Description
Book SynopsisThis is the first book to explore research on visiting friends and relatives (VFR). In many countries VFR is the largest single travel-related market and for some regional economies accounts for over half of all tourism flows. In assembling an international collection of quality VFR-related research the editors present the profiles, characteristics, opportunities and behaviours of VFR travel for the benefit of researchers, industry practitioners and educators. This holistic and international approach to understanding VFR travel provides a state of the art understanding of the context, dynamics and implications of VFR travel and will be an essential resource for postgraduate students, researchers and also practitioners.
Trade ReviewThis book seeks to examine the social and economic importance of the VFR (Visiting Friends and Relatives) market, and it does so successfully. Global examples are provided, and nuanced differences made – such as even questioning why the ‘F’ and the ‘R’ are grouped together in the all too familiar acronym ‘VFR’ when such distinct differences exist between families and friends. This book is a welcome addition to the tourism literature for the contribution it makes on what has thus far been a relatively under-researched area.
-- Chris Ryan, University of Waikato, New Zealand
Finally, a much needed book that explores the vitally important, but underappreciated area of VFR travel has been published. The book adopts a global perspective combining chapters that ground VFR travel well within existing tourism studies with case studies from almost every continent and deeper pieces conceptualizing. A book on this topic is long overdue and this book does not disappoint.
-- Bob McKercher, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Hong Kong
I would like to congratulate the editors and authors who contributed to this much needed book publication for highlighting an underappreciated but vitally important area of tourism research. (...) Most of the contributors of this edited book are themselves well established researchers in this area, and along with emergent researchers from around the world, doing a fine job in breaking down all those misconceptions about VFR travel.
-- Heike A. Schänzel, Auckland University of Technology, New Zealand * Journal of Tourism Futures, Vol. 3 Issue: 1 *
Table of ContentsChapter 1 Elisa Backer and Brian King: VFR Travel: Progressing Towards Greater Recognition
Chapter 2 Elisa Backer and Alastair Morrison: The value and contributions of VFR to destinations and destination marketing
Chapter 3 Tony Seaton and Caroline Tie: Are Relatives Friends? Disaggregating VFR Travel 1994-2014
Chapter 4 Brian King and Larry Dwyer: The VFR and Migration Nexus – the impacts of migration on inbound and outbound Australian VFR travel
Chapter 5 Elisa Backer: VFR Travel: its true dimensions
Chapter 6 Tom Griffin: The Experience and Implications of Immigrant Hosts
Chapter 7 Elisa Backer and Brian Hay: Implementing VFR Travel Strategies
Chapter 8 Zahed Ghaderi: Visiting friends and relatives (VFR) travel: the case of Iran
Chapter 9 Joseph T. O’Leary, Gyehee Lee, Jung Eun Kim and Nandini Nadkarni: Travel in the United States: An Examination of VFR Travel
Chapter 10 Christian M. Rogerson: VFR Travel in Sub-Saharan Africa: The Case of South Africa
Chapter 11 Antonino Mario Oliveri: The VFR Phenomenon in Italy
Chapter 12 Hamed M Al Suwaidi, Shabbar Jaffry, Alexandros Apostolakis: Examining Visiting Friends and Relatives (VFR) Demand in the Emirate of Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates
Chapter 13 Jenny Cave and C. Michael Hall: Do Families Hold the Pacific Together? VFR, Voyaging, and New Expressions of Diasporic Networks
Chapter 14 Elisa Backer and Brian King: Local Impacts, Global Prospects: The Future of VFR Travel
