536 Publications in review / Annals of Tourism Research 36 (2009) 533–549

Additionally, academics involved in postgraduate teaching and research supervi-

sion may find the book useful in identifying research topics for their students. Sim-
ilarly, higher research degree students may find the book a good source of ideas
for future research and for determining topics of their theses.
The book is not particularly relevant for undergraduate students. Practitioners
already operating or planning to operate in one of the markets covered by the
book may use limited parts of it for bringing themselves up-to-date with recent
trends and developments and hence understand their markets better. However,
compared with academics and higher research degree students, the potential for
the book to be used by practitioners may be limited as many may not be sufficiently
equipped to understand and enjoy many of the papers.

Erdogan Koc: Department of Business Administration, Faculty of Economics and

Administrative Sciences, Kadikoy, Istanbul, Turkey. E-mail: <ekoc@dogus.edu.tr>

Assigned 13 January 2009. Submitted 11 March 2009. Accepted 12 March 2009.

doi:10.1016/j.annals.2009.02.004

Annals of Tourism Research, Vol. 36, No. 3, pp. 536–538, 2009

Printed in Great Britain

Travel and Tourism: An Industry Primer

By Paul Biederman, Jun Lai, Jukka Laitamaki, Hannah Messerli, Peter
Nyheim, Stanley Plog. Pearson Prentice Hall <www.prenhall.com>
2008, xxix + 608 pp (figures, tables, photos, references, index) US
$83.00 Hbk. ISBN 0-13-170129-0

Michael J. Gross
University of South Australia, Australia

Any book calling itself a primer has set itself a grand agenda, establishing expec-
tations that it will encapsulate all the essential aspects of its topic. Authors in any
field undertaking this challenge are to be commended for their ambition. This is
especially true in a field such as tourism, which is in a relatively nascent state of
conceptual development, and around which much debate continues to swirl
regarding the nature, definition, and components of the field. Faced with myriad
options for how to structure such a book, any selection of topics is bound to be dif-
ficult. However, the authors have assembled a collection of issues that deliver a
creditable version of a disparate economic sector.
The structure of the book is complex: two parts, each divided into sections that
are further divided into chapters aimed at different but compatible audiences. Part
One is targeted at undergraduates, with twelve chapters that cover basic elements
of the tourism sector. Part Two has nine chapters that span a variety of more ad-
vanced topics that are intended for postgraduates. This design allows instructors
to use the first part as a basis for a core course curriculum, with sections drawn
 Publications in review / Annals of Tourism Research 36 (2009) 533–549 537

