Tourism Development and Quality of Life Research: Towards a New Study Paradigm

The road to understanding the relationship between tourism development and quality of life is riddled with research imbalances and limitations that stimulate study variety rather than depth. This inquiry investigates the state of research on tourism development and quality of life nexus by reviewing two previous study scans and conducting a separate literature assessment. The findings show different imperfections that slow down the pace of understanding the connection between tourism development and quality of life. The investigation also proposes a paradigm shift in future research by considering a granular and bilateral approach to the tourism development-quality of life connection, emphasizing mediation and moderation effects, and expanding the research method applications to the same study context. The proposed paradigm shift contributes to deepening our knowledge of the tourism development-quality of life relationship by emphasizing their dimensions and active roles, possible direct-indirect effects, and the intensity of the causal influences, and by combining multiple research strategies to the same research question and geography. The envisioned shift will allow policymakers to understand the finer workings of tourism development and quality of life and help them better nurture the positive effects and mitigate the negative ones.