It's Time to Rethink
Join a movement of tourism and hospitality scholars committed to resisting toxic performance culture and prioritizing well-being, integrity, and thoughtful impact.
In recent years, higher education has seen a steady rise in impact expectations that are often arbitrary and increasingly unsustainable. Tourism and hospitality scholars have felt these pressures across research, teaching, grant work, and service. At the same time, a collective movement has begun to re-examine integrity, ethics, and the meaning of impactful scholarship, propelled by a JTR Letter to the Editor by Dr. Stefanie Benjamin et al. (2024) and supported by voices such as Sara Dolnicar, Sandro Carnicelli, and Gabby Walters.
A Pledge Is Born
The Scholar Mindset Reset Pledge reflects the collective input of the individual leaders named above and more than 100 colleagues worldwide, gathered through public forums and workshops at CAUTHE (Council for Australasian Tourism and Hospitality Education), TTRA (Travel and Tourism Research Association), and TEFI (Tourism Education Futures Initiative), as well as through online survey responses.
We CAN Change the Culture
While the academic machine can sometimes seem overwhelming, here are some ways that you can make a difference!
- Shine a light on the problem: Download the Scholar Mindset Reset Pledge logo and link and add to your email signature and social media posts.
- Walk the walk: Signing the pledge should not be performative. Take the words seriously. Are you in a position of power? Work to incorporate aspects of the pledge into institutional policy.
- Talk the Talk: Share your experiences in the Voices in Tourism and Hospitality Academia posts below. Like and reply to those you can relate to and/or support.
- Get educated: Check out the Research, Academia in the Media, and Other Ways to Make a Difference tabs above. Have you found a resource that isn't listed? E-mail the Scholar Mindset Reset Pledge folks with a description and link.
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Scholar Mindset Reset Pledge
"As a tourism academic committed to meaningful scholarship, I pledge to..."
Uphold Integrity and Ethical Accountability
- ✓Commit to honesty in data, methods, and communication
- ✓Remain transparent and responsible in all scholarly work
- ✓Be accountable for any errors, omissions, or mistakes
Engage in Purpose-Driven, Reflective Research
- ✓Slow down, stay curious, and pursue research that serves a real social or environmental purpose—not just academic gaps or trends
- ✓Commit to research with real impacts on communities, the environment, culture, health and well-being, policy, and the economy
- ✓Value diverse outputs, consider impact beyond academia, and meaningful contributions over quantity and resist the "publish or perish" culture
- ✓Create measurable and accountable career objectives that support these values to include mentorship, Early Career Researcher support, and community impact
Practice Reflexivity and Epistemological Humility
- ✓Stay critically aware of your positionality, biases, and limits
- ✓Respect differing worldviews and challenge academic arrogance
Ensure Fair and Just Authorship
- ✓Claim authorship only when a real contribution is made
- ✓Give credit fairly, challenge unethical practices, and resist prestige-based naming
Use Technology Responsibly
- ✓Refrain from using AI for core scholarly thinking
- ✓Prioritize human interpretation, creativity, and ethical responsibility in research
Center Participants and Regenerative Practice
- ✓Engage in research thoughtfully and empathetically with participants—not on them—by involving them as collaborators, respecting their knowledge systems, and ensuring mutual benefit
- ✓Respect their privacy, ensure voluntary consent and overall wellness
- ✓Avoid extracting data without giving back
Diversify Knowledge and Publication Forms
- ✓Respect and include [but not misappropriate] non-academic, Indigenous, local, and Global South knowledge
- ✓Share research through accessible, non-traditional formats
Promote Fair, Open, Accessible Scholarship
- ✓Support open science by sharing data and outputs responsibly and avoiding gatekeeping or unethical publishing models
- ✓Editors, Editorial Advisory Board members, and reviewers should be fair, honest, and objective when handling reviews
Foster Inclusive Mentorship and Collaboration
- ✓Mentor early career researchers, champion underrepresented voices, and create inclusive, supportive research environments
- ✓Recognize systemic challenges faced by marginalized scholars
Maintain Scholarly Autonomy and Voluntary Commitment
- ✓Ensure that participation in this pledge is voluntary and not performative or prescriptive
- ✓Foster responsible and respectful debate
Join the movement of scholars committed to positive change
Voices in Tourism and Hospitality Academia
How tourism and hospitality academics are working to be the change.