TOURISM
RESET.
Tourism RESET is a multi-university and interdisciplinary research and outreach initiative that seeks to identify, study, and challenge patterns of social inequity in the tourism industry.
Our Mission
Tourism RESET provides a community for scholars, educators and industry professionals to collaborate on and exchange ideas around race, ethnicity and social equity in tourism.
RESET captures the progressive nature of the initiative and the belief that tourism development, if done sustainably and responsibly, can be tools for racial reconciliation and empowerment - in effect pressing the “reset” button on the inequalities and insensitivity of the traditional tourism industry.
Our Team
Founded in 2010 by Dr. Derek Alderman and Dr. Carol Kline, RESET is a network of like minded scholars from around the world with research fellows and affiliates representing over 25 Universities. As a team, we facilitate the holding of conferences, joint projects, grants, workshops, panels and publications along with the connection of research professionals with community and industry groups. Our team of RESET research fellows and affiliates actively work on publishing peer reviewed scholarly research, educating future hospitality and tourism leaders through a critical lens and writing and working on National and International grants. Learn more about our team here.
Derek Alderman, Ph.D.
Founder & Director
Stefanie Benjamin, Ph.D.
Co-Director
Alana Dillette, Ph.D.
Co-Director
Our Research
As a team, our goal is to continue utilizing Tourism RESET as a platform for equitable change. Special attention is focused on enhancing the role of racial and ethnic minorities in development, however the inequity and injustices highlighted through RESET can also include a broad swath of existing struggles such as human trafficking in hospitality, animal welfare in tourism, inclusion of people with disabilities, and the continuing power issues related to gender in economically developing and developed contexts. Little sustained work has been done on the preferences, characteristics, and challenges of marginalized travelers and there is a need to incorporate the natural and cultural heritage of racial and ethnic populations into tourism products available to the consuming public.
RACISM & INEQUALITY
Issues of systemic racism and inequality have been pervasive in the travel and tourism industry for centuries. Research in this area revolves around the histories of Black travel and how systematic racism has informed the tourism landscape of today. Counter-narratives highlighting current day experiences of Black travelers and tourism professionals are exposed.
PEOPLE WITH DISABILITIES, LGBTQ+ & GENDER
At the nexus of social equity and critical tourism scholarship, projects exploring marginalized populations including people with disabilities, LGBTQ+, and womxn aim to amplify underrepresented voices and reveal areas for the tourism industry to improve. Using an array of methodologies, projects in this area aim to understand how gender, sexual orientation and ability influence the travel experience and landscape.
PLANTATIONS, ENSLAVEMENT & HERITAGE TOURISM
National Science Foundation funded projects in this area ask questions such as “Do plantation museums do justice to the memory of the enslaved?” Research in this area highlights how narratives around enslaved populations and slavery are constructed or absent at planation sites, in addition to sharing the possibilities for improving these sites as we move forward.
SUSTAINABILITY, Equity, & wellbeing
Sustainability encompasses three critical dimensions - economic efficiency, environmental integrity, and social equity and justice. In line with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals of equity, peace and justice, RESET fellows conduct research in the areas of community engagement, animal welfare, and corporate social responsibility that tend to sustainable tourism goals.
Our Industry Partners
Our industry collaborators work with us to help bridge higher education and the academic world working on ‘real-world’ issues, challenges, and opportunities. We partner together to work on obtaining grants in addition to research resulting in publications, workshops and presentations. Additionally, our partners help to provide our students with ‘in-the-field’ experiences and current trends for application of in-class assignments and projects resulting in experiential learning and advocacy for social equity.
Our Impact
Our global multidisciplinary team of researchers represent a variety of backgrounds including hospitality, tourism, recreation, marketing, geography, history, education, sociology, anthropology, critical comparative music studies and international studies. As a team, they have produced numerous scholarly publications, been featured across outlets such as NPR and The Conversation, led workshops and panels around the world and secured grant funding for both large & small research projects.
500+
academic publications
Tourism RESET scholars produce high quality meaningful publications across various academic disciplines in the form of peer-reviewed journal publications, book chapters and books.
11
Years producing critical scholarship
Tourism RESET was founded in 2010 and continues to grow each year with new scholars, research projects and industry partners.
$13m
million dollars in grants
To date, Tourism RESET scholars have been awarded over USD $13 million in grant funding to support their research and development.
*Some grant funding includes non-Tourism RESET scholars.
FEATURED IN
RESET captures the progressive nature of the initiative and the belief that tourism development, if done in sustainable and responsible ways, can be tools for racial reconciliation and empowerment - in effect pressing the ‘RESET’ button on the inequalities and insensitivity of the traditional tourism industry
Check out our latest Blog Posts
Get Involved
As an organization continuously striving for growth, we are always open to new fellows, affiliates and industry partners. Check out our RESET at a glance kit here and contact us to learn more about how you can get involved.
RESEARCH FELLOWS & AFFILIATES
Are you an academic with a focus on RESET issues in tourism or a related field? Consider joining RESET as a fellow or affiliate.
INDUSTRY PARTNERSHIPS
Are you an organization dedicated to supporting social equity in tourism? Consider joining RESET as an industry partner.
GRANTS & FUNDING
Are you an organization looking for meaningful projects to fund? Consider RESET for your next grant opportunity.