Abstract

Written by leading international tourism researchers, this book examines the key trends in European tourism planning and organisation. It introduces a theoretical framework to tourism planning and organisation using a procedural and structural approach. Despite having a European focus, it is globally relevant as many lessons from Europe can be applied to international tourism development. The book identifies and discusses six key themes in the context of European tourism planning and organisation: territory, actors and structures, economics, policy, methods and techniques and vision. It also identifies leading and emerging practices and offers a new vision for European tourism planning.

This book is a new publication that offers a number of lively contributions to the discussion on tourism in a European context. Such a European embedment has been missing for a rather long period of time, and therefore this edited book is welcome. The book also includes more general information in a tourism settlement, which can be of interest outside European borders, too.

Carlos Costa is Full Professor at the University of Aveiro and Editor of the Journal of Tourism & Development (Revista de Turismo e Desenvolvimento). His main research interests are tourism planning and management, organisations, networks, gender in tourism and tourism education.

Emese Panyik is Assistant Professor of Tourism at the Catholic University of Portugal (UCP), Braga Regional Centre. Her research interests include strategic tourism planning and management, rural governance, EU tourism policy, local policymaking and partnerships and host community impacts of tourism.

Dimitrios Buhalis is Professor of eTourism and Director of eTourism Lab at Bournemouth University. His research focuses on strategic management and marketing, tourism marketing, technology and eTourism.

Overall the book provides much useful content as it clearly emphasizes the synergy between economic impacts and the political dependence of the EU tourism industry, enlightening the most urgent problems currently faced in European tourism development: new perspectives in the light of the Lisbon Treaty, new synergies between territory and actors and positioning tourism in the global economy.

This most interesting and timely book illuminates the complex destination of Europe and its need to adopt new structural approaches to tourism policy. World-renowned tourism experts provide multi-disciplinary knowledge to inform Europe's future tourism planning. It is essential reading for those wanting to understand the fascinating structural changes that EU tourism is undergoing.

Costa, Panyik and Buhalis have provided a highly insightful edited exposition of European tourism planning in the context of the new global world order. From the impacts of the global financial crunch, the restructuring of European financial arrangements and the beginnings of a European tourism policy through the 2009 Lisbon Treaty, the book provides a holistic framework for understanding the complexity of developing and governing tourism across the European Union to create competitiveness for sustainable destination development.

The book presents a profound view of European tourism planning and organisation systems, outlining both advantages and challenges faced by Europe as the most visited tourism destination. The most significant contribution is the analysis of all affected sides, tracing their responsibilities and opportunities for improvement, through the lens of the globalisation tendencies and sustainable competition. The book is highly recommended to researchers, postgraduate, graduate and undergraduate students in tourism management/destination governance. It might also be very useful for business entrepreneurs due to its special emphasis on destination management stakeholders.