The rapid expansion of the tourism industry has provided many economic benefits and affected every facet of contemporary societies including employment, government revenue and cultural manifestations. However, tourism can also be considered a problematic phenomenon, promoting dependency, underdevelopment and adverse sociocultural effects, especially for developing countries.

This pioneering work provides a comprehensive review of these complex tourism issues from a sociological perspective. Various theoretical and empirical approaches are introduced and the following issues are discussed:

* identifiable and stable forms of touristic behaviour and roles

* social divisions within tourism

* the interdependence of tourism and social institutions

* the effects of transnational tourism and commodification on the ecosystem.

Featuring international contributions from nine different countries, this book brings together the most noted theoretical and empirical studies and enriches them with diverse experiences and perspectives.