ABSTRACT
This chapter provides an introduction to this edited volume with an overview of chapters on Tourism and Poverty Reduction, and a synthesis of the main issues. Four main themes are illustrated in the book: (1) development agency strategies and approaches; (2) governance and biodiversity conservation; (3) assessment of tourism impacts; and (4) value chain analysis and inter-sectoral linkages. Key potential topics for future research and action are outlined including: (1) the use of new techniques measuring tourism impacts; (2) the roles of development agency governance and operational practices; (3) how inequitable power relations and weak governance can undermine efforts; (4) the importance of private sector business practices that contribute to poverty reduction; (5) the value of multidisciplinary quantitative and qualitative research tools; and (6) the need for linkages between academic research and practitioner interventions.
