As I write there are at least 50 Christmas Markets underway in towns and cities across the UK, and many more in Europe and around the globe. They bring thousands of visitors, provide a boost to the tourist and hospitality industries and to local economies.  They seem to attract impressive visitor numbers and to be popular among residents, but what we know about their economic and social impact beyond the basic statistics of estimated visitor numbers, additional spending and jobs created is limited so let’s explore this phenomenon a little more.

Like most people in my country and many beyond, especially in the education research and sociology fields, I was shocked by  Ronald G. Sultana’s sudden demise at 65. I am still reeling from the phone call I received on the morning of November 24 from a mutual friend and once collaborator of Ronald’s, informing me of his death.