Humanistic Tourism. Exploring old and new tourism challenges from a humanistic perspective

Tourism is a transformative force of space, places, and people. The coexistence of old and new forms of tourism shows tensions and opportunities that challenge tourism and destination management theory and practice. The chapter sets humanistic tourism at the nexus between tourism management and humanistic management to establish a new disciplinary perspective on tourism that can interpret and manage the weaknesses of traditional approaches to tourism and cope with tourism challenges and new scenarios, including the current global pandemic crisis. By focusing on the recognition and protection of the value of people, justice, and equity, humanistic tourism promotes fair practices in tourism employment, value creation, delivery, and capture within organizations and societies. The underlying question is a paradigm shift in tourism: Is a paradigm shift urgent and mandatory or still a utopia? The answer is complex and still open.