Tourism is a complex and multifaceted phenomenon. It affects most countries and peoples of the world, either as “hosts” or “guests.” By the year 2020, the number of people traveling annually as tourists is expected to double. Tourism’s impact on receiving societies is hotly debated and contested. Many poorer nations consider tourism to be the road to economic development and an improved quality of life. Others see it as a new form of Western imperialism that is destructive of the environment and people’s cultural identity. Anthropology is uniquely positioned to study tourism since it adopts a holistic and comparative approach to the study of social phenomena.
