Introduction: tourism and development – towards a research agenda

Abstract

Tourism has long been recognized as a potentially effective catalyst of development, not least because of its remarkable significance as a global economic sector. It is not surprising, therefore, that academic attention has long been paid to the relationship between tourism and development, specifically to the policies and processes that may optimize tourism’s developmental potential. However, both tourism and the global developmental context in which it occurs are dynamic; new opportunities emerge, as do new challenges. There is, therefore, a need for an agenda for research in tourism and development. This chapter introduces such an agenda. Following a critical review of the alleged benefits of tourism as an agent of development, it explores contemporary perspectives on development and conceptual approaches to understanding the tourism-development relationship (and knowledge gaps) before going on to introduce the chapters that comprise this book.