ABSTRACT
This introduction presents an overview of the key concepts discussed in the subsequent chapters of this book. The book introduces how the industry's supply chains are connected and why it is such a powerful economic engine for development in emerging economies. It covers the hotels, airlines and airports, tour operators, and cruise lines – before moving on to discuss how the international industries of golf and skiing are impacting their landscapes, and finally destinations and the challenges that governments face in protecting vital tourism assets. The book presents why tourism – a service industry – does not have an easy way to capture value-added approaches such as fair trade, which guarantees a base price for a commodity product. It provides a glimpse of how the tourism enterprise will morph and change to help readers recognize the risks attached with digitizing tourism products and the measures required to sustainably manage this rapidly transforming industry in some decades.
