ABSTRACT
The picture gracing the cover of a typical text on island tourism is likely to include a handsome couple frolicking in knee-deep, crystal-clear water, with sun-drenched sand and a beach resort under cloudless blue skies. Islands, it seems, could only be warm for tourism purposes. The link between the ultimate lure of islandness and tourism, the association between small islands and the tourism industry has surely been one of the best branding exercises in the history of destination marketing. If one of the star attractions of islandness is remoteness, then part of the island tourism mystique lies in the affirmation of distance while ensuring access. Specific tourist types are concerned with a search for the novel and the authentic Islands, like frontier regions, have a particular appeal to those tourist types keen on natural environments, traditional cultures and unorthodox scenarios. The chapter also presents an overview of the key concepts discussed in this book.
