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, ecological 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 College, 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; minimising environmental impact by means of alternative forms of tourism; and policy implications. The book includes a wide range of case studies and destinations where tourism is rapidly developing in fragile environments, including Belize, Crete, Goa, the English Lake District, Madagascar, Malaysia, the Seychelles and Spain. It represents important reading for both undergraduate and postgraduate students, research workers and tourism industry practitioners, whether from the standpoint of geography, sociology, economics, management and marketing or planning.