ABSTRACT
This introduction chapter provides an overview of the book and contextualizes its contributions. It articulates how the book examines the dynamic connections between cultural sustainability, tourism, and development through investigating how changing situations bring re-articulations and local change in specific locales. The book’s aims are threefold: to examine the cultural dimensions of tourism-invoked dynamics of change and cultural impacts of tourism-related activities; to draw attention to the roles and place of cultural expressions, artistic activities, and cultural heritage resources in local and regional sustainable development contexts linked to tourism; and to propose and highlight culture-informed generative approaches that encourage a better balance between visitors and residents’ quality of life; attend to local cultural stewardship, vitality, and sustainability; and consider the broader holistic development of the place being visited. The cultural sustainability perspective taken up focuses on considerations of cultural vitality, adaptation and change, and continuance over time. The book’s authors consider cultural sustainability as they are embedded in the active processes through which cultures are sustained. The authors highlight approaches and ‘seeds of change’ that enable alterations in mainstream tourism practices in order to engender more place-specific and culturally sensitive patterns to form and sustain.
