This book reviews all aspects of the phenomenon of mass tourism. It covers theoretical perspectives (including political economy, ethics, sustainability and environmentalism), the historical context, and the current challenges to domestic, intra-regional and international mass tourism.

As tourism and tourist numbers continue to grow around the world, it becomes increasingly important that this subject is studied in depth and best practice applied in real-life situations. This book:

– Is the first to address a range of theoretical issues relating to mass tourism;
– Uses a wide selection of case studies to translate theory into practice, covering the historical rise and fall of UK seaside resorts, the increase in Chinese tourism, conflict between different mass tourism groups, destination transformation from mass to niche tourism, and specific problems facing cruise ships;
– Is written by a range of international, established authors to give a global perspective on the subject.

Finishing with a speculative chapter identifying potential future trends and challenges, this book forms an essential resource for all researchers and students within tourism studies.

The economic links arising from tourism that now exist between what used to be regarded as ‘developed’ and ‘developing’ societies make it imperative they are considered component parts of a global system rather than distinct entities. The central focus of this book is mass tourism across a range of societies. It focuses on the theoretical perspectives on mass tourism (including systems approaches, political economy, ethics, sustainability and environmentalism) the historical context of mass tourism and the current challenges to domestic, intra-regional and international mass tourism. Including international case studies it is an essential resource for researchers and students within tourism studies.