First Published in 2009. Routledge is an imprint of Taylor & Francis, an informa company.

For many people, holidays are an increasingly central feature of contemporary western society. The tourism industry has expanded rapidly since 1950, but this book poses the significant question of consequent environmental impacts: are environments being benefited or damaged, by the tourist who visit them? A well-balanced introductory text, this topical book on the relationships between tourism, society and the environment, examines 'tourism' and 'environment' in detail, and gives a historical overview of the growth of the tourism industry. It discusses how the tourism industry markets physical and cultural environments to be consumed by the tourist, and the consequences of the tourism they then attract. It explores: * how the economics of tourism can be adopted in a positive way to aid conservation * whether the concept of sustainability can be applied to tourism * provides a critique of the 'new' forms of tourism, that have developed in recent years. An extensive range of international case studies from both the developed and developing world are used to illustrate the theoretical ideas presented, and to aid the student, it includes end of chapter summaries, further reading guides and boxed vignettes focusing on contemporary environmental issues and debates.

The issue of maintaining a balanced relationship between tourism and the environment has received considerable attention since the 1970s. However, only in the 1980s and 1990s did it become a topic of systematic academic inquiry and research, distinguished from the broader area of the environmental impacts of recreation and leisure activities. This volume dwells on the environmental and economic impacts of tourism and is divided as follows: Part 1: Introduction and Overview Part 2: Tourism and the Environment: General Considerations Part 3: Regional Issues Part 4: Economic Issues Part 5: Policy Issues The work is complemented by a subject index.

The contributions contained in this volume deal with two perspectives of ‘tourism and environment'; the 'role of the environment in tourism' and ‘environmental tourism'. The same message would be expected in both cases. The environment comprises the set of biophysical and cultural events surrounding us and influences the activities developed depending on time and site. Among the environmental characteristics of a region, climate is usually the most relevant and conditions almost all other components. Climate defines much of the natural, as well as the urban cultural landscape and the countryside of an area. Seasonal environmental change affects the life and culture of each place and largely explains the choice of destination of travellers. Environment and landscape therefore give rise to an interesting and varying relationship over the year. Thus, coastal landscapes are not inherently more beautiful in summer than in other seasons but environmental conditions cause a greater demand in this season. Certain places in the world captivate visitors who flock to them in large numbers. Local people recognize the benefit of this, employers become interested in the economic aspects and so the tourism infrastructure develops. The appeal of ‘good climate' has led to a change from a rural subsistence culture to a lucrative services economy in some areas. Unfortunately however in many cases short-sightedness and corruption can lead to the ruin of the natural landscape. Situations like this are now common throughout the world due to the environmental mismanagement of tourism. Local populations within emerging tourism-based economies should learn this lesson. The papers included in this volume address important issues related to tourism and the environment and offer a better understanding of some of the current challenges.

"This volume provides a research-based overview of the relationship between tourism development and environmental quality. The concept of sustainable tourism is examined as a prelude to a detailed treatment of the principles and implications of sustainable tourism development. The authors look at policy directions, with new forms of alternative tourism analysed in this context. The volume then proceeds to consider the potential of land use planning and Environmental Impact Assessment systems as instruments in the translation of sustainable tourism development into practice." "Conventional forms of interpretation are questioned and the efficacy and transferability of different systems are evaluated. Examples from around the world are used to illustrate the principles discussed. This volume will appeal to students and researchers in tourism as well as to professionals in the tourism industry."--BOOK JACKET.Title Summary field provided by Blackwell North America, Inc. All Rights Reserved

This text explores the role of tourism as a potential contibutor to socio-economic development in destination areas. Establishing a link between tourism studies and development studies, it considers what is meant by development, the processes through which development may be achieved and, in particular, a number of fundamental issues related to the use of tourism as a development agent. In so doing, it challenges conventional thinking about the relationship between tourism and development.

It is widely recognized that travel and tourism can have a high environmental impact and make a major contribution to climate change. It is therefore vital that ways to reduce these impacts are developed and implemented. 'Slow travel' provides such a concept, drawing on ideas from the 'slow food' movement with a concern for locality, ecology and quality of life. The aim of this book is to define slow travel and to discuss how some underlining values are likely to pervade new forms of sustainable development. It also aims to provide insights into the travel experience; these are explored in several chapters which bring new knowledge about sustainable transport tourism from across the world. In order to do this the book explores the concept of slow travel and sets out its core ingredients, comparing it with related frameworks such as low-carbon tourism and sustainable tourism development. The authors explain slow travel as holiday travel where air and car transport is rejected in favour of more environmentally benign forms of overland transport, which generally take much longer and become incorporated as part of the holiday experience. The book critically examines the key trends in tourism transport and recent climate change debates, setting out the main issues facing tourism planners. It reviews the potential for new consumption patterns, as well as current business models that facilitate hyper-mobility. This provides a cutting edge critique of the 'upstream' drivers to unsustainable tourism. Finally, the authors illustrate their approach through a series of case studies from around the world, featuring travel by train, bus, cycling and walking. Examples are drawn from Europe, Asia, Australia and the Americas. Cases include the Eurostar train (as an alternative to air travel), walking in the Appalachian Trail (US), the Euro-Velo network of long-distance cycling routes, canoe tours on the Gudena River in Denmark, sea kayaking in British Columbia (Canada) and the Oz Bus Europe to Australia.

This book is designed to illustrate many of the issues and approaches associated with sustainable tourism development, policy and research. Included are case studies of tourism development using both quantitative and qualitative methods, analytical frameworks for managing tourism and chapters addressing critical questions about the relationship between tourism and sustainability goals. As a whole, the book demonstrates the many dimensions and topics associated with attempts to address the complex issues associated with sustainability and tourism. Added in this second edition, are several new chapters that address emerging issues in management of tourism. Part I (Frameworks and Approaches) discusses the need for integration of social and environmental issues in tourism development. Part II (Tourism and Place) explicitly recognizes the importance of understanding the values and attributes of areas that become tourist destinations. Part III (Emerging Issues in Culture and Tourism) illustrates that we live in a dynamic world, that what was once acceptable is no longer, that our mental models of tourism development are in constant change and that researchers and policy makers must be alert to shifting public values and beliefs. This part includes material on local attitudes, poverty alleviation, indigenous people and tourism, and a discussion about culture and tourism. The book has 16 chapters and a subject index.

First published in 2003. Routledge is an imprint of Taylor & Francis, an informa company.

Cultural Sustainability, Tourism and Development considers how tourism provides a lens to examine issues of cultural sustainability and change. It discusses how cultural and natural assets, artistic interventions, place identity, policy strategies, and community well-being are intertwined in (re)articulations of place and local dynamics that occur in tourist locations. With a primary focus on culture in sustainable development, the book clarifies connections between culture as a core dimension of local sustainability and cultural dimensions of sustainable tourism. It highlights the roles and place of cultural expression, artistic activity, and heritage resources in local or regional sustainable development contexts. Chapters critically examine the dimensions of tourism-invoked dynamics of change and the cultural impacts of tourism-related activities. The book concludes with proposals for new culture-informed and creativity-based approaches, mediations, and relations to encourage a better balance between visitors and residents’ quality of life and the broader sustainability of the area. Interdisciplinary and international in scope, contributions reflect on communities and rural areas located in Brazil, Canada, Croatia, India, Italy, Japan, the Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, and the United States. This book will be of great interest to students and scholars of cultural development and policy, heritage studies, cultural tourism and sustainable tourism, cultural geography, and regional development.