The Sociology of Tourism by Apostolopoulos, Yiorgos; Leivadi, Stella; Yiannakis, Andrew;

Short description:

This pioneering work provides a comprehensive review of complex tourism issues from a sociological perspective. It introduces various theoretical and empirical approaches and includes international contributions and diverse perspectives.

Long description:

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.

Table of Contents:

Introduction. Chapter 1. Reinventing the Sociology of Tourism Yiorgos Apostolopoulos Section I - Towards a Sociological Understanding of Contemporary Tourism Chapter 2. Representations of International Tourism in the Social Sciences: Sun, Sex, Sights, Savings, and Servility Malcolm Crick Chapter 3. The Sociology of Tourism: Approaches, Issues, and Findings Erik Cohen Section II - The Tourism System and the Individual Chapter 4. Motivation and Anticipation in Post-Industrial Tourism Giuli Liebman Parrinello Chapter 5. A Phenomenology of Tourist Experiences Erik Cohen Section III - Structures of Social Inequality in the Tourism System Chapter 6. Tourism, Culture, and Social Inequality John Urry Chapter 7. Gender and Class Relations in Tourism Employment Michael Ireland Section IV - Tourism, Underdevelopment, and Dependency Chapter 8. Tourism, Dependency, and Development: A Mode of Analysis Stephen Britton Chapter 9. Close Encounters of the Third World Cecilia A. Karch and Graham H.S. Dann Section V - Tourism and Social Institutions Chapter 10. The Changing Economics of the Tourist Industry John Urry Chapter 11. Tourism and the Family in a Rural Cretan Community Maria Kousis Chapter 12. The Philippines: The Politicization of Tourism Linda K. Richter Section VI - Tourism and Social Change Chapter 13. Gender and Economic Interests in Tourism Prostitution: The Nature, Development, and Implications of Sex Tourism in South-East Asia C. Michael Hall Chapter 14. Interpretations of Tourism as Commodity G. Llewellyn Watson and Joseph P. Kopachevsky Section VII - Towards a 'New' Sociology of Tourism Chapter 15. Sociology and Tourism Graham Dann and Erik Cohen Chapter 16. Mega-Events and Micro-Modernization: On the Sociology of the New Urban Tourism Maurice Roche