ON DETERMINING THE DISCIPLINARY STATUS OF TOURISM RESEARCH

Abstract

The article is devoted to one of the most controversial topics in tourism research – whether there is a tourism science. This problem has been in the focus of specialists’ attention for almost half a century. The author traces the discussion history, from the first questions posed to monodisciplinary research and discussion of an interdisciplinary approach, as well as describes the waves of scientific interest caused by the development of the research object – tourism on the one hand, and the processes taking place in science itself on the other hand. The essence of the discussion is presented. The main discussion groups are identified: two polar ones – supporters of the integrated tourism science and their opponents, as well as an intermediate group. Their main arguments are outlined. The purpose of the work is to assess the state of tourism research in Russia and abroad and the prospects for its development. The article analyzes the conceptual and methodological difficulties in understanding tourism. The dominance of multidisciplinarity is shown to be the main obstacle to the elaboration of the general theoretical foundations of tourism development, and the current task of forming an interdisciplinary approach in tourism research is set. The possibilities of scientific integration on the basis of civilizational, humanitarian, and territorial platforms as well as the ‘Sustainable Development’ platform are considered. The importance of integration processes for the development of tourism research is emphasized. In the longer term, a breakthrough in tourism research is associated with overcoming disciplinary restrictions and the transition to non-disciplinarity (transdisciplinarity). Theoretical positions are supported by a large amount of illustrative material. The article is addressed to specialists in various fields of knowledge interested in the problems of the tourism and recreation development, and is designed for a broad discussion of the future research issues in this area.