Tourism, environment and sustainable development. Local strategies for improving rural livelihoods in Bahia (Brazil) and Goa (India)

Abstract

Due to its scale and geographical scope, tourism industry is a major driver of both biophysical and social changes. It is an important factor in the economy of many countries and in the management of many cultural sites and natural areas. Being a people-oriented industry, tourism also provides many jobs which have helped revitalize local economies. Yet by its very nature tourism is ambivalent, generating well-known problems as well as well-known benefits.