ABSTRACT
While this book is primarily concerned with exploration of the often problematic relationships between tourism and society in the LAC countries, it is important to acknowledge that there is much critical concern about the environmental impacts of tourism. It is clear that the boundaries between ‘environment’ and ‘society’ are ragged and porous, as is very evident in most interpretations of sustainable tourism and ecotourism, which invariably focus on the challenges tourism poses for both the natural environment and host communities. Given the complexity and diversity of the topic, there is no pretence that this section can do more than explore a number of pertinent dimensions of the debate on tourism and the environment.
