This publication contains the proceedings of two UNWTO conferences on "Tourism: a Tool for Sustainable Development in Transitional Economies", held in Belgrade on 20-21 June 2005, and "Impact of European Union Enlargement on Tourism Development in Europe", held in Vilnius, on 1-2 March 2006. There is an overlap between economies in transition and the group of countries that joined the European Union in 2004 and, from the perspective of tourism development, a large group of European countries share similar challenges and opportunities. While Europe is the region that receives the largest number of international tourists and registers the highest amount of receipts from international tourism, there is a great difference between traditional destinations with a long history of tourism development and the countries that recovered independence after the collapse of the Soviet Union. Some countries already undertook major reforms in their political and economic spheres while others are still addressing structural issues inherited from the past. Tourism contributes positively to European integration and at the same time its success depends on the development and modernisation of several economic and social sectors.

Because few comparative data existed on European cultural tourism, when the European commission designated cultural tourism as a key area of tourism development in Europe, the European association for tourism and leisure education undertook a transnational study of European cultural tourism. The first five chapters address general themes (the scope and significance, the social context, the economic context and the political context of cultural tourism). The are followed by eleven chapters on individual countries from the European Union. Re-issued in 2005 in electronic format by ATLAS, the Association for Tourism and Leisure Education.

This book explores travel, tourism, and urban development at the edges of Europe from the 1970s until the present. It compares tourism-spurred urban growth in Spain and Bulgaria, showing how development in Southern Europe after the fall of dictatorships provided a model for integrating post-socialist Europe in the 1990s. It analyzes the economic, cultural, and political dimensions of tourist economies, showing how they aligned with major European Union integration goals and were supported with EU development funds. It also chronicles the social and environmental costs of mass tourism where over-development has despoiled beachfronts and promoted low paying service jobs, reinforcing regional divisions in Europe between those who host and those who visit. Ultimately, it argues that while mass tourism is touted as a viable economic solution to EU inequality, it can potentially exacerbate disparities between core and peripheral zones, creating new and troubling forms of regional polarization.

Mass tourism is one of the most striking developments in postwar western societies, involving economic, social, cultural, and anthropological factors. For many countries it has become a significant, if not the primary, source of income for the resident population. The Mediterranean basin, which has long been a very popular destination, is explored here in the first study to scrutinize the region as a whole and over a long period of time. In particular, it investigates the area’s economic and social networks directly involved in tourism, which includes examining the most popular spots that attract tourists and the crucial actors, such as hotel entrepreneurs, travel agencies, charter companies, and companies developing seaside resort networks. This important volume presents a fascinating picture of the economics of tourism in one of the world’s most visited destinations.

Tourism in the New Europe addresses European tourism within the framework of an enlarged European Union of 25 members. It looks at the substantial reorientation of the organisational framework of European tourism and its profound implications for future structural and geographical patterns of development. Providing a series of thematic evaluations of the relationships between tourism and EU enlargement, this book includes a country-by-country examination of each of the new member states, in terms of their current patterns and trends of tourism development and the impacts which EU accession brings to them.

This book reviews the cultural tourism market in Europe from a survey carried out in 1997. It analyzes the way in which cultural attractions are produced for, and used by, cultural tourists and how such cultural attractions as museums, art galleries, monuments and heritage attractions are marketed.

This book examines the concept of social tourism within a European context. It places social tourism within a historical context of social development in the region, highlighting the diverse ways in which social tourism has evolved, identifying commonalities and providing a comprehensive definition. The theoretical chapters approach social tourism from a multi-disciplinary perspective linking social tourism to concepts such as social inequality, welfare systems, sustainability, family diversity and mobilities.

With an expected growth rate of around 6 per cent rural tourism is developing faster than the overall growth rate for international tourism arrivals. Due to its special importance for the European region, three seminars were held in Belgrade (Serbia), Kielce (Poland) and Yaremcha (Ukraine) to focus on three major issues: to contribute to a better understanding of rural tourism and to offer additional tools for planning and execution of initiatives; to enhance the importance of rural tourism in the agendas of governments and international organizations; to generate political and financial support for the development of rural tourism. (WTO)

Rural Europe is a highly developed tourism region, representing advanced tourism experience and supposed modern approaches to this industry. That said, it remains highly sensitive and fragile in terms of environmental, social, economic and cultural impacts. This volume focuses on rural Europe as a fascinating example of how tourism development impacts on the communities and the environment of rural regions and offers insights into how long term sustainability could be achieved in this specific region and correspondingly in other rural parts of the world. Sustainable Tourism in Rural Europe contains contributions from leading international scholars that review and analyse the concept and practice of sustainable tourism in this region through a multidisciplinary approach that embodies the view that sustainable tourism warrants a holistic approach in terms of its impacts and development potential. Divided into three sections: Key Themes and Issues; The State and Development; The Local Community and Development, this book addresses contentious and vital issues through theory, detailed research and case studies, offering real world approaches to sustainable development, showing problems including local politics which challenge abstract models. It introduces cutting edge research dealing with contemporary developments throughout Europe and consequential lessons/implications for other rural parts of the world. This volume will be of interest to students, researchers and academics in the areas of Tourism, Geography and Environmental Studies.

Tourism is characterized by diversity, enormous growth, and multidimensional impacts on several levels. In the current turbulent environment, tourism destinations need, on the one hand to maintain and enhance their products in the tourism map, and on the other hand, to protect their resources' integrity for future generations, based on sustainability premises. This is more evident for traditional destinations in Western-Europe, as many of them face the consequences of over-growth, unsustainable development, and lack of service quality. In this respect, attention in the literature needs to be given to how destinations in the region can conceptualize and mitigate their weaknesses as well as capitalize on their competences in order to plan, develop and manage tourism products that could lead them to sustainable competitiveness in the long-term. The book is of significant interest to those researching and working within the area of tourism marketing, but also of interest to students who are seeking wider reading on the topic.