This book addresses tourism and its development in the post-communist context of Central and Eastern Europe (CEE). Although it has been over 30 years since many countries of Central and Eastern Europe embarked on the path of transition from state socialism to capitalism and liberal democracy, the ongoing atrocious events in Ukraine bluntly remind us that the perception of CEE as a ‘transition’ region may have been done away with too early and that the legacies of communism continue to influence the reality of the region. Tourism is no exception here. While on the one hand, tourism has significantly contributed to the post-communist restructuring of CEE, on the other, the communist heritage has played (and still plays) an important role in shaping the tourism geographies of the CEE region.

The book consists of 14 chapters (divided into two sections), a new introduction and a reflective concluding section. All 14 main chapters in this book were originally published in the Tourism Geographies journal. The aim of the book is two-fold. First, it summarises, distils and highlights the important and often ground-breaking contributions Tourism Geographies has made over the years to the debate on tourism in CEE. Second, it lays foundations for further research on tourism in the post-communist states of CEE. This book will be of great interest to upper-level students, researchers, and academics in various disciplines – human geography, politics, sociology, and tourism studies in general.

Table of Contents:

Introduction: Tourism development and post-communist transformations in Central and Eastern Europe PART 1 - Tourism in Transition: From Problems and Challenges to Success and Prosperity? 1. Tourism patterns and problems in East Central Europe 2. Troubled sustainability: Bulgarian seaside resorts 3. Gazing on communism: Heritage tourism and post-communist identities in Germany, Hungary and Romania 4. Unpacking the local: A cultural analysis of tourism entrepreneurship in Murter, Croatia 5. Ecotourism in post-communist Poland: An examination of tourists, sustainability and institutions 6. Relationships between international tourism and migration in Hungary: Tourism flows and foreign property ownership 7. From 'Bricklaying' to ' Bricolage ': Transition and Tourism Development in Central and Eastern Europe 8. Estonian tourism and the accession effect: The impact of European Union membership on the contemporary development patterns of the Estonian tourism industry Part 2 - Advancing Post-Communist Change: Tourism as a Transformative Force 9. New places in old spaces: Mapping tourism and regeneration in Budapest 10. Transforming tourism spaces in changing socio-political contexts: The case of Pärnu, Estonia, as a tourist destination 11. Culinary tourism packages and regional brands in Czechia 12. International hotel groups and regional development in Central and Eastern Europe 13. Non-planning and tourism consumption in Budapest's inner city 14. Hotel development through centralized to liberalized planning procedures: Prague lost in transition Final reflections: Whither tourism research in the era of (post-)post-communism?