Professor Kevin Hannam is Professor of Tourism Development and Head of Tourism at the University of Sunderland, UK. He is the co-editor with Mimi Sheller and John Urry of the journal Mobilities. He has published widely on cultural geography and conceptual aspects of tourism development, with a particular empirical focus on India and Scandinavia. DrIrena Ateljevic is based within the Socio-Spatial Analysis Group at Wageningen University in the Netherlands. She is the co-editor of recent books on critical tourism including: Ateljevic, I. Morgan, N. and Pritchard, A. (2007) The Critical Turn in Tourism Studies: Exploring Innovative Methodologies (Elsevier Advanced Series); and Pritchard, A. Morgan, N. Ateljevic, I. and Harris, C. (2007) Tourism, Gender and Embodiment (CAB International). Her most recent research interest lies in analysing the political implications and powers surrounding the production of academic knowledge.

This fascinating and thoughtfully-edited collection of new research illustrates the changing dynamics of backpacker tourism. It makes a solid contribution to our understanding of backpacker tourism, but also raises important questions within ongoing larger debates about power, human societies and change.

• 1. Introduction: Conceptualising and Profiling Backpacker Tourism - Kevin Hannam and Irena AteljevicCONCEPTUALISING BACKPACKER TOURISM2. Suspending Reality: An Exploration of Enclaves and the Backpacker Experience - Julie Wilson and Greg Richards3. The Social Psychological Interface of Tourism and Independent Travel - Petri Hottola4. Sustainability Research and Backpacker Studies: Intersections and Mutual Insights - Phillip Pearce5. Are Backpackers Ethical Tourists? - Clare Speed and Annabel Hartnell6. The Lonely Planet Myth: Backpacker Bible and Travel Survival Kit - Peter Welk7. Challenging the Tourist-Other Dualism: Gender, Backpackers and the Embodiment of Tourism Research - Erica Wilson and Irena AteljevicPROFILING BACKPACKER TOURISM8. Van Tour and Doing a Contiki: Grand Backpacker Tours of Europe - Jude Wilson, David Fisher and Kevin Moore9. Uncovering the International Backpackers to Malaysia - Lee Tze Ian and Ghazali Musa10. Exploring the Motivations of Backpackers: The Case of South Africa - Christine Niggel and Angela Benson11. Study Backpackers: Australia’s Short-stay International Student Travellers - Jeff Jarvis and Victoria Peel12. Women as Backpacker Tourists: A Feminist Analysis of Destination Choice and Social Identities from the UK - Linda Myers and Kevin Hannam13. The Backpacking Journey of Israeli Women in Mid-Life - Darya Maoz14. Intra-Community Tensions in Backpacker Enclaves: Sydney’s Bondi Beach - Julie Wilson, Greg Richards and Ian MacDonnell15. Perceptions of Backpacker Accommodation Facilities: A Comparative Study of Scotland and New Zealand - Jenny Cave, Maree Thyne and Chris Ryan16. Conclusion: Towards a Critical Agenda for Backpacker Tourism - Irena Ateljevic and Kevin Hannam