Conclusion: Tourism and Development - Tourism and Development: Concepts and Issues - page 456

to explore and challenge the popular assumption that tourism is an effective
tool of development. A central question in the topic is, however, 'what is
development ? ' The definition of development has expanded over time from
simply economic growth to a more holistic definition that includes eco-
nomic, social, cultural, political and environmental aspects. Similarly, devel-
opment theory has also evolved since World War II, moving through the
seven paradigms, from modernisation to global development, presented in
Chapter 2. Importantly, development theory can be divided into develop-
ment ideology (the ends) and development strategy (the means) (Hettne,
1995). Development strategy is the means of implementing the development
process guided by a specific ideology, yet as has been discussed in this topic,
development is a value-laden concept. Indeed, those in the post-development
camp, such as Sachs (1996: 1), argue that 'development stands like a ruin in
the intellectual landscape' as problems such as global poverty still exist. If,
however, tourism is to be an agent of development, it is important to under-
stand the theoretical concepts behind the term development and what the
ideology is behind the strategy driving tourism development. As Burns
(1999a) suggests, it is important to know whether the policy taken on tour-
ism is one of 'tourism first', which focuses on the industry, or 'development
first', whereby planning is framed by national development needs. The
organisation in control of the tourism development process, whether public
or private, can yield a great deal of power.
Questions raised in the introduction of the topic include whether tour-
ism is a universally applicable development option or are different forms and
scales of development more or less suitable to different destinations ? Can
tourism contribute to development on its own or should it be considered
within larger development schemes ? These and other related questions are
discussed throughout the topic. However, what is important, and where this
book has tried to contribute to the body of literature, is to focus on the con-
cept of development itself.
The purpose of this concluding chapter, as in the first edition, is to high-
light the various concepts, themes and issues raised within the chapters.
Selected questions will be presented after each chapter summary to stimu-
late further ideas, debates and research topics surrounding the role of tourism
in development for students, researchers and practitioners. Finally, consider-
ation will be given to the nature of tourism and development.
Part 1
In Part 1 of the topic, the concepts of development and the relationship bet-
ween tourism and development are addressed. The chapters attempt to answer
the question of what 'development' is and how it relates to the processes
within tourism. In any form of development, it is prudent to understand it in