ABSTRACT
Mass tourism is related to two main characteristics: (a) participation of large numbers of people in tourism; and (b) the holiday is standardized, rigidly packaged and inflexible. The number of international tourist arrivals is expected to continue to grow during the next decade, and with it the phenomenon of mass tourism. Benefits and costs of tourism can be measured at different levels: national, regional or local. In all cases a social costbenefit analysis is the adequate approach. In such an approach paid and unpaid benefits and costs and side effects are taken into account. The key benefits of mass tourism are income and employment generation. For both benefits input-output analysis is the best method of assessment. The key cost items are the so-called incidental costs. These lead to quality-of-life costs and public or fiscal costs. To cope with the negative impacts, attention should be paid to (a) staggering of holidays in time, space and product; (b) tolerable numbers as a central issue in tourism planning; and (c) a better behaved kind of tourist. For sustainable tourism a region should put environment first. This means building responsible tourism, fostering a culture of conservation and developing an environmental focus.
