ISLAND TOURISM AND ITS SOCIO-ECONOMIC IMPACTS

Abstract

The present study examines islands and island tourism in relation to their specific characteristics as well as the impacts that tourism development has on islands. According to previous studies, many of the factors that constitute the touristic appeal of islands also represent challenges to the longer-term success of tourism related development policies. In adittion, the development of tourism has positive and negative economic, socio-cultural and environmental impacts, that in the case of islands become more significant, since tourism is often more important for small islands than for mainland destinations.