ABSTRACT
While the economic benefits of tourism may make it attractive to governments, the last section of Chapter 4 indicated that the economic benefits that arise from tourism are also likely to be influenced by factors of power and control as much as economic theory. The balance of power within economic structures will determine how tourism aids the development of a country or region. Consequently, a pure economic analysis of the market may fail to recognise other factors that influence the distribution of resources. As Ransom (2001: 13) comments: ‘In other words, it is quite impossible to detach economic orthodoxy from the prevailing disposition of wealth, power and self-interest.’
