Sixth International Conference on Tourism & Leisure Studies

Abstract

This multiple-authored presentation takes up from an inter-disciplinary perspective the intersection of questions of socio-cultural changes impacting leisure activities, social and ethical issues attending changes in tourism, and horizons for responsible and sustainable travel and leisure recovery in a post-pandemic world, taking contemporary Belarus as a case study in European and global context. The paper combines methods and approaches from Historical Studies, Travel and Leisure Studies, and the Social Sciences, with cross-sectoral professional experience from the Co-founder and Deputy Director of BelAgroTravel LLC, the Vice-Chairman of the Belarusian Touristic Union, and the Chairman of the Belarusian Association of Tour Guides. Drawing on of-the-moment reports from public associations and state statistics, we consider not only recent socio-cultural transformations through the lens of the study of leisure, but also dramatic changes in tourism modes and markets in the Belarusian leisure and tourism industry. Building on these issues, we describe possible avenues of recovery, prospective areas for investments in tourism infrastructure, and share some ideas for new itineraries, proposing from the case of Belarus concepts that can be mapped onto broader global conditions.