Narrowing My Research Focus: Moving from Neurodiversity and Tourism Towards Autism and International Travel.

After completing my initial research into the relationship between neurodiversity and tourism, I began to recognise that my chosen area of interest was still very broad. While exploring various academic sources, I found that neurodiversity is a broad area encompassing many neurological variations, each with its own experiences and challenges.

Rather than continuing to explore neurodiversity as a whole, I want to begin narrowing my research focus towards a more specific area.

In my previous research, autism repeatedly emerged as a key focus in existing tourism studies. My research into Inclusive Tourism and Children with a Diagnosis of Autism Spectrum Disorders: A Systematic Review of the Literature highlighted that much of the current research surrounding neurodivergent tourism experiences focuses specifically on autistic individuals.

This made me question why autism appears to be more represented within tourism research compared to other forms of neurodivergence. It also highlighted that, although research exists, there are still significant gaps around autistic adults, independence and personal experiences of travel.

This led me to consider narrowing my research focus from: Tourism and Neurodiversity

towards: The experiences of autistic individuals within international tourism.

Why Autism?

Autism provides a more focused area of investigation because many of the themes identified throughout my research connect strongly with autistic experiences, including:

• sensory differences
• navigating unfamiliar environments
• communication barriers
• changes in routine
• uncertainty and unpredictability

By focusing specifically on autism, I can explore these themes in greater depth rather than attempting to represent the experiences of all neurodivergent individuals.

Why International Travel?

I am also interested in exploring international travel as a specific context because travelling internationally often increases the complexity and unpredictability of a journey.

Unlike everyday travel, international tourism can involve:

• unfamiliar cultures and environments
• language differences
• airports and border processes
• longer periods away from familiar routines
• increased reliance on planning and preparation

This raises questions around how autistic individuals experience these situations and whether current tourism systems adequately consider different ways of processing and experiencing the world.

Emerging Research Questions

At this stage, I am not looking to define a final design outcome but rather to use further research to identify where meaningful gaps exist.

Potential areas I want to investigate include:

• How do autistic individuals experience international travel?
• How does the tourism industry currently understand accessibility for autistic travellers?
• What aspects of international travel create the greatest barriers or opportunities?

This narrowing process will allow me to move from a broad interest in tourism and neurodiversity towards a more focused area of research.