Tourism and Politics aims to disseminate ideas on the critical discourse of tourism and tourists as they relate to politics, through a series of case studies from around the world written by specialists with an emphasis on linking theory to practice. That tourism is a profoundly important economic sector for most countries and regions of the world is widely accepted, even if some of the detail remains controversial. However, as tourism matures as a subject, the theories underpinning it necessarily need to be more sophisticated; tourism cannot be simply read as a business proposition with a series of impacts. Wider questions of politics, power and identity need to be articulated, investigated and answered. While the making and consuming of tourism takes place within complex political milieux with multiple stakeholders competing for benefit, the implications are not fully understood. Literature on tourism and politics is surprisingly limited. This book will make a substantial contribution to the theoretical framework of tourism.

The making and consuming of tourism takes place within a complex social milieu, with competing actors drawing into the 'product' peoples' history, culture and lifestyles. Culture and people thus become part of the tourism product. The implications are not fully understood, though the literature ranges the arguments along a continuum with culture being described on one hand as vulnerable and fixed, waiting to be 'impacted' by tourism and on the other being seen as vibrant and perfectly well capable of dealing with globalization and modernity trends. Some of the answers are likely to focus around ideas of social identities. The intention of this book is to make a contribution to the theoretical framework of tourism through a series of international case studies. The overall purpose of the edited book is to assemble a series of essays enabling the dissemination of ideas on the critical discourse of tourism and tourists as they relate to social and cultural identities.