Commuting and the urban night: nocturnal mobilities in tourism and hospitality work

Abstract

The importance of the tourism and hospitality sectors to the urban night and the economies of cities has been well-documented. However, commercialised night-time leisure as a timespace of work remains relatively underexplored. A greater understanding of bars, hotels, restaurants and clubs as workplaces as well as leisure destinations can contribute to conceptualising the potential of urban nights to be more diverse and inclusive. This paper examines the challenges faced by tourism and hospitality workers who need to commute at night. Drawing on a mixed-method study of Sofia, Bulgaria, and Brussels, Belgium, the paper explores the barriers encountered and resources mobilised to make the nocturnal commute possible. The dimensions discussed include the need to continuously adjust one’s commute; the economic and non-economic costs of night commuting; cycling at night; and the impact of collegial and employer relations on negotiating the night commute. The paper demonstrates that while tourism and hospitality workers mobilise a range of economic, organisational, affective and physical resources in order to make night commutes possible, much remains to be done by urban authorities and transport planners to ensure inclusive nocturnal mobilities which attend to work as well as leisure journeys.

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