This collection of key articles from the most influential journals and books in the field examines what social scientists mean by the term tourism, and what it means to be a tourist. Carefully selected and introduced by the editor, this material charts the sociological changes that have occurred in tourism, and the change from the upper-class grand tours of the late nineteenth-century to the mass tourism of the present day. The collection also assesses the economic impacts of tourism on local economies, environmental considerations, and whether the growth of tourism is sustainable in a post-September 11th world.Tourism: Critical Concepts in the Social Sciences is an accessible and comprehensive resource designed for academics and scholars researching in tourism, globalization, and human geography. Copyright (C) Muze Inc. 2005. For personal use only. All rights reserved.