Publications in review / Annals of Tourism Research 38 (2011) 723–743 735

good quality research and some academic robustness. In particular, the book pro-
vides an important contribution in terms of encapsulating good conceptual under-
pinnings derived from a vast kaleidoscope of literature reviews. The editors have
put together a combined effort of dissemination of a particular level of quality re-
search in tourism. Still, the title is somewhat deceptive. The book’s content does
not include many marketing innovations such as consumer-generated marketing,
vocational diversification, intelligent destinations, the multi-optional consumer
in tourism, and many other trends. Likewise, its chapter coverage does not address
many pressing and future issues in terms of sustainability or new development pos-
sibilities such as huge sails for cruise ships, the return of the airship, or voluntou-
rism. Nevertheless, the book is a good addition to the armamentarium of
conference-based edited books that might be of interest to tourism researchers,
students, and some practitioners.
Luiz Moutinho: Department of Management, University of Glasgow, Glasgow G12
8QQ, Scotland, United Kingdom. Email <luiz.moutinho@glasgow.ac.uk>

Assigned 1 June 2010. Submitted 10 October 2010. Accepted 26 December 2010.

doi:10.1016/j.annals.2010.12.011

Annals of Tourism Research, Vol. 38, No. 2, pp. 735–737, 2011

Printed in Great Britain

BEYOND BACKPACKER TOURISM:

MOBILITIES AND EXPERIENCES
Edited by Kevin Hannam and Anya Diekmann. Channel View
Publications <http://www.channelviewpublications.com/>
2010, xi + 241 pp. (figures, tables, bibliography). $54.95 Pbk.
ISBN 978-1-84541-130-5
Benjamin L. Iaquinto
Monash University, Australia

Beyond Backpacker Tourism is the newest edited volume to be produced by the

Backpacker Research Group (BRG) of the Association for Tourism and Leisure
Education. It follows Backpacker Tourism (Hannam & Ateljevic, 2008) and The Glo-
bal Nomad (Richards & Wilson, 2004). Unlike these volumes, the fourteen chap-
ters of Beyond Backpacker Tourism are not organised by topic. Instead, the
editors explain that the first five chapters of the book provide a conceptual frame-
work, with the remainder adding ‘‘mainly empirical profiles’’ (p. 3) based on the
experiences of backpackers. While the editors stress they did not attempt to pro-
vide an ‘‘exhaustive account of backpacker tourism research’’ (p. 1), they never-
theless succeed in presenting a thorough picture of developments within
backpacker research that is as enlightening as the two previous offerings. Yet
readers may lament the absence of a formal concluding chapter, which in the
BRG’s other volumes provided insightful suggestions on advancing the study of
backpacker tourism.
736 Publications in review / Annals of Tourism Research 38 (2011) 723–743

