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A Review of “Real estate and destination development in tourism. Successful strategies and instruments”

It is perhaps one of those curious anomalies of tourism studies but it has always struck me as strange that more academics have not devoted their attention to the issues surrounding real estate development. After all, real estate is central to tourist experiences whether it is in the form of a stay at a luxury five-star hotel complex, the thrill of a theme park, or even less obviously, walking through a pristine wilderness area. Real estate is vital to tourism business comprising, simultaneously, a principal asset and a major source of costs. Destination development is in no small measure a function of the resolution of real estate markets among competing land uses. In this context, Keller and Bieger’s collection is a welcome addition to the knowledge base in this routinely overlooked area. Comprising 18 chapters contributed by 43 authors from 10 countries, a multinational effort has been made to fill the lacuna. The book is structured around six interconnected themes rigidly comprising three chapters for each. The role, structure and development of destinations in real estate markets is followed by a consideration of evolving destination market business models. The next two sections cover practicalities, with the identification of socio-economic impacts preceding a discussion of the organisation of destination capacity through real estate management strategies. Real estate strategies for destinations and public–private governance approaches towards management complete the collection. Many predictable themes are present such as second homes, “residential tourism”, “cold beds” and even lifecycle models. In view of the scope of the collection it is unfair to single out individual chapters for detailed comment. Hallmarks of the collection are its heavy dependence on empirical evidence, a welcome range among the disciplinary backgrounds of the authors, and the several case studies from locations in the German-speaking world. For English-speaking scholars, the book opens destination dynamics of some otherwise inaccessible locations for scrutiny. It is also a useful glossary of possible methods by which to research real estate in tourism. There are some notable limitations which disappointingly limit the scope and contribution of the volume despite the ambitions of the editors to situate it as the next step in a progressive research agenda in the field. A somewhat curious approach to page-setting and the absence of section preambles or a thorough, integrative introduction, contribute to a tricky and fragmented read. The chapters are concisely compiled, in some cases to the point of being heavily distilled. In style, they are more like conference papers (abstract included) assembled for the purpose of publication rather than monograph chapters which is how they are presented to the readership (p. 1). Not surprisingly, therefore, most of the chapters lack deeper conceptual engagement. Those that do engage revisit some of the more enduring ideas from English language scholarship rather than the most up-to-date thinking.