Sustainable Tourism IV

Book excerpt: Tourism has become a major international industry, with many countries all over the world relying on the income it produces. Because it is a major source of finances and employment, government and other institutions activitely promote tourism, regardless of the impact on the environment, ecology and social structure of the region. The demands of tourism can contribute to the destruction of the natural and cultural environment upon which it depends. The natural and cultural landscape's capacity to accommodate the local and worldwide effects of tourism, the typology thereof and its implications for the economy and society constitute very important study objectives. The development of tourism can result in the degradation of natural landscapes that paradoxically attract tourists to such areas. Featured topics include: Tourism Strategies; Tourism as a Tool of Development; Tourism Impact; Tourism and Protected Areas; Rural Tourism; Community Involvement; IT and Tourism; Climate Change and Tourism; Environmental Issues; Art, Architecture and Culture; Modelling; Emergent Strategies for Tourism Development; Landscape and Tourism; Tourism and Urban Planning.