Editorial: Theoretical development of tourism futures

Research is a systematic process of investigating, collecting, analysing and interpreting information to increase knowledge and understanding about a particular topic or problem (Flick, 2022).It involves asking questions, gathering evidence and using logical methods to discover new facts, test existing theories or solve practical issues.In tourism, research helps scholars and practitioners understand tourist behaviour, evaluate destination performance, assess the impacts of tourism and develop strategies for sustainable growth (Tribe, 2004;Tribe et al., 2015;Tribe and Liburd, 2016;Tribe and Xiao, 2011).Research can be theoretical, focusing on developing and refining concepts and theories or applied, focusing on addressing real-world problems and improving practice.Ultimately, research is essential for generating reliable knowledge, supporting informed decision-making and advancing both academic understanding and professional practice. Without a foundationResearch without theory would be largely descriptive and lack direction, making it difficult to understand the significance of findings (Parsons, 1938).While researchers could still collect observations and data, they would have little guidance on what questions to ask, which factors to investigate or how different variables might be related.Theory provides a framework for explaining patterns, interpreting results and predicting outcomes; without it, research would mainly focus on describing what happens rather than explaining why it happens.In addition, the absence of theory would make it harder to connect individual studies and build cumulative knowledge, as findings would remain isolated rather than contributing to a broader understanding of a phenomenon.Therefore, although research can begin with observation, theory is essential for giving meaning, structure and purpose to the research process. Role of researchTheory plays a fundamental role in applied sciences research in tourism because it provides the conceptual foundation for understanding, analysing and addressing real-world tourism issues.It helps researchers explain tourist behaviour, destination competitiveness, service quality, sustainability and the social, economic and environmental impacts of tourism (Pearce and Butler, 2010;Pearce, 2012;Smith and Lee, 2010).By using established theories, researchers can identify relationships between variables, develop hypotheses and design studies that generate reliable and meaningful findings (Bricker and Donohoe, 2015;Pavelka, 2013).In practice, tourism theories guide decision-making for destination managers, policymakers and tourism businesses by providing evidence-based insights that can improve visitor experiences, strengthen destination marketing and support sustainable development.Therefore, theory is essential in applied tourism research as it bridges the gap between academic knowledge and