Tourism and Politics aims to disseminate ideas on the critical discourse of tourism and tourists as they relate to politics, through a series of case studies from around the world written by specialists with an emphasis on linking theory to practice. That tourism is a profoundly important economic sector for most countries and regions of the world is widely accepted, even if some of the detail remains controversial. However, as tourism matures as a subject, the theories underpinning it necessarily need to be more sophisticated; tourism cannot be simply ‘read’ as a business proposition with a series of impacts. Wider questions of politics, power and identity need to be articulated, investigated and answered. While the making and consuming of tourism takes place within complex political milieux with multiple stakeholders competing for benefit, the implications are not fully understood. Literature on tourism and politics is surprisingly limited. This book will make a substantial contribution to the theoretical framework of tourism.

Tourism, the world's largest industry, has created a variety of complex political problems, particularly in those countries where the primary attraction of tourism is its potential for accelerating development. The political dimensions that have encouraged tourism in the People's Republic of China, the Philippines, Thailand, India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, the Maldives, Nepal, and Bhutan are examined in Linda K. Richter's study, which is based on more than 250 interviews with government officials, travel industry representatives, and media officials. Richter concentrates on the reasons for using tourism to advance government policy objectives and on the many ways political and economic problems can frustrate tourism's contribution to national development. All too often, after the expensive infrastructure is developed, luxury goods imported, and lavish promotional efforts expended, nations are left disillusioned with the economic promise of tourism. Disappointing results are often complicated by a preoccupation with the lure of tourism and an underestimation of the industry's needs and of the political pressures of and on government officials. Encouraging an awareness of the political aspects of tourism, the author advocates greater involvement by social and political scientists in monitoring tourism policy, as well as a restructuring and redesigning of programs in this largest sector of international trade.

Tourism in Palestine has been receiving an increasingly important profile given its economic and religious importance and the significant role it plays in Israeli-Palestinian relations, representation of Palestinian statehood and identity, and wider Middle Eastern politics. Nevertheless, Palestine, like much of the Middle East as a whole, remains extremely underrepresented in tourism literature. This title aims to fill this void by being the first book dedicated to exploring the significance of tourism in relationship to Palestine. The book examines the role of tourism in Palestine at three main levels. First, it provides an overview of destination management and marketing issues for the tourism industry in Palestine and addresses not only the visitor markets and the economic significance of tourism but also the realities of the difficulties of destination management, marketing and promotion of the Palestinian state. Second, it provides a series chapters and case studies that interrogate not only the various forms of tourism in Palestine but also its economic, social, environmental and spiritual importance. This section also conveys a dimension to tourism in Palestine that is not usually appreciated in the Western mainstream media. The third section indicates the way in which tourism in Palestine highlights broader questions and debates in tourism studies and the way in which travel in the region is framed in wider discourses. A significant dimension of the book is the attention it gives to the different voices of stakeholders in Palestinian tourism at varying levels of scale. This timely volume will offer the reader significant insight into the challenges and issues of tourism in this area now and in the future. It will benefit those interested in tourism, Middle East studies, politics, economics, development studies and geography.

The book unravels the politics surrounding the hegemonic project of tourism development through the example of Lijiang Ancient Town, a mature destination that has been used by the Chinese state as exemplary policy-making. The authors examine the dialectical relationships between global and domestic capital, the state, tourists and locals as they collude, collaborate and contest one another to ready Lijiang for tourist consumption.

The gap between theory and practice in the leisure, sport and tourism studies areas seems to have widened as scholars have become more specialized. Nevertheless, it is imperative that students be as familiar as possible with a wide range of social and political theory, and also be able to reconcile that knowledge with their own current and future roles as practicing professionals. As well as extensive updating of sources, this new edition examines such topics as libertarianism, theocracy, anti-establishment politics, and the concept of generations. A new chapter presents discussions of a number of 'issues and challenges' facing the leisure, sport and tourism sector. Introducing the subject for undergraduate and postgraduate students of leisure, sport and tourism, this book is also a useful addition to the shelf of any policy maker or practitioner within the industries.

This is the first book to set the development of tourism in China since 1949 in its policy context. Underpinned by a strong conceptual framework, this systematic study of China contributes to an in-depth understanding of how public policy-making for tourism works and how it affects the development of tourism in the real world. The text explores tourism policy during three distinct leadership periods since creation of the People’s Republic of China in 1949. The attitudes and values of leaders and central government agencies towards tourism are considered, as well as the interactions of ideological orthodoxies, socioeconomic conditions and institutions in their influence on national policy-making and tourism development. A separate chapter is devoted to policy-making in Hong Kong and Macau, as well as Taiwan. Drawing on China’s experience over 60 years the book concludes with both theoretical and practical implications for tourism policy-making.

