unknown and challenging and the implosion so catastrophic that the families of the five people who died could be long left with questions about what exactly happened to them.

On the ocean floor where the search crews found parts of The Titan 1,600 feet from the bow of the Titanic on Thursday, there is immense pressure, absolute darkness and extremely cold temperatures.

The Coast Guard said Thursday they did not know if they would be able to recover the five bodies.

The five passengers who were in the Titan submersible when it imploded on the mission were OceanGate’s CEO Stockton Rush, British billionaire explorer Hamish Harding, French maritime and Titanic expert Paul-Henry Nargeolet, one of the richest men in Pakistan Shahzada Dawood and his son Suleman Dawood. 

They each paid $250,000 to take the voyage, which was promoted as an “extraordinary” expedition for travelers to become one of the few to “see the Titanic with your own eyes,” according to OceanGate’s archived itinerary of the mission. It was OceanGate’s third annual expedition to the Titanic , which struck an iceberg and sank in 1912, killing all but about 700 of the roughly 2,200 passengers and crew.

'True explorers' The 5 passengers who died on the missing Titanic submersible

US Coast Guard: Bodies lost in ‘catastrophic implosion’

The vessel was lost in a “catastrophic implosion,” the U.S. Coast Guard said Thursday.

“This is an incredibly unforgiving environment,” said Rear Admiral John Mauger of the U.S. Coast Guard.

It is likely that the bodies of the men were impacted with immediate trauma from the sudden pressure change in the implosion. And the extreme conditions of the deep ocean further complicates the search for them.

Marty said the implosion had to have happened at a tremendous speed.

"For something that size whole thing, the whole thing is going to crush in about 1 millisecond. So when it actually happened, their brains didn’t have time to know it was happening," said Marty.

In the case of the Titanic, more than 1,500 people were lost in the North Atlantic. Over 100 of the bodies were buried at sea due to their severe damage or decomposition, and crews at the time were only able to recover over 200 bodies.

Relatives of the Titanic passengers hoped for answers for decades. They never came.

The Titanic was the largest ship afloat at the time of its building in England, and was heralded as an "unsinkable" ship with little need for lifeboats. That hubris ended when the luxury liner sank in the North Atlantic Ocean on April 15, 1912 after striking an iceberg during her maiden voyage from Southampton , England, to New York City.

It took too long for a rescue ship to reach the sinking hulk and by the time it arrived, around 340 people were found floating dead in the freezing water, many wearing life jackets. But 1,160 bodies sank along with the ship and were never seen again.

Among them were some notable dignitaries of the time: U.S. businessman Benjamin Guggenheim, Titanic architect Thomas Andrews, and the ship's captain, Edward Smith. And many others.

James Delgado, a maritime archaeologist and historian who has dived to the wreck himself, told the DailyMail earlier this year that there could be "some semblance of human remains" still inside what's left of the Titanic.

"Scientists think that could be a possibility, but this is a science we don't know much about, particularly in the deep ocean," Delgado told MailOnline. 

Bone degrades quickly in salt water. Delgado said that "even teeth dissolve" after sustained periods on the ocean floor, which is mostly populated by microbial life such as bacteria.

What are deep sea conditions like? 

The deep ocean is one of the world’s most unforgiving environments with much of it still a mystery.

The deep sea “accounts for over 95 percent of Earth’s living space” and remains largely unexplored, according to the Smithsonian Ocean Portal. And only about 23% of the seafloor has been mapped, according to 2022 figures from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. 

Human engineering and exploration of the deep ocean are limited by harsh conditions, such as increased water pressure, darkness and extremely cold temperatures — placing any deep sea mission at high risk.

“Light is virtually absent in the deep ocean,” according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

Habitats found in the deep sea are vastly different from other Earth environments and life below the surface have uniquely evolved to survive unforgiving conditions.

The Smithsonian Ocean Portal said by 13,000 feet, the average temperature “hovers just below the temperature of your refrigerator” and the weight of the water “continues to accumulate to a massive crushing force.” Most organisms with gas-filled spaces, or lungs, would be crushed by the pressure.

More: All five passengers on missing Titanic submersible dead after catastrophic implosion

How risky is deep sea tourism?

Extreme adventure tourism has made global headlines over recent years, marketing potentially dangerous adventures to paying customers.

The loss of the Titan this week shed light on a relatively new frontier for tourism: deep ocean exploration. The vessel was exploring the wreckage of the Titanic, about 900 miles off the coast of Cape Cod, Massachusetts, and about 12,500 feet underwater. 

Operated by OceanGate, a private company based in Washington state, Rush sought to develop vessels that would break the boundaries of current submersibles and to discover the ocean’s unknown.

“One of the reasons I started the business was because I didn’t understand why we were spending 1,000 times as much money to explore space as we were to explore ... the oceans,” Rush told a conference held by GeekWire, a Seattle tech news website, last year. “There is no private access to the deep ocean, and yet there’s all this life to be discovered.”

Rush’s goals have been criticized by experts and explorers in light of the Titan's implosion.

Jon Council, a submersible expert and president of the Historical Diving Society, told NPR that while submersible tourism has been around for decades, OceanGate is the only company to have attempted to take customers down to depths as deep as the Titanic wreck.

And safety concerns were raised by former OceanGate employees. David Lochridge, OceanGate’s former director of marine operations, wrote in a 2018 lawsuit that it could subject passengers to “potential extreme danger.”

Marty also critiqued OceanGate for inviting passengers on the submersible given its safety concerns.

"There are perfectly good submersibles where it’s perfectly safe to go in them," she said. "But this was an experimental ship that was not certified and not ready to be taking tourists in."

Why did the men go on the voyage in the first place?

Each of the men came from different backgrounds and ultimately sought out exploration with the journey.

• Rush, 61, founded the OceanGate company that led the voyage to the wreckage of the Titanic. He was also the co-founder of OceanGate Foundation, a non-profit organization "which aims to catalyze emerging marine technology to further discoveries in marine science, history, and archaeology," according to the company's website. Rush said last year he turned to the deep ocean instead of space as his path to exploration. 
• Harding was a British billionaire explorer and the chairman of Action Aviation, a global sales company in business aviation. He held three Guinness World Records related to his explorations by plane and into the deep ocean and he had also been to space. Prior to the journey, he wrote in a Facebook post: “Due to the worst winter in Newfoundland in 40 years, this mission is likely to be the first and only manned mission to the Titanic in 2023."
• Nargeolet was a French maritime and renowned Titanic expert, “having led six expeditions to the Titanic wreck site and lectured at numerous Titanic exhibitions around the world. He’s known as “Titanic’s Greatest Explorer,” according to OceanGate Expeditions. The trip was one of several dives he took to the Titanic.
• Pakistani businessman Shahzada Dawood and his son Suleman Dawood “shared a passion for adventure and exploration,” the Dawood family said in a statement. The older sister of Shahzada told NBC News that he was a lifelong Titanic obsessive and that Suleman agreed to go on the expedition because it was important to his father.

Contributing: The Associated Press