Among scholars it has become a trope to claim that the study of tourism has been neglected. Like others making such claims, Evan R. Ward proceeds to generally disregard all tourism-related research, be it theoretical and descriptive. He also disregards comparable nontourism case studies that would help contextualize his study on both theoretical and historical grounds. Tourism, in reality, is a major research focus for multiple disciplines within which many scholars fuse diverse disciplinary approaches in theoretically and methodologically innovative ways. Ward does not participate in this broader scholarly discussion.
From the inappropriate title to its general lack of focus and topical cohesion, Packaged Vacations overgeneralizes about Latin American tourism. The book is not about “packaged vacations.” Though the author claims to discuss exclusive vacations, there is no sustained description of what that means for the tourism destinations under analysis. What exactly has been packaged for tourists and how they...
