2011/08/01 by Regina Scheyvens · 1 citation
Social Sciences · Economics, Econometrics and Finance · #Island Studies and Pacific Affairs #Diverse Aspects of Tourism Research #Economic Zones and Regional Development
paper · doi:10.1111/j.1467-8373.2011.01447.x
openalex publication_date 2011/08/01 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/07/30
Issues of power and politics are central to the development of the tourism sector and its prospects for contributing to sustainable development. This is demonstrated through a case study of the evolution of tourism in the Maldives, a luxury tourism destination where the government has followed a consistent policy of ‘quality tourism’ that has often been cited as a prime example of sustainable tourism. However, recently concerns have been raised about environmental degradation, human rights abuses, connections between the political and economic elite, and huge economic disparities associated with tourism here. Research on sustainable tourism needs to recognise the state's pivotal role in directing tourism development and consider how states balance the competing interests of other powerful tourism stakeholders.