Post-Fordism and flexibility: The travel industry polyglot

Theorists argue that leisure and travel-related activities have become increasingly commodified, reflecting the broader evolution of a postmodern culture of consumption. This paper argues that these developments have produced a travel industry complex characterized by a polyglot of varying production processes, each placing a premium on flexible forms of accumulation. Focusing on certain key sectors of the travel industry, the paper examines how, partly because of new information technologies, each element of the travel industry polyglot appears to have been affected by flexible-based production strategies such as the externalization of ancillary services, the development of interfirm strategic alliances, and sophisticated product differentiation through brand segmentation. The paper ends with a call for in-depth empirical investigations to help develop a superior understanding of how flexible production techniques affect the various components comprising the travel industry. (C) 1997 Elsevier Science Ltd.