Island tourism

Abstract

Tourism features in various ways within the three dominant models explaining the economic development of island states and territories, and there is a sharp distinction in the industry’s significance between ‘warm water’ and ‘cold water’ islands. There is however general agreement that the net positive contribution of tourism to island economies can be more than countered by its net negative environmental consequences. This chapter highlights the (rather under-researched) tension between the tourism and the construction industries on island territories. This tension can provide some explanation for the erosion of “traditional” coastal landscapes, in spite of these being credited with broad cultural and touristic appeal.