With tourism lauded throughout Latin America as a sure engine of economic growth, actual performance in the sector has varied to an extreme degree. Kirk Bowman asks why. Why did states become so actively involved in the tourism sector even as they were reducing their role in other sectors of the economy? Why have destinations with similar endowments differed so greatly in their success in attracting international tourists? And why does tourism in some cases contribute to broader socioeconomic development, and in other cases not?

Drawing on extensive fieldwork in eight countries between 1996 and 2011, Bowman offers a rich comparative analysis and compelling explanations for both failed policies and impressive successes in using tourism to foster development in Latin America.