"Affiliative nomads" in the age of mobilities

It has been well established that mass tourism frequently produces negative impacts on local communities, for example through overtourism or gentrification. Digital nomads, by virtue of staying longer in the local area, may have a lesser impact, but they can lack a non- utilitarian relationship with local residents due to the insulated nature of digital nomad enclaves. In contrast, there clearly exists a subset of high mobility individuals who do frequently engage with local communities and may be more attuned to local values, which are not obvious, or demonstrated, by the average tourist or temporary migrant. These individuals, hereafter referred to as “affiliative nomads”, often have long-standing relationships with the local community and may be, for example, second homeowners, annual repeat visitors, multilocal inhabitants, or remote workers, although it is not limited to these types of visitors. Affiliative nomads can support local productivity and introduce innovations, and, in certain contexts with ageing or declining local populations, they may even temporarily fill certain key community roles. The COVID-19 pandemic in particular has highlighted their importance, especially as this group, given their established local connections, may provide vital assistance to community members during times of crisis. Given the relationship between affiliative nomads and local communities, it is important to discuss this group within the context of global tourism mobilities, particularly within the framework of sustainable local tourism systems, and to explore ways to attract and retain affiliative nomads in geographical settings where they may be most effective. We are interested in both theoretical and empirical papers, and potential topics include:
• Affiliative nomads and place attachment
• Affiliative nomads and community engagement
• Identifying affiliative nomads
• Affiliative nomads and sustainable development
• Affiliative nomads and local governance
• Affiliative nomads, identity, and the local community
• Affiliative nomad mobilities
• Attracting affiliative nomads to address labour shortages
• Attracting affiliative nomads in response to crises
• Retaining affiliative nomads in regions with limited labour sources
• The ethics of affiliate nomad travel
• Affiliative tourism and gentrification
• Affiliative nomads and inequalities