Choice Review

Tourism Paradoxes offers a series of studies examining the contradictions, controversies, and challenges of modern tourism with an emphasis on societal and cultural paradoxes. The collection's basic premise seems to be that everything comes with a transaction cost and that no perceived benefit/goal comes without a downside--essentially, for every yin there is a yang. The book sets out to create a conceptual framework to clearly explain benefits vs. costs. This framework is an important contribution identifying factors that facilitate a focused discussion regarding alternatives. Real case studies present the paradox but leave it to readers to arrive at a conclusion. This volume is an important contribution to tourism studies. In providing a neutral structure/rubric to examine conflicting factors and desired results, the editors offer a flexible structure to study the ever-changing landscape of global tourism in all its messy complexity. Though the focus here is largely cultural, it would be helpful to examine economic factors within the same framework, as there are often economic consequences for over- or under-developing tourism. Summing Up: Recommended. Graduate students, faculty, and professionals. --Stuart A. Schulman, CUNY Baruch College