Rethinking Tourism and Development

Abstract

Rethinking Tourism and Development provides a critical analysis of the tourism industry's impact on development and the environment. While tourism contributes significantly to the global economy, it also generates environmental costs that can no longer be ignored. This book challenges the conventional paradigm of sustainable tourism development and proposes a radical new approach to address the negative impacts of tourism.

Chapters cover the global environmental crisis, the overconsumption of tourism and the impact of a growth-based economy in relation to tourism and development. Through a detailed examination of the tourism industry's adherence to the pursuit of economic growth, Richard Sharpley and David J. Telfer argue that the expansion of tourism has resulted in exploitation and inequality. It explores the concept of degrowth and proposes that tourism should be rethought within this framework, offering a possible pathway to a post-growth world.

The book is ideal for undergraduate and postgraduate tourism students, particularly those focusing on sustainability and tourism economics. It will also be an interesting read for human geography, development studies and environment scholars and academics looking for new insights into the relationship between tourism and development, and how it could be reframed.