Despite the size of the tourism industry in both global terms and as the primary export earner for many national and regional economies, the political significance of tourism has received little substantive attention. Furthermore, what little research has been conducted to date has generally been descriptive in nature but has failed to relate political theory to the substance of tourism. This survey of the field of political tourism discusses the implications of different political theories. It also expands the relationships between the political aspects of tourism at different levels of analysis (international, national, local and individual).

1. Introduction

2. Tourism, Government and the State: Tourism and the policy-making process

3. International tourism policy and international relations

4.Tourism and political stability: the implications of revolution, terrorism and political violence for tourism

5.Policy, dependency and tourism: the politics of tourism development

6. Tourism and the local state

7. Tourism, culture and presentation of social reality

8.Situating tourism in capitalist society

Colin Michael Hall is the director of the tourism programme in the University of Canberra, Australia.