"Seductions of Place" explores questions at the crossroads of contemporary issues in travel and tourism, human geography, and the complex cultural, political, and economic activities at stake in touristed landscapes as a result of globalization. The seductiveness of touristed landscapes is simultaneously local and global, as travelled places are formed and reworked by the activities of diverse, mobile people in their desires to experience situated, sensuous qualities of difference.
The initial chapters link the existing literature on mobility and travel with current theoretical perspectives in human geography. They include a theorization of the concepts of place and landscape and the importance of tourism in the world economy to move research on tourism to a central position in geographic research. Chapter contributions include an analysis of the representational character of landscape and the built environment, historic constructions of place seduction, the importance of class, racial, and gender dimensions of place, how mobility and the seduction of place orient identity formation, the role of tourism in the world economy, local tourism economies in relation to the global economy, and the environmental impacts of tourism economies. Throughout the book, examples are given from urban and environmental touristed landscapes, from major world cities to tropical islands.

"Seductions of Place" explores questions at the crossroads of contemporary issues in travel and tourism, human geography, and the complex cultural, political, and economic activities at stake in touristed landscapes as a result of globalization. The seductiveness of touristed landscapes is simultaneously local and global, as travelled places are formed and reworked by the activities of diverse, mobile people in their desires to experience situated, sensuous qualities of difference.
The initial chapters link the existing literature on mobility and travel with current theoretical perspectives in human geography. They include a theorization of the concepts of place and landscape and the importance of tourism in the world economy to move research on tourism to a central position in geographic research. Chapter contributions include an analysis of the representational character of landscape and the built environment, historic constructions of place seduction, the importance of class, racial, and gender dimensions of place, how mobility and the seduction of place orient identity formation, the role of tourism in the world economy, local tourism economies in relation to the global economy, and the environmental impacts of tourism economies. Throughout the book, examples are given from urban and environmental touristed landscapes, from major world cities to tropical islands.

In this first book to explore the Chinese diaspora from geographical perspectives, leading scholars in the field consider the profound importance of meanings of place and the spatial processes of mobility and settlement for the Chinese overseas. They trace the Chinese diaspora everywhere it has become a significant force, from Southeast Asia to Oceania, North America, Latin America, and Europe. Providing an important historical perspective, the contributors analyze the sharp differences between sojourning Chinese prior to the 1960s and the transnational Chinese of the current era, especially in terms of spatial distribution, mobility, economic status, occupational structure, and identity formation. Anyone interested in the powerful phenomenon of Chinese migration will find this comprehensive work an invaluable resource.