Tourism Development: Concepts and Issues

Abstract

The central issues proposed revolve around the concept of development itself, which has evolved from mere economic growth to a more “holistic” definition encompassing social, cul- tural, political and environmental aspects. The volume chooses to concentrate on development strategies, that is, the means of improving the development process through a specific “ideol- ogy”, since development, as often argued in the book, is a value-laden concept. If tourism can and is to be an agent of development, the book then clarifies the theoretical stands behind the term “development”, as well as the ideology behind the strategy leading to tourism develop- ment. The issues discussed in the book therefore concern the fact whether tourism comes first or “development first”. Besides: can tourism contribute to development on its own or should it be included in a larger development scheme?