Tourism as an Economic Development Tool: A Theoretical Debate

The crucial problem might be the fact that tourism sector fails to draw adequate attention as there is a lack of appreciation and enthusiasm for tourism by
civil society and business leaders as well. Unfortunately tourism is not often understood properly and its economic benefits are unclear. So, policy level planning and implementation of the plans to improve the tourism industry are often lacking the required level of devotion, sincerity, and pace. Many developing countries are using tourism as a key development tool for economic development and are thus incorporating it in their national economic development plans.Tourism has become a significant industry both in poor and rich countries due to its positive impacts on the economy, people’s livelihoods, and socio-cultural development. This article thus attempts to examine the existing concepts of economic development, tourism development, and attainability of tourism as an economic development tool reviewing the related key literature.