"The strongest overview I have encountered of the scope and the current state of research across all the fields involved in advancing our understanding of tourism. For its range of topics, depth of analyses, and distinction of its contributors, nothing is comparable."- Professor Dean MacCannell, University of California, Davis

"The breadth of vision and sweep of accounts is remarkable, and range of topics laudable... a rare combination of the authoritative, the challenging and stimulating."- Professor Mike Crang, Durham University Tourism studies developed as a sub-branch of older disciplines in the social sciences, such as anthropology, sociology and economics, and newer applied fields of study in hospitality management, civil rights and transport studies. This Handbook is a sign of the maturity of the field. It provides an essential resource for teachers and students to determine the roots, key issues and agenda of tourism studies, exploring:The evolution and position of tourism studiesThe relationship of tourism to cultureThe ecology and economics of tourismSpecial events and destination managementMethodologies of studyTourism and transportTourism and heritageTourism and postcolonialismGlobal tourist business operations

Ranging from local to global issues, and from questions of management to the ethical dilemmas of tourism, this is a comprehensive, critically informed, constructively organized overview of the field. It draws together an inter-disciplinary group of contributors who are among the most celebrated names in the field and will be quickly recognized as a landmark in the new and expanding field of tourism studies.

Introduction: The Evolution and Contemporary Positioning of Tourism as a Focus of Study - Tazim Jamal and Mike RobinsonPART ONE: APPROACHES TO TOURISM STUDIESTourism and Hospitality - David BellAnthropological Interventions in Tourism Studies - Naomi Leite and Nelson GraburnThe Sociology of Tourism - Adrian FranklinThe Diverse Dynamics of Cultural Studies and Tourism - David CrouchTourism, Popular Culture and the Media - Philip Long and Mike RobinsonHistories of Tourism - John K. WaltonTourism Geographies: A Review of Trends, Challenges and Opportunities - Sanjay K. NepalDevelopment Studies and Tourism - David J. TelferEconomics of International Tourism - John FletcherPower, Politics and Political Science: The Politicization of Tourism - Linda K. RichterTourism and Natural Resources - Andrew HoldenTourism: A Strategic Business Perspective - Nigel EvansPART TWO: KEY TOPICS IN TOURISMTourism, Religion and Spirituality - Richard SharpleyBreaking down the System: How Volunteer Tourism Contributes to New Ways of Viewing Commodified Tourism - Stephen Wearing and Jess PontingTheme Parks and the Representation of Culture and Nature: The Consumer Aesthetics of Presentation and Performance - Keith HollinsheadArchitecture and Urban Planning: Practical and Theoretical Contributions - Robert Mugerauer JrTourism and Heritage Conservation - Aylin Orbasli and Simon WoodwardThe Challenges and Prospects for Sustainable Tourism and Ecotourism in Developing Countries - Joseph E. Mbaiwa and Amanda L. StronzaRural Tourism: An Overview - Bernard LaneTransportation and Tourism: A Symbiotic Relationship? - Stephen Page and Yue (Gurt) GeInnovative Approaches for Managing Conservation and Use Challenges in the National Parks: Insights from Canada - Kathleen Rettie, A.P. Clevenger and Adam FordPlanning for Tourism at Local and Regional Levels: Principles, Practices and Possibilities - Brian King and Michael PearlmanDestination Marketing Organizations: Convention and Visitors Bureaus - Robert C. Ford and William C. PeeperDestination Management: New Challenges, New Needs - Richard HarrillTourism Safety and Security - Peter E TarlowPART THREE: CRITICAL ISSUES AND EMERGING PERSPECTIVESFestivals, Events and Tourism - Bernadette QuinnTourism as Post-Colonialism - Hazel Tucker and John AkamaThanatourism and Its Discontents: An Appraisal of a Decades Work with Some Future Issues and Directions - Tony SeatonTourism and Performance - Tim EdensorInformation Technology: Shaping the Past, Present and Future of Tourism - Ulrike Gretzel and Daniel R. FesenmaierGlobal Tourism Business Operations: Theoretical Frameworks and Key Issues - Keith G. Debbage and Suzanne GallawayTourism and International Policy: Neo-Liberalism and beyond - R.E. WoodEthical Perspectives: Exploring the Ethical Landscape of Tourism - Mick SmithGender and Tourism Discourses: Advancing the Gender Project in Tourism Studies - Cara AitchisonTourism Studies and the New Mobilities Paradigm (NMP) - Misela Mavric and John UrryTourism and Languaging - Alison PhippsMethodologies and Methods - G.R. JenningsConclusions: Tourism Studies: Past Omissions, Emergent Challenges - Mike Robinson and Tazim Jamal