Tourism as an Economic Development Tool: A Theoretical Debate

Abstract

The crucial problem might be the fact that tourism sector fails to draw
adequate attention as there is a lack of appreciation and enthusiasm for tourism by
civil society and business leaders as well. Unfortunately tourism is not often
understood properly and its economic benefits are unclear. So, policy level planning
and implementation of the plans to improve the tourism industry are often lacking
the required level of devotion, sincerity, and pace. Many developing countries are
using tourism as a key development tool for economic development and are
thus incorporating it in their national economic development plans. Tourism has
become a significant industry both in poor and rich countries due to its positive
impacts on the economy, people’s livelihoods, and socio-cultural development. This
article thus attempts to examine the existing concepts of economic
development, tourism development, and attainability of tourism as an economic
development tool reviewing the related key literature.