ABSTRACT
Over the past decades, the tourism industry has undergone substantial changes, mainly due to the growth of underlying sectors and to the internationalization process leading to the globalization of our modern economy. This phenomenon, in turn, was influenced by a surge in international mobility (both business and leisure), the growth of mass tourism (also stimulated by advances in transportation and communication systems) and the tourism tendencies of the new millennium. In this scenario, the outlook for the tourism industry is likely to be encouraging. Tourism could become a key development factor, playing a central role in modern society, not only within specific tourism-dedicated areas, but in many countries around the world, for an increasing number of social aspects.
