“Post-viral tourism’s antagonistic tourist imaginaries”

Purpose This paper aims to examine the antagonistic coexistence of different tourism imaginaries in global post-viral social landscapes. Such antagonisms may be resolved at expense ethics mobility, if not adjudicated by post-human reflexivity. Currently, unreflexive behaviours involve refusal conform lifesaving “stay-at-home” policies, tendency book holidays and public inspection death zones. Design/methodology/approach Each consumption styles explored this discuss post-COVID-19 recovery corresponds least one tourist imaginary, antagonistically placed against moral betterment, solidarity, scientific advancement, national security labour equality. A multi-modal collection audio-visual textual data, gathered through media digital press, is categorised analysed via critical discourse analysis. Findings Data domain suggest a split between pessimistic optimistic attitudes that forge futures. These inform with temporal orientations styles. Social implications COVID-has exposed limits capacity efficiently address threats both human environmental ecosystems. As once popular locales/destinations are turned COVID-2019s spread into risk zones morbid biographical records their identities alter suffering become anthropocentric. Originality/value Using Castoriadis’ differentiation radical imaginaries, Foucault’s biopolitical analysis, Sorokin’s work on mentalities Sorel’s reflections violence, author argue has entered new phase governance experience tourism, which subsumes idealistic basis as cosmopolitan representational frameworks under techno-cultural imperatives risk, individualistic growth adventure (“edgework”) heritage preservation. also needs reconsider contribution technology (not technocracy) sustainable scenarios recovery.