ABSTRACT
When we think about islands, in the tourism context, invariably the images that come to mind are those of sun-drenched, white-sanded, palm-fringed paradisesthe stuff that cocktail and chocolate bar advertisements are made of. Such pictures are widely used by image-makers to represent all that is desirable in life and as a stark contrast to the physical and psychological realities of everyday existence. There is no doubt that, within the totality of island tourism, sun destinations such as the Bahamas, Bali, Hawaii and Majorca represent the dominant form and account for the vast majority of tourist arrivals. There are, however, alternative islands to those offering sun, sea and sand; destinations which are much more on the periphery of mainstream international tourism but for which tourism has been, is or is planned to be an important component within their profiles of economic activity. Such coldwater islands do not have the intrinsic climatic advantages of those we have already alluded to but, nonetheless, attract visitors for very different reasons-the natural environment, outward-bound activity, culture and heritage to name but a few. Destinations such as Iceland, the Shetlands, the Hebrides and the Falklands are examples of emerging locations which seek to attract visitors without the advantages which sun islands have at their disposal. Other such islands, generally rather closer to main centres of population, developed in popularity relatively early in the growth of modern tourism and, in many cases, have suffered relative decline in the face of competition from warmer alternatives. The Isle of Man; the Channel Islands; Bornholm, Gotland and the Aland Islands in the Baltic; and Prince Edward Island in Canada are examples of cold-water islands which experienced their tourism heydays between ten and fifty years ago and have been struggling to adjust and refocus their tourism offering in the light of changing market demands since that time.
