The Politics Of Tourism In Asia

Tourism, the world's largest industry, has created a variety of complex political problems, particularly in those countries where the primary attraction of tourism is its potential for accelerating development. The political dimensions that have encouraged tourism in the People's Republic of China, the Philippines, Thailand, India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, the Maldives, Nepal, and Bhutan are examined in Linda K. Richter's study, which is based on more than 250 interviews with government officials, travel industry representatives, and media officials. Richter concentrates on the reasons for using tourism to advance government policy objectives and on the many ways political and economic problems can frustrate tourism's contribution to national development. All too often, after the expensive infrastructure is developed, luxury goods imported, and lavish promotional efforts expended, nations are left disillusioned with the economic promise of tourism. Disappointing results are often complicated by a preoccupation with the lure of tourism and an underestimation of the industry's needs and of the political pressures of and on government officials. Encouraging an awareness of the political aspects of tourism, the author advocates greater involvement by social and political scientists in monitoring tourism policy, as well as a restructuring and redesigning of programs in this largest sector of international trade.

Asia is regarded as the fastest growing area for international and domestic tourism in the world today and over the next 20 years. Given the economic, social and environmental importance of tourism in the region, there is a need for a comprehensive and readable overview of the critical debates and controversies in tourism in the region and the major factors that are affecting tourism development both now and in the foreseeable future. This Handbook provides a contemporary survey of the region and its continued growth and development as a key destination and generator of tourism, which is marked by a high proportion of intra-regional travel. The book is divided into five sections. This first section provides an introduction to the region and context to the nationally focused chapters. The next three sections are then broadly based on the three UNWTO Asian regions: South-East Asia, South and Central Asia, and East and North-East Asia, providing readers with a valuable snapshot of tourism at various scales, and from various approaches and positions. The concluding section considers future prospects for tourism in Asia. The handbook is interdisciplinary in coverage and is also international in scope through its authorship and content. It presents a range of perspectives and understanding of the processes and forces that are shaping tourism in this fascinating and dynamic region that is one of the focal points of global tourism. This is essential reading for students, researchers and academics interested in tourism in the growth region of Asia now and in the future.

Many countries have a rich tradition of domestic travel and holidaying which not only predates but exceeds mass international travel. This is particularly the case in Asia where recent economic prosperity and trends in globalization have not merely spurred, but continue to shape traditions in domestic tourism.This book is the first to address specifically the continuities and changes in domestic tourism in Asia. It explores the ethos of domestic travel and holiday-making in order to understand the distinctive common strands that underlie conventional and contemporary tourism practices, against the local and global backdrop. A considerable range of countries is covered in the case studies, including those with patrimonial histories, namely China and India, the economically developed nation-state of Japan and the microstates of Taiwan, Singapore, Macao and Hong Kong, besides the coastal countries of Malaysia, Philippines, Laos and Vietnam, as well as the land-locked countries of Kyrgyzstan and Mongolia. The book presents some of the many interfaces of Asian cultural and natural heritages with tourism, while giving due considerations to today's political and economic realities.

Tourism in Asia is growing faster than anywhere else in the world. Despite the significance of the tourism industry in this area it is under researched. This book addresses this imbalance by providing an edited collection of chapters which explore the domestic and intraregional tourism in Asia.

This volume unravels the politics surrounding behind China’s hegemonic project of heritage tourism development in Lijiang. It provides a compelling study of the dialectical relationships between global and domestic capital, the state, tourists and locals as they collude, collaborate and contest one another to ready Lijiang for tourist consumption. Using rich material from insightful interviews and quantitative data, the authors show how complex tourism development can be even as it strives to do good for the community. Su and Teo investigate the practices of contestation and negotiation of identity within Lijiang; analyze the negotiations that transform material and vernacular landscapes; and suggests strategies that will enable sustained tourism interest in this location. Linking Gramsci’s theory on hegemony to the cultural politics of space, this book has two major strengths: it establishes a theoretical framework to conceptualize power relations in tourism space and provides critical insights into the rapidly shifting socio-political landscape of contemporary China. Comparisons with other Chinese heritage sites are also provided. By addressing the power struggles inevitable in the process of tourism development, The Politics of Heritage Tourism in China provides an innovative understanding of China’s dynamic politics in a period of transition. As such, it will address the needs of students and academic scholars working in the fields of China studies, tourism, cultural studies, urban studies, sociology, geography, political science and heritage studies.

Though conflict is normal and can never fully be prevented in the international arena, such conflicts should not lead to loss of innocent life. Tourism can offer a bottom-up approach in the mediation process and contribute to the transformation of conflicts by allowing a way to contradict official barriers motivated by religious, political, or ethnic division. Tourism has both the means and the motivation to ensure the long-term success of prevention efforts. Role and Impact of Tourism in Peacebuilding and Conflict Transformation is an essential reference source that provides an approach to peace through tourism by presenting a theoretical framework of tourism dynamics in international relations, as well as a set of peacebuilding case studies that illustrate the role of tourism in violent or critical scenarios of conflict. Featuring research on topics such as cultural diversity, multicultural interaction, and international relations, this book is ideally designed for policymakers, government officials, international relations experts, academicians, students, and researchers.

Examining domestic and intra-regional tourism, the book reveals how improvements in infrastructures, ever increasing disposable incomes, liberalized economies, the inter-connectivities of globalization and the lowering of borders, both physical and political, are now enabling millions of Asians to travel as tourists.