Methodological Advances and Theoretical Gaps in Tracking Non-Urban Tourism Mobility

Abstract

This perspective article aims at identifying topics for further research based on techniques for tracking the mobility of tourists in areas with low population density, characterized by scarcity of public transport often coexisting with sensitive natural ecosystems. Supported by a systematic scoping review, it identifies studies undertaken in four continents, even though all the articles were published during the last two decades. Marketing approaches and planning for sustainability are the main objectives identified. The works contribute for developing techniques and methodologies for data collection and analysis but the contribution for the emergence of new concepts or theories is limited. The results of this survey suggest that a shift from the focus on individual forms of mobility of tourists to a closer connection to collective forms of transport, mobility of resident populations or emergent concepts in transport studies may contribute for more innovative conceptual or theoretical approaches.