Stories are central to human life and cultural cohesion. Moreover, stories have always been part of tourism practice, from both perspectives of providers and consumers. Tourists are eager to listen to stories about the destination, but also to share with friends and relatives their personal meaningful events during a trip. Destinations also then build identity and distinctiveness by sharing stories with visitors. Stories convey meaning and are also powerful tools for eliciting emotional responses. Stories develop emotional bonds between people, and between people and organizations and brands. Currently, digital mobile technologies are part of the overall tourism experience, facilitating global communication among consumers, and personal stories from tourism experiences are common contents found in digital platforms and social media. Stories have been a subject of research in many sciences, ranging from anthropology and ethnography, to history, sociology, linguistics, psychology and neuroscience. Storytelling research in tourism draws from diverse academic sources, however there is need to better address the sciences and theories informing studies in this field, but also to explore the methodologies that contribute the best to a deeper understanding of the role, for tourists and providers, of stories. Practical issues related to the management and marketing of tourism will expectedly benefit from developing knowledge in this area.

The book A Companion to Storytelling in Tourism is a key reference in the study of storytelling in tourism by covering a broad range of topics in this stream of research. It provides an updated review of research, as well as of the theoretical frameworks and empirical approaches adopted so far to study storytelling applied to the context of tourism, at the organization and destination levels, and from the perspective of experience providers and customers. Additionally, this book addresses current and future challenges of tourism organizations and destinations that may be tackled by creatively adopting storytelling as a strategy for brand differentiation and customer involvement. In this respect, both innovative theoretical and methodological contributions and case studies on the topic are covered.

This book is a dynamic resource for researchers, students and professionals involved in the study and design of the tourism experience, as well as in the marketing and management of tourism organizations and destinations.