Tourism is at the forefront of the debate on development versus sustainability. The challenge facing the industry is how to translate principles into practice and to attain a balance between the objectives of tourism development and the long-term conservation of physical, eological and sociocultural environments. This book addresses these issues, particularly from economic, ethical and environmental perspectives. It has been developed from selected papers presented at a conference held at Newton Rigg, Cumbria, UK, in April 1996. It is divided into four parts, addressing: concepts, theories and methodological issues; the tourism industry's promotion of sustainable tourism; minimizing the environmental impact of alternative forms of tourism; and policy perspectives. The book includes a wide range of case studies and destinations where tourism is rapidly developing in fragile environments. It represents reading for advanced students, research workers and industry practitioners in tourism, whether from the perspective of geography, sociology, economics, marketing or planning.