David Harrison has contributed to the academic study of tourism over the last 30 years. This book brings together a collection of his published material that reflects the role played by tourism in 'development', both in societies emerging from Western colonialism and in societies previously part of the Soviet system.
The overarching theme looks at how, promoted as a tool for development, tourism can lead to conflict between competing elites, but can also empower groups previously subject to constraint by traditional authorities. Tradition is intensely manipulatable and always reflects power relations. Such pressure on tradition is but one aspect of tourism's wider social impacts. This includes changes in economic and social structure, which, for many, constitute social problems that need to be addressed. At the same time, 'sustainability', though apparently a worthy aim, can be a problematic concept, especially when applied to 'traditional' cultures, and may conflict with such ideals as egalitarianism.
