Park and recreation managers examine ways to protect natural and cultural resources, yet make them available for public use. All this still does not exhaust the range of contemporary problems being studied by tourism experts, but it does give an indication of the range of practical as well as conceptual issues that are currently being studied. Tourism is a fact of life in the modern world. That means we are all tourists at one time or another. Better information, derived from current research, will help improve the impacts of tourism on our world and will lead to more satisfying travel and vacation experiences.
Tourism can be either blessing or blight.
The outcome is usually determined by three things. In the final analysis, the growth or decline of tourism will depend on how well developers, managers, policy-makers, and consumers understand the potential impacts of this hidden giant. For further information, contact Stephen L. J. Smith , Department of Recreation and Leisure Studies, University of Waterloo, Waterloo, Ontario, Canada N2L 3G1. Back to the Academy of Leisure Sciences home page.