Edward Elgar Publishing Handbook on Children and Family Tourism (Research Handbooks in Tourism series)

The Handbook on Children and Family Tourism provides a comprehensive and interdisciplinary examination of the role of tourism in shaping childhood experiences, family relationships, and social inclusion. Contributors critically engage with contemporary debates surrounding children's agency, diverse family structures, accessibility, and equity in tourism contexts. They foreground underrepresented perspectives, including those of LGBTQ+ families, single-parent households, families with children with disabilities, and families travelling with pets, demonstrating the need for inclusive and tailored travel experiences. By moving beyond traditional Western-centric notions of the nuclear family, the Handbook advocates for tourism to be used as a vehicle to enhance family well-being, address systemic inequalities, and promote social inclusion and resilience. It concludes by exploring emerging trends in the field, using a cognitive mapping approach to chart future research pathways. This Handbook is an essential resource for scholars and students of tourism studies and hospitality management as well as researchers in childhood and youth studies, sociology, and psychology. It is also highly beneficial to tourism industry practitioners and policymakers seeking to understand and support the evolving dynamics of children and families within the global tourism landscape.