Sustainable Dimensions of Tourism Management

Tourism is one the world's most rapidly growing industries and it has emerged as a fast growing sector in terms of employment and income generation. Its contribution to the world economy is very significant. World Travel and Tourism Council has identified tourism as the world's most rapidly developing industry and its contribution to the world economy has almost doubled from 1990s. Besides employment generation, tourism sector has played a pivotal role in poverty alleviation and sustainable human development. The concept of tourism is very complex to define though several attempts have been made by renowned writers to explain it. The international dictionary of tourism points out that 'tour' in English and in French means a journey. a circulative trip. The 19th century dictionary defines 'tourists' "as people who travel for pleasure of travelling out of curiosity and because they have nothing better to do," and even "for the joy of boasting about it afterwards. "Conceptually tourism arises from the movement of people to, and their stay in, different destinations. The 'journey' is the dynamic element in it and the 'stay' static. Against this background this collection of papers contributed by renowned writers, academicians and experiences administrators in the field of hospitality management embodies critical analysis of various aspects of tourism industry, both in theoretical and practical terms and makes concrete suggestions for revamping the tourism industry in India. The volume has been divided into three broad categories. The introductory part examines the global, national and regional evolution of tourism sector. The second part unfolds the recent issues and facets in tourism viz., geographical information system, strategic management, health, marketing strategies, sustainable development, service quality, personalization, natural environment, eco tourism and the impact of terrorism on tourism industry. The concluding part presents a few micro level studies from an experimental perspective. The views and opinions expressed by the contributors are of immense value for policy makers, planners, administrators and academicians for restructuring and rejuvenating policies and strategies related to tourism issues in the days to come.