What, and Who, Is Social Tourism? The Roles of the Public, Private and Voluntary Sector in Social Tourism Provision in Flanders, Belgium

Minnaert, Lynn

Abstract

In many social tourism systems, private-sector partners play a large role in social tourism provision. This begs the question: how exactly does one classify social tourism initiatives? Which conditions do providers need to meet to be classed as 'social tourism', and can profit-seeking private enterprises also be classed under this label if these conditions are met? This chapter explores these questions by examining the case study of Flanders. A conclusion of focus groups conducted in Flanders was that a definition of social tourism based on the nature of the provider is not helpful: in practice, actors in the public, private and voluntary sectors are social tourism providers. A high level of consensus was reached for the statement: 'social tourism is something you do, not something you are'.

Citation

Minnaert, L. (2021). What, and Who, Is Social Tourism? The Roles of the Public, Private and Voluntary Sector in Social Tourism Provision in Flanders, Belgium. In J. Lima, & C. Eusebio (Eds.), Social Tourism: Global Challenges and Approaches (158-168). Wallingford: CAB International Publishing. https://doi.org/10.1079/9781789241211.0013

• Publication Date: 2021
• Deposit Date: Aug 11, 2022
• Publisher: CAB International Publishing
• Pages: 158-168
• Book Title: Social Tourism: Global Challenges and Approaches
• ISBN: 978-1-78924-121-1
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1079/9781789241211.0013
• Public URL: http://researchrepository.napier.ac.uk/Output/2895839