| Abstract |
Some call it 'restorative economics' (Tasch, 2010), some 'regenerative economy' (Fullerton, 2015), some 'caring economy' (Reisler, 2007), or 'soil economy' (Shiva et. al., 2015). Yet they all share the same departure point - in a direction opposite to the current global economy that is speeding out of control, promoting unlimited consumption and always chasing after distant markets, with destructive consequences for local economies, communities and all living things. In the face of all-pervasive crisis at all levels, the paradigm shift for the new economy model is called upon - for economics of harmony and quality, of honesty and health, for the care of the commons, for the economics of cultural and biological diversity, carrying capacity, and the importance of the local. In this paper we focus on the phenomenon of transformative tourism and how it is increasingly claimed to be one of the catalysts in assisting this shift, as travellers are increasingly using their holidays to reflect upon their lives and reinvent the world in which they live (Ateljevic, Sheldon and Tomljenovic, 2016). We specifically report on one aspect of our longitudinal research project (funded by the Croatian Science Foundation, see www. transtourism. com) through which we have been investigating a group of social entrepreneurs involved in transformative tourism practices (in the UK, Germany, Hungary and Croatia). Our research has shown that these entrepreneurs who, either out of their significant individual life change and/or the heightened awareness of planetary crisis, are prompted to change their lifestyles. They are often urban professionals who consequently set up different forms of transformative and mostly rural tourism social enterprises that resonate with the principles of regenerative/restorative economics. |