Submission date: January 15, 2025

Scheduled for publication: 2025

Issue coordination:

Marcelo Vilela de Almeida, Associate Professor, School of Arts, Sciences, and Humanities, University of São Paulo (USP) - Brazil

Erica Schenkel, Researcher, National Council for Scientific and Technical Research (CONICET), Professor, Department of Geography and Tourism, National University of the South - Argentina

Anya Diekmann, Professor, Brussels Centre for Tourism Studies, Department of Geosciences, Environment, and Society (DGES), Free University of Brussels - Belgium

Emerging in the first half of the 20^th century in Europe, linked to the public policies of the welfare state, social tourism - understood here as all actions, initiatives, policies, and practices aimed at democratizing access to tourism - has developed in different forms around the world, taking on different configurations and reaching different audiences depending on the characteristics of the various countries where it has developed (Bélanger et al., 2007; Almeida, 2011; Schenkel, 2013).

Initially designed to facilitate vacations for disadvantaged workers and families, the scope of social tourism has broadened over time to include other segments of the public such as children, young people, the elderly, people with disabilities, and other groups living with various restrictions (Proulx and Jolin, 2005; Diekmann and McCabe, 2020). Governments and an array of entities with distinct vocations (associative, philanthropic, commercial, educational, religious, and others) have set up various mechanisms to facilitate tourism leisure for the population, including direct aid to the sector (to adjust supply to demand and/or reduce prices) and/or directly to individuals (e.g. vacation vouchers) or programs aimed at a specific target audience (e.g. IMSERSO / Instituto de Mayores y Servicios Sociales, the institute for the elderly and social services in Spain).

The issue of access to tourism has become more complex over time, bringing with it new challenges linked to the impact of the activity on the host territory. Thus, in the 21st century, social tourism is reinventing itself to integrate greater social sustainability focused on local communities, their environment, optimal working conditions, and equitable economic benefits anchored locally and in harmony with the cultural and natural context in which the tourism activity is established and unfolds (ISTO, 2023).

In a global context of many challenges - social, political, economic, and environmental - the very concept of social tourism merits in-depth reflection. Considering the repercussions of phenomena such as the advance of neoliberalism, the crisis of associationism, the emergence of extremist political parties around the world, or the consequences of global warming on access to tourism and social tourism practices, we can ask ourselves

• Is social tourism still a valid concept?

• How is social tourism evolving in different countries?

• Are the different mechanisms and systems in place still responding to the needs of the tourists?

• How can social tourism be made more accessible and stagnant non-participation be lowered?

• What are the possible repercussions of movements in favour of shorter working hours on social tourism operators?

• To what extent the development of social tourism (any form) represents a risk for territories already suffocated by mass tourism and/or for the environment in a context of climate change?

• How have social tourism actors integrated social and environmental sustainability?

• By focusing on local tourism, what impact does social tourism have on the localities that receive it?

• How can a moral right to tourism be justified in the face of the current challenges of climate change?

• How can we guarantee such a right, if tourism can be seen in this light, in the face of the challenges that characterize the contemporary world?

• What changes has the COVID-19 pandemic brought to social tourism constituencies and initiatives?

• What interfaces between governments, private companies, and social economy organizations can be harnessed to promote social tourism?

• How can the countries of the Global South strengthen their social tourism initiatives, which are generally modest, in the face of the other challenges facing their populations?

We invite texts stemming from empirical research, as well as theoretical and/or methodological reflections that address one or more of the above-mentioned issues, or that present other perspectives on the past, present, and future of social tourism, whether from the point of view of tourism supply (social tourism actors), demand, workers in the sector, public policy, or the residents of tourist destinations where such practices occur.

See the bibliography at the end of the document.

Proposal conditions

Authors should forward a manuscript written in French or English and presented according to the journal's rules, accessible at https://0-journals-openedition-org.catalogue.libraries.london.ac.uk/teoros/168.

Submissions must be between 7,000 and 8,000 words in Word format (no PDFs). Each article must include

a) first and last names of all authors (maximum three authors).

b) their main titles and affiliations (only one per author).

c) their email and postal addresses.

d) an abstract́ of 150 to 200 words (maximum) in French and English.

e) identification of the discipline(s) studied.

f) a list of keywords (maximum of five).

Téoros has an international readership. Authors are invited to take this reality into account in the presentation of their case studies, to make them accessible to readers unfamiliar with the destination studied.

Illustrations

Authors are asked to supply 3 or 4 high-resolution (300 dpi), royalty-free illustrations, clearly indicating the caption and source and, in the case of photos, the photographer's name and the photograph date.

Originality of the study

Manuscripts submitted for publication in Téoros must make an original scientific contribution. Authors remain responsible for the content and opinions expressed, as well as for the accuracy of data and bibliographical references.

For further information, please consult the following documents:

Editorial policy: https://journals.openedition.org/teoros/168

Manuscript submission rules: https://journals.openedition.org/teoros/4424

The deadline for submitting a text is January 15, 2025.

Proposals for abstracts and texts must be submitted on the OJS platform of the Téoros journal: https://edition.uqam.ca/teoros

Once your account for submission has been created, guides are available to help you submit your proposal.

Please enter "Social tourism" in the subject line.

Téoros magazine acknowledges the support of the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada (Aid to Scholarly Journals Program); the Fonds de recherche du Québec - Société et Culture (Aid to Scientific Publications Program); the Université du Québec à Montréal's School of Management, its Department of Urban and Tourism Studies, and its Centre for Research on the City.

Téoros - Journal of Tourism Research aims to contribute to the development and the enhancement of the scientific study of tourism in a multidisciplinary perspective by asserting itself as a leader in research in francophone world. The journal, created in 1982, is published twice a year and publish articles in French and English. The journal is now in open acces.

Director: Dominic Lapointe, Professor, Université du Québec à Montréal

Co-editor: Alexandra Arellano, Professor, University of Ottawa