Critical Thinking in Tourism Studies

Even though the term ‘critical thinking’ has been used wisely in social theory, policy and business studies alike, for some practitioners it still needs to better align with practical action in business. This entry generates an analytical map to this end:

1. I discuss the development of critical thinking in modernity. This section examines early twentieth century European social theory and its subsequent international development in contexts of globalisation and human mobility.

2. I explore two twentieth-century strands of criticality within the field of tourism studies before its sustainable connection to business: the first connects to European thought and the second to American thought.

3. I address why contemporary tourism studies scholars decided that a connection needs to be introduced between critical thinking and tourism analysis. The development of a new agenda on critical thinking was connected to the project of pedagogical awareness in business.

4. I examine contemporary critiques of entrepreneurialism, which is deemed unsustainable. Emphasis is placed on ideas of collective empathy, rational action, and pragmatic human development, as well as how and why these can or cannot be harmonised with sustainability and growth. This section connects criticality to understandings of moral consciousness.