1st Edition
Tourism in Post-Communist States Central and Eastern Europe
This book addresses tourism and its development in the post-communist context of Central and Eastern Europe (CEE). Although it has been over 30 years since many countries of Central and Eastern Europe embarked on the path of transition from state socialism to capitalism and liberal democracy, the ongoing atrocious events in Ukraine bluntly remind us that the perception of CEE as a ‘transition’ region may have been done away with too early and that the legacies of communism continue to influence the reality of the region. Tourism is no exception here. While on the one hand, tourism has significantly contributed to the post-communist restructuring of CEE, on the other, the communist heritage has played (and still plays) an important role in shaping the tourism geographies of the CEE region.
The book consists of 14 chapters (divided into two sections), a new introduction and a reflective concluding section. All 14 main chapters in this book were originally published in the Tourism Geographies journal. The aim of the book is two-fold. First, it summarises, distils and highlights the important and often ground-breaking contributions Tourism Geographies has made over the years to the debate on tourism in CEE. Second, it lays foundations for further research on tourism in the post-communist states of CEE. This book will be of great interest to upper-level students, researchers, and academics in various disciplines – human geography, politics, sociology, and tourism studies in general.
Foreword
Jarkko Saarinen
Introduction: Tourism development and post-communist transformations in Central and Eastern Europe
Piotr Niewiadomski
PART I - Tourism in Transition: From Problems and Challenges to Success and Prosperity?
1. Tourism patterns and problems in East Central Europe
Russell L. Ivy and Charles B. Copp
2. Troubled sustainability: Bulgarian seaside resorts
Marin Bachvarov
3. Gazing on communism: Heritage tourism and post-communist identities in Germany, Hungary and Romania
Duncan Light
4. Unpacking the local: A cultural analysis of tourism entrepreneurship in Murter, Croatia
Irena Ateljevic and Stephen Doorne
5. Ecotourism in post-communist Poland: An examination of tourists, sustainability and institutions
Agnes M.K. Nowaczek and David A. Fennell
6. Relationships between international tourism and migration in Hungary: Tourism flows and foreign property ownership
Sándor Illés and Gábor Michalkó
7. From 'Bricklaying' to ' Bricolage ': Transition and Tourism Development in Central and Eastern Europe
Derek Hall
8. Estonian tourism and the accession effect: The impact of European Union membership on the contemporary development patterns of the Estonian tourism industry
Jeff Jarvis and Piret Kallas
Part II - Advancing Post-Communist Change: Tourism as a Transformative Force
9. New places in old spaces: Mapping tourism and regeneration in Budapest
Tamara Rátz, Melanie Smith and Gábor Michalkó
10. Transforming tourism spaces in changing socio-political contexts: The case of Pärnu, Estonia, as a tourist destination
Jarkko Saarinen and Tiit Kask
11. Culinary tourism packages and regional brands in Czechia
Jana Spilková and Dana Fialová
12. International hotel groups and regional development in Central and Eastern Europe
Piotr Niewiadomski
13. Non-planning and tourism consumption in Budapest's inner city
Melanie Smith, Tamás Egedy, Adrienne Csizmady, András Jancsik, Gergély Olt and Gábor Michalkó
14. Hotel development through centralized to liberalized planning procedures: Prague lost in transition
Bálint Kádár
Conclusion
Final reflections: Whither tourism research in the era of (post-)post-communism?
Piotr Niewiadomski
Biography
Piotr Niewiadomski is an Economic Geographer interested in the worldwide development of the tourism production system and uneven impacts of tourism on economic development, with a particular interest in Central and Eastern Europe. Piotr is a Senior Lecturer in Human Geography at the University of Aberdeen (Scotland, UK).
