ABSTRACT
This introductory chapter sets the conceptual tone for the entire book. The authors first examine the traditional nature of borders and the nature of tourism, and postulate on the changing narratives of both. Within the context of processes of bordering, debordering, and rebordering, they look at the evolution of state boundaries through time and how they are now seen not only as dividers but also as unifiers and meeting spaces of cohesion and collaboration. They review the traditional relationships between borders and tourism that were created through bordering processes. These include borders as tourist attractions, borders as barriers to human mobility and tourism development, borders as transit spaces, and borders as determiners of tourism landscapes. The authors move beyond this traditional four-part view of tourism and border relations to encompass current thinking about border and tourism patters through debordering and rebordering processes and what those entail (e.g., cooperation, planning, marketing, securitization). Finally, the chapter provides a preface to the contents of the book and how each chapter fits within the broader scope of the study of borders and tourism.
