Tourism Impact Analyses

Tourism is more and more popular as a part of development strategy in developing countries due to three main motivations: tourism contributes to economic growth; tourism improves income distribution; and tourism develops and enhances the clean environment. Do these expected merits from tourism happen in every developing country? Does tourism growth reduce income disparity of the nation? Is tourism development pro-poor growth? Is tourism growth a green development strategy? What are the major factors that determine the direction and size of the expected virtues? The book examines these questions in the economy-wide economic and environmental perspectives using a computable general equilibrium model for the case of Thailand - a country that considerably depends on tourism sectors. The book shows that tourism growth is not especially pro-poor or pro-agriculture and that tourism growth comes with high water consumption and wastewater production at least in the case of Thailand. The book is directed towards tourism and environmental policymakers in low-income countries. It is also addressed to economic researchers in tourism, development, environment, agriculture, and international trade.