from the second part to supplement different levels and interests. As a practical
matter, the distinction between under- and postgraduate fitness of any given chap-
ter will be at the discretion of course planners, and, despite the ‘‘advanced’’ adjec-
tive applied to Part Two, the academic level of all chapters is relatively equal.
Part One contains two sections, the first of which contains chapters entitled
‘‘Dimensions of Travel and Tourism’’, ‘‘An Economic Overview of Travel and
Tourism’’, ‘‘The Psychology of Travel’’, and ‘‘Sustainable Tourism Development’’.
This group of topics provides an overview of the sector’s scope, economics, con-
sumer behaviour, and development issues. It provides prelude information upon
which understanding of subsequent topics can be layered. The early placement
of economic considerations sets a tone that is carried through the text. The second
section of Part One, ‘‘The Sectors’’, contains chapters on ‘‘The Airline Industry’’,
‘‘The Rail, Motorcoach, and Rental Car Industries’’, ‘‘The Cruiseline Industry’’,
‘‘Amusement Parks and Other Major Attractions’’, ‘‘The Gaming Industry’’, ‘‘Lod-
ging’’, ‘‘The Food Service Industry’’, and ‘‘Conventions and Meetings’’. This is the
heart of the book, and is a particular strength. It not only includes standard func-
tional areas that would be expected, but also some that would typically be present
only in more specialised texts, such as railroads, rental cars, and theme parks. The
chapter on food service is especially well done, with a sound mix of general and
specific information that leaves the reader with a good understanding of how food
concepts integrate with the other aspects of the tourism experience.
Part Two contains four sections, the first of which is subtitled ‘‘Defining, Pro-
moting, and Selling the Product’’. The chapters in this section are ‘‘Travel Agents
and Tour Operators’’, ‘‘Distribution Channels’’, and ‘‘Destinations: A Psycho-
graphic and Sociological Perspective’’. While these and the other Part Two chap-
ters stand on their own, some also serve to supplement previous chapters. This is
certainly characteristic of ‘‘Destinations: A Psychographic and Sociological Per-
spective’’, which complements the earlier chapter, ‘‘The Psychology of Travel’’,
exploring in more detail the connections among lifestyle, psychographics, venture-
someness, and the positioning and life cycle of destinations.
The second section of Part Two is subtitled ‘‘Conservation and Intervention’’,
with chapters on ‘‘Ecotourism: Tourism’s Green Adventure’’ and ‘‘Government,
Politics, and Tourism’’. A deliberate attempt seems to have been made in the latter
chapter to counter the general US-centric orientation of the book. This chapter
uses a wide array of international settings and examples to illustrate the critical role
of politics in tourism. The third section of Part Two, ‘‘Management Tools’’, con-
tains chapters on ‘‘Revenue Management’’, ‘‘Measuring the Economic Impact’’,
‘‘Forecasting’’. This is a useful inclusion of practical tools that should constitute
a competitive advantage for the book, as the level of detail will provide helpful
examples for both students and managers. The book concludes with ‘‘What’s Next
for the Industry?’’, a subsection containing a single chapter, ‘‘The Future’’. This
chapter takes the unusual approach of examining the industry from a historical
perspective of 2030, looking back on imagined world and industry developments.
Predictions consider such concepts as the aging population, attraction and destina-
tion rationing, space tourism, climate change, and their effects on various industry
sectors.
Some of the text’s facts bear re-checking, such as a photo of Boeing 707 jetliner
(p. 80) claiming it began commercial service in 1953 (it started in 1958), the Man-
darin Oriental group displacing Hyatt and other groups in a table of the ten largest
lodging companies (p. 265), and how astronaut Buzz Aldrin’s name is spelled (p.
572). However these are minor criticisms in a text filled with a voluminous amount
of information on the industry.
Chapters include learning objectives, chapter summaries, margin glossaries, dis-
cussion questions, website listings, interviews with industry leaders, ‘‘Focus on
538 Publications in review / Annals of Tourism Research 36 (2009) 533–549

Technology’’ inserts, as well as photographs and illustrations. The book is in-

tended as ‘‘a true primer in the sense of a comprehensive educational experience
for tourism and well-enough balanced to accommodate all of the disparate reader
constituencies’’ (p. xx). The text has succeeded in delivering on its purpose and
would be suitable in a higher education setting as well as for use by industry pro-
fessionals who seek a general reference text.
Michael J. Gross: School of Management, University of South Australia, Adelaide,
South Australia, 5000, Australia. Email: <michael.gross@unisa.edu.au>

Assigned 10 November 2008. Submitted 2 March 2009. Accepted 3 March 2009.

doi:10.1016/j.annals.2009.03.006

Annals of Tourism Research, Vol. 36, No. 3, pp. 538–539, 2009

Printed in Great Britain

The Encyclopedia of Tourism and

Recreation in Marine Environments
Edited by Michael Lück. CAB International <www.cabi.org> 2008,
x + 587 pp (figures, tables, bibliography) US$199.00 Hbk, ISBN-13 978
1 84593 350 0

Michael M.G. Scantlebury

University of Central Florida, USA

Michael Lück’s The Encyclopedia of Tourism and Recreation in Marine Environments

offers ‘‘almost 900 entries from its 170 authors’’ (p. v) on tourism and recreation
in marine environments. The vision of the editor and his board was to create an
essential reference for the subject area. Indeed, the editorial board has done an
excellent job in selecting and editing the entries.
Choosing topics for inclusion in such a volume will always be challenging and a
discussion of the strategy adopted to define the scope of an encyclopedia can be
informative. Unfortunately, there is no discussion of the rationale regarding the
topics selected, except to indicate that it was the intention of the editorial board
to ‘‘bring together the terms, concepts, and theories related to recreational and
tourism activities in marine settings’’ (back cover). It is, of course, always possible
to suggest items that might have been included. For example, activities such as kite
surfing, wake boarding, and wave jumping are missing. More importantly, the work
of the Caribbean Conservation Association in protecting the marine environment
of the Caribbean since the 60s is not recognized, nor is the work of McGill Univer-
sity’s Bellairs Research Institute, which was founded in Barbados in 1954. The cov-
erage of specialized encyclopedias often becomes dated, requiring new editions,
usually after about five years. Still, this is a timely and useful work.
The double-column layout of the entries is attractive, and the inclusion of
charts, maps, graphs, diagrams, and pictures to support the concepts discussed is