Methodological approaches do not differ substantially from prior BRG outputs,

with participant observation, interviews, and surveys all utilised. However, the use of
backpacker’s blogs as a primary data source, justified aptly by Claudia Bell (Chapter
8), was a novel approach, and an example of how an evolving phenomenon neces-
sitates an evolution of the methods for examining it. The methodological divide
between qualitative and quantitative contributions observed in a review of the pre-
vious volume (Iaquinto, 2009) is not as pronounced here, indicative of a maturing
field of research.
In Chapter 2, the development of backpacking and backpacker research is revis-
ited by Mark Hampton through a reflexive account of his own experiences as a
backpacker and as a researcher of backpackers—‘‘I was struck at the time by the
ironies of seeing a backpacker on her own journey, reading a novel about imagi-
nary backpackers on their journeys, observed by me on mine’’ (p. 13). Hampton’s
call for future studies to address the impacts of backpacking upon less developed
countries and his observations of a ‘‘massification’’ process occurring within back-
packing, are further developed in Chapter 3. Yet his other suggestions for research,
such as expanding knowledge of backpacker enclaves and comparisons between
backpacker studies conducted across multiple destinations throughout the world,
are not addressed in this volume.
In Chapter 3, Jeff Jarvis and Vicki Peel examine ‘‘flashpackers’’ in Fiji, who ap-
pear to be one manifestation of Hampton’s ‘‘massification’’ process. They are old-
er backpackers, typically over thirty, who can afford to stay at expensive hotels but
prefer backpacker hostel-style accommodations for the social opportunities they
provide. They are easily identified by the ‘‘expensive technology they carry with
them while travelling’’ (p. 22), such as laptops, digital cameras, MP3 players,
and mobile phones. This chapter is followed by Cody Paris’ exploration of the ‘‘vir-
tualization of the backpacker culture’’ (p. 41), which enables backpacker ideology
and culture to be maintained not only on the road, but also at home. Thus the dis-
tinction between ‘‘home’’ and ‘‘away’’ is vanishing, leading Paris to argue a new
distinction has emerged between physical and virtual identities. So the internet
may provide an alternative to the guidebook as the ‘‘only fixed structure with
the ability to hold and transfer information and culture’’ between backpackers
(Sorensen, 2003, p. 859). By clearly capturing new developments in backpacking
and providing important future research directions, the chapters discussed above
demonstrate the changing nature of backpacking and thus best exemplify the title
of the book.
What this volume clearly communicates is the diversity within backpacking—
expressed socially, spatially, ideologically, and via travel practices. There are
chapters devoted to flashpackers, lifestyle travellers, lesbian backpackers, volunteer
tourists, and working holiday-makers. Moreover, the studies take place in South
Africa, New Zealand, Norway, Tanzania, Central and Eastern Europe, Australia,
Fiji, and Mongolia. Despite such diversity, the authors of this volume are based
mostly in the UK and USA, with some contributions from researchers in Australia,
New Zealand, South Africa, Germany, and Belgium. While this volume incorpo-
rated studies from both new and experienced researchers, which is itself a form
of diversity, backpacker research is still largely conducted by researchers based
in the developed world. Contributions from a more diverse pool of researchers
could potentially help advance understandings of backpackers and backpacker
destinations, as would the incorporation of non-backpacker perspectives into back-
packer studies.
With such a prolific research output on backpacking, it is striking the BRG are
yet to examine the phenomenon of ‘‘couchsurfing’’. The couchsurfer is a new type
of low-budget independent tourist who utilises the homes of locals for accommo-
dation (introductions and invitations are made through the website couchsur-
 Publications in review / Annals of Tourism Research 38 (2011) 723–743 737

fing.org), with the host often acting as a tour guide. Couchsurfing complicates the
definitions of who is a tourist and blurs the boundaries between public and private
space. However, backpacker research is still relatively new, having emerged only in
the 90s as an area of exploration in its own right, and thus new perspectives con-
tinue to flourish. This volume demonstrates that knowledge on the subject is
changing and maturing. While this is one of the strengths of the field, contributing
to an exciting scholarship, it can be difficult at times to establish a solid research
foundation. Backpacker researchers may still be developing the theoretical fra-
mings and conceptual underpinnings required as the discipline progresses. Read-
ing Beyond Backpacker Tourism is an engaging way to assess the current progress of
the discipline.
Benjamin Lucca Iaquinto: School of Geography and Environmental Science, Mon-
ash University, Clayton, Victoria, 3800, Australia. Email <bliaq1@gmail.com>

REFERENCES
Hannam, K., & Ateljevic, I. (Eds.). (2008). Backpacker tourism: Concepts and profiles.
Clevedon, UK: Channel View.
Iaquinto, B. L. (2009). Backpacker tourism: Concepts and profiles (book review).
Journeys, 10(2), 123–126.
Richards, G., & Wilson, J. (Eds.). (2004). The Global Nomad: Backpacker travel in theory
and practice. Clevedon, UK: Channel View.
Sorensen, A. (2003). Backpacker ethnography. Annals of Tourism Research, 30,
847–867.

Assigned 28 June 2010. Submitted 27 October 2010. Accepted 31 December 2010.

doi:10.1016/j.annals.2010.12.010

Annals of Tourism Research, Vol. 38, No. 2, pp. 737–739, 2011

Printed in Great Britain

HEALTH TOURISM: SOCIAL WELFARE

THROUGH INTERNATIONAL TRADE
By David Reisman. Edward Elgar Publishing Limited
<www.e-elgar.com> 2010, x + 198 pp. (bibliography, index)
$105.00 Hbk. ISBN 978 1 84844 892 6
Marion Joppe
University of Guelph, Canada

Health Tourism is a fascinating read, although it should have been more appro-
priately entitled ‘‘health travel’’ as there is very little discussion of the tourism phe-
nomenon per se. Perhaps even more accurate would have been ‘‘medical travel’’
because the book deals with the rapidly increasingly trade in medical procedures
world-wide. Reisman recognizes up-front that tourism is not the same as travel,
yet he bows to the use of the term, ‘‘health tourism’’ because this is what the media