Peripheral Territories Tourism And Regional Development

Limited land and resources, along with the overexploitation of tourism and multiple other factors, make peripheral and ultra-peripheral territories relevant cases for studying governance and sustainable development. This book presents case studies of European and Mediterranean regions to study regional development and territorial sustainability, strategic planning, and territorial management and governance. Written by experts in the field, the chapters contained herein provide the reader with a deep understanding, from several perspectives, of the dynamics, challenges, and opportunities of tourism in these specific territories.

Tourist visits used to be a less common activity in the past. However, more people than ever now make leisure trips, making this an era of mass tourism. This drastic change in spatial behaviour is not only caused by economic prosperity, but the scale of this phenomenon means that it is able to generate economic growth, making tourism a key factor in regional development policy. One of the main challenges of current regional policy is to market the attractiveness of an area, thereby increasing tourist visits and subsequent revenue. In particular, regions are attempting this through the use of Information and Communication Technologies (ICT), which offer information on interesting places, and efficient methods for organizing and booking trips. This book examines the interconnections between tourism, ICT and regional development. Bringing together a range of European case studies illustrating various ICT and policy innovations, it not only critiques current activity by regions in terms of tourism development, but also considers how this sector is likely to continue to grow.

Using case studies from North America, Scandinavia, Scotland, New Zealand and the Polar Regions this book explores the use of tourism as a vehicle for regional development in peripheral areas. It identifies the core obstacles facing tourism in peripheral regions and highlights that tourism development in peripheries is not any easy task. Topics covered include tourism management, rights of access, tourism destination communities, tourism impacts and regional development.

Nature-based Tourism in Peripheral Areas provides a comprehensive examination of this form of tourism development as it occurs within alpine, forest, sub-polar, island, coastal and marine environments. This book goes beyond much of the debate surrounding ecotourism and the impacts of tourism in vulnerable environments to place nature-based tourism in a wider regional context, particularly when for many peripheral regions tourism remains one of the key opportunities for economic development. Therefore, a central theme that is present throughout many of the chapters is the role that nature-based tourism can play as the catalyst for larger regional development of regions. The book will serve as essential reading to senior undergraduate and postgraduate students taking courses in tourism and related degrees where the major focus is on tourism that occurs within peripheral regions. It will also serve as a key reference to researchers and professionals interested in the role of tourism as a regional development tool.

There has been little research on tourism in those European countries or regions which lie outside the continent’s main centres of production and population, even though tourism may be one of the few economic options open to them. This volume aims to fill a gap by presenting a range of case studies – including northern Sweden, the Orkneys, the tip of Norway and northern Cyprus – on tourism in the peripheral areas of Europe. Taking as a leitmotiv the paradoxes inherent in developing places whose very attraction may lie in their lack of development, the case studies investigate and illustrate both the opportunities and the threats that tourism presents to peripheral areas. Although they share certain similarities, the cases also demonstrate differing approaches to tourism development and varying outcomes over time. They suggest solutions for dealing with, for example, community participation as well as providing practical insights into visitor perceptions of peripheral areas and into ways of marketing such areas in a sensitive manner. Together they provide a picture of the needs of peripheral areas and of how far and how best tourism can fulfil those needs.

In the last few years, advances in studies and research associated with the borderlands and the subsequent cross-border cooperation (CBC) have been increased and introduced all over the globe. Such advances essentially affect the cross-border strategies and policies, processes of border cooperation, and several complex border movements. Moreover, similar scenarios are encountered in ultra-peripheral and remote territories and low-density regions. There are common denominators, such as the limited land, water resources, and overexploitation of tourism, among many other factors, that make these specific territories critical case studies concerning their governance and sustainable development and growth. Analyzing Sustainability in Peripheral, Ultra-Peripheral, and Low-Density Regions investigates activities, processes, and behaviors in light of the new challenges and the desired sustainable development and growth model. It analyzes the dynamics and patterns ongoing in the peripheral, ultra-peripheral, and low-density regions regarding sustainability and the issues that may influence it. Covering topics such as glamping tourism, vegetation quality, and territorial cohesion, this premier reference source is an essential resource for government officials, business executives and managers, community leaders, environmentalists, researchers, and academicians.