The Evolution of Sustainable Tourism in Asia

Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, tourism in Asia had experienced a dramatic boom for the past three decades. Rich in cultural and natural heritage, Asia has attracted numerous tourists to both traditional touristic hotspots and emerging regional destinations. One question that researchers and practitioners should ask is whether the fast-growing tourism sector in Asia is sustainable. Are there localised examples of pursuing balanced tourism development? And what challenges and issues does Asian sustainable tourism face? Recognising the importance of sustainability, this edited volume brings together a collection of chapters that investigate sustainable tourism development in different Asian contexts; from stakeholders’ perspectives, existing issues in the market, as well as the impacts of COVID-19 on tourism.

This introductory chapter describes the sustainable development concept and provides an overview of the history behind the conceptualization of sustainable tourism. It also briefly introduces the Asian sustainable tourism landscape and research in this field, followed by the key contributions of the collective works in this book.