Posttourism

Posttourism is a term used in tourism studies to describe a critical and evolving stance toward travel that emerges in response to mass tourism's social, cultural, and environmental costs. The term is used variably across literature, sometimes to describe post-pandemic travel behavior or as a theoretical outlook that interrogates the tourist gaze, authenticity, and the commodification of culture.

Key themes include reducing environmental footprints; privileging long stays and local experiences over short visits; prioritizing community benefit and co-created experiences; ethical considerations around labor, displacement, and cultural integrity; and rethinking authenticity as co-produced with residents rather than manufactured for visitors.

In practice, posttourism encompasses approaches such as community-based or regenerative tourism, slow travel, responsible travel, and critically engaged tourism that emphasizes memory, place-making, and social value rather than mere consumption. Critics note potential tensions with accessibility and inclusivity, as some posttourism models rely on resources or knowledge that are not universally available.

As a field of inquiry, posttourism remains emergent and contested, with ongoing debate about its definitions, metrics, and scalability. It reflects broader shifts in tourism toward sustainability, resilience, and more nuanced understandings of travel’s impacts.