'Tourism in South and South East Asia' is a comprehensive and solid introduction to tourism in South and South East Asia with a specific appeal both to institutions in the region, and other institutions who wish to expose students to one of the most dynamic tourism regions in the world. Despite downturns in outbound tourism (due to the current economic crisis), inbound tourism from outside the region has continued to increase with governments placing more emphasis on the economic significance of tourism than ever. 'Tourism in South and South East Asia' is the first tourism book to deal comprehensively with the implications of the Asian economic crisis for tourism. With South and South East Asia set to be the fastest growing area of tourism activity in the world well into the next century, 'Tourism in South and South East Asia' is an essential text for students both within and outside of this region. Dealing with concepts, themes and issues which are pertinent to tourism development, planning, marketing and management; these two internationally known authors have produced an authoritative text that covers all aspects of this topic through the use of illustrative and relevant case studies.

Taking a global and multidisciplinary approach, The SAGE International Encyclopedia of Travel and Tourism brings together a team of international scholars to examine the travel and tourism industry, which is expected to grow at an annual rate of four percent for the next decade. In more than 500 entries spanning four comprehensive volumes, the Encyclopedia examines the business of tourism around the world paying particular attention to the social, economic, environmental, and policy issues at play. The book examines global, regional, national, and local issues including transportation, infrastructure, the environment, and business promotion. By looking at travel trends and countries large and small, the Encyclopedia analyses a wide variety of challenges and opportunities facing the industry. In taking a comprehensive and global approach, the Encyclopedia approaches the field of travel and tourism through the numerous disciplines it reaches, including the traditional tourism administration curriculum within schools of business and management, economics, public policy, as well as social science disciplines such as the anthropology and sociology. Key features include: More than 500 entries authored and signed by key academics in the field Entries on individual countries that details the health of the tourism industry, policy and planning approaches, promotion efforts, and primary tourism draws. Additional entries look at major cities and popular destinations Coverage of travel trends such as culinary tourism, wine tourism, agritourism, ecotourism, geotourism, slow tourism, heritage and cultural-based tourism, sustainable tourism, and recreation-based tourism Cross-references and further readings A Reader’s Guide grouping articles by disciplinary areas and broad themes

Why has political ecology been assigned so little attention in tourism studies, despite its broad and critical interrogation of environment and politics? As the first full-length treatment of a political ecology of tourism, the collection addresses this lacuna and calls for the further establishment of this emerging interdisciplinary subfield. Drawing on recent trends in geography, anthropology, and environmental and tourism studies, Political Ecology of Tourism: Communities, Power and the Environment employs a political ecology approach to the analysis of tourism through three interrelated themes: Communities and Power, Conservation and Control, and Development and Conflict. While geographically broad in scope—with chapters that span Central and South America to Africa, and South, Southeast, and East Asia to Europe and Greenland—the collection illustrates how tourism-related environmental challenges are shared across prodigious geographical distances, while also attending to the nuanced ways they materialize in local contexts and therefore demand the historically situated, place-based and multi-scalar approach of political ecology. This collection advances our understanding of the role of political, economic and environmental concerns in tourism practice. It offers readers a political ecology framework from which to address tourism-related issues and themes such as development, identity politics, environmental subjectivities, environmental degradation, land and resources conflict, and indigenous ecologies. Finally, the collection is bookended by a pair of essays from two of the most distinguished scholars working in the subfield: Rosaleen Duffy (foreword) and James Igoe (afterword). This collection will be valuable reading for scholars and practitioners alike who share a critical interest in the intersection of tourism, politics and the environment

Based on anthropological fieldwork in the 1990s, this book provides an ethnographic perspective in its examination of the politics and policies of cultural tourism as they were played out under the Indonesian New Order regime. The successful New Order tourism policy ensured that tourism development both contributed to, and benefited from, increasing economic prosperity and a long stretch of political stability. However, that success has come at a price; the policy to encourage mainly 'high-quality' tourism revolved around carefully constructed and controlled tourist experiences that have led to local inequalities. The failure of this policy is analysed in a detailed case study of the city of Yogyakarta.