Tourist Routes and Trails

Dear Colleagues,

Despite being a popular offering in many tourism destinations, trails and themed routes have for many years been an under-researched area within the tourism academy although some recent publications have sought to address this, for example Timothy and Boyd (2015) and the Journal of Heritage Tourism special edition on Heritage Routes and Trails (2017).  

Trails are defined as ‘a visible linear pathway of many varieties which is evident on the ground and which may have at its roots an original and historical linear transport or travel function’ (Timothy & Boyd, 2015:3-4). Routes are somewhat differentiated in that they are often a more abstract concept created by the contemporary clustering of ‘similar natural or cultural features together into a thematic linear corridor’ (Ibid: 4). What unites routes and trails is the idea of a purposeful journey which explores themes that are connected both spatially and imaginatively and which provide the visitor with a satisfying experience of a story interpreted through the act of travelling through the landscape. These linear visitor experiences differ vastly in terms of scale - we can find site-based trails around a museum or historic building exploring different collections or historic periods; urban trails exploring local industries, historic events or famous inhabitants; regional food and wine trails or more long-distance, themed journeys following in the footsteps of famous travellers. International routes such as the Silk Road or the Council of Europe Viking Route offer a long-distance journey which can also be experienced in sections. Despite their differing scales these tourism products offer the same potential benefits to both users and host communities. The visitor is offered a purposeful, interactive and engaging experience of place whilst the host community benefit from the creation of the partnerships/networks that underpin trails, the visitor management function of many routes and their promotion of walking or cycling and their integration with sustainable transport.

In this special edition of Sustainability we seek to explore these popular linear attractions from the perspective of their potential to promote sustainable local economies, environments and experiences using a range of case-study based and more theoretical studies of the concept of the route or trail and their functions and impacts within their wider social, cultural, economic and ecological environment. A particularly under-researched area is the experience of trail and route users and so we would welcome papers that address this area or any other related fields as above. 

Dr. Nicola MacLeod
Guest Editor

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References

Journal of Heritage Tourism – special edition on Heritage trails and tourism,12:5, 2017.

Timothy, D.J. and Boyd, S.W., 2015. Tourism and trails: Cultural, ecological and management issues (Vol. 64). Channel View Publications.