Tourism Studies: The Basics is an engaging, critical introduction to the essential theory and practice of tourism, how it started and how it has developed. Examining the major themes from a range of perspectives, this text answers key introductory questions including:

• What is tourism and who are the tourists?
• What types of tourism exist?
• How does tourism interact with social life?
• What impact does tourism have on landscapes and environments?
• What is the relationship between tourism and colonialism?
• How does increased mobility affect tourism?
• How is tourism evolving?

Adopting a broad interdisciplinary approach to the subject, each chapter begins with a case study and uses rich examples to illustrate and support the concepts discussed. This text will appeal to all those studying tourism in its own right, and from the perspectives of geography, sociology and anthropology.