1206 Publications in review / Annals of Tourism Research 38 (2011) 1193–1211

photos and images. This is a book that seeks to provide a contemporary perspectiveon the tourist experience by exploring a different research paradigm. Photographswould have facilitated the authors in providing a more vivid and ‘‘authentic’’ ac-count of their investigations.

If the reader is new to tourism research, this book is a must-read. Postgraduatesin tourism would also find this book valuable. If the reader has always approachedresearch questions in a quantitative manner, this book may be an eye-opener andmay encourage exploration of the methods espoused in the book. Finally, market-ing academics venturing into tourism research will find the links between the twodisciplines comforting. This reviewer read the first seven chapters in one sittingand the entire book in 2 days. It is a thoroughly enjoyable book and is highly rec-ommended.

Catheryn Khoo-Lattimore: School of Hospitality, Tourism, and Culinary Arts, Tay-lor’s University Lakeside Campus, No. 1 Jalan Taylor’s, 47500 Subang Jaya, Malay-sia. Email <catherynkhoo.lattimore@taylors.edu.my>

Assigned 11 January 2011. Submitted 2 March 2011. Accepted 10 March 2011.

doi:10.1016/j.annals.2011.04.011

Annals of Tourism Research, Vol. 38, No. 3, pp. 1206–1208, 2011Printed in Great Britain

SUSTAINABLE TOURISM INISLAND DESTINATIONS

By Sonya Graci and Rachel Dodds. Earthscan Ltd.<www.earthspan.org> 2010, xx + 225 pp. (figures, tables,index, bibliography). $39.95 Pbk. ISBN 978-1-88047-780-9.

Paul F. WilkinsonYork University, Canada

Much has been written on sustainable tourism and islands with, as the authorsstate, the purpose of exploring ‘‘the developmental role of tourism as it relatesexplicitly to its environmental consequences’’ (p. xvii). The fourth title in theEarthscan series Tourism, Environment, and Development, this book has two purposes:‘‘to provide an innovative discussion regarding issues on sustainability, focusing onisland tourism destinations’’ and ‘‘to contribute to the series as a whole . . . as itcontributes to the examination of tourism development in light of sustainability’’(p. xvii).

In contrast to most publications on these topics, this book provides eight casestudies that are ‘‘sub-jurisdiction islands (islands that are part of larger nations),semi-autonomous islands, as well as autonomous islands’’ (pp. xvii–xviii). Theauthors argue that, while there are almost 40 island countries, there are many is-lands that are semi-autonomous, archipelagoes, territories, or parts of a largercountry. An exploration of sustainability and these kinds of islands would appearto be an innovative and potentially useful contribution to the literature.

Publications in review / Annals of Tourism Research 38 (2011) 1193–1211 1207

The book contains 15 chapters in four parts. ‘‘Sustainability in Island Destina-tions’’ consists of three chapters on tourism, sustainable tourism, and island tour-ism. ‘‘Challenges to Achieving Sustainability in Island Destinations’’ contain fivechapters on challenges to achieving sustainable tourism, lack of stakeholderawareness, and education (using the case of Sanya, Hainan, China), lack ofconsideration for the local community (Cayos Cochinos Islands, Honduras),unsustainable development (Koh Phi Phi, Thailand), and lack of long-termplanning and copycat tourism (St. Kitts). The third part, ‘‘Successes of AchievingSustainability in Island Destinations’’, has five chapters on success in island tour-ism, collaborative partnerships (Gili Trawangan, Indonesia), implementing a mul-ti-stakeholder policy (Calvia, Mallorca, Spain), strong leadership and partnership(Chumbe Island, Tanzania), and community-based tourism (Moose Factory Island,Ontario). (As an aside, the introductory chapter states that ‘‘this book does not of-fer case studies of cold-water islands’’ (p. 14). As far as this reviewer is aware, globalwarming has not yet altered the temperature of James Bay, the southern part ofHudson Bay in northern Ontario where Moose Factory is located.) Finally, ‘‘Syn-thesis’’ provides chapters on initiatives to sustainable tourism development, con-clusions, and the way forward.

The book contains an admirable review of an extensive literature and providessome interesting conceptual frameworks, such as innovative initiatives to sustain-able tourism in the final chapter. The problem with the book, however, is thatthere is little actual evidence presented that the case studies are indeed examplesof sustainable tourism development; rather, they provide valuable analyses of whythese destinations have failed to develop sustainable tourism.

There are many problems with the production of this book. The use of figures isquite puzzling in that the titles appear to be either making relevant points or pos-ing provocative questions—but usually fail to do either successfully. Figure 1.1 (p.4) is a grainy black and white photograph of a coast line with, presumably, a townperched high on a cliff and entitled ‘‘Island tourism.’’ This reviewer guesses thatthe island in question is Santorini, Greece, but what is the point? Figure 1.2 (p.5) is a beach crowded with tourists in bathing suits, the sea, and a forested hill be-hind and entitled ‘‘Is this island paradise?’’. This writer does not have any ideawhich island this is, but the purportedly provocative question could be answeredwith ‘‘yes,’’ ‘‘no’’ or ‘‘it depends.’’ Figure 1.3 (p. 6) apparently is a dead sharkon a table, entitled ‘‘Need for sustainable tourism: sharks as tourist food?’’ Giventhe worldwide decimation of shark populations by long-line by-catch and de-fin-ning for soup, this title might be an attempt at an ironic joke, but—as with theother figures—there is no comment on the figure in the text.

Among other problems, there are numerous referencing errors or oddities. Forexample, a reference to ‘‘Mitchell, Agle et al, [sic] 1997) is given on p. 19, while inthe bibliography this item is listed as ‘‘Mitchell, R. K. et al [sic] (1997)’’ (p. 206). Inaddition, there are some statements that are simply puzzling. For example, St. Hel-ena (a small island off the coast of Angola) is described as an ‘‘important’’ tourismattraction (p. 33). In fact, St. Helena received about 2400 tourist arrivals in 2009according to government statistics (www.sainthelena.gov.sh/data/files/re-sources/93/9.4-9.7-Charts.pdf). Is that an ‘‘important’’ tourism attraction? Otherstatistics are out of date, e.g., ‘‘[s]even of the 15 fastest-growing countries between1985 and 1995’’ (p. 35). There are numerous grammar errors, e.g., ‘‘Lim and Coo-per (2009) outlines’’ (p. 41) and ‘‘[t]ourism arrivals in Koh Phi Phi increases attimes to . . .’’ (p. 92). In other places, important facts are missing, e.g., St. Kitts isdescribed as having ‘‘moved from an agricultural-based economy (sugar cane) totourism over the recent years’’ (p. 99), when in fact the government closed the su-gar cane industry completely in 2005, five years before this book was published.Maps lack scales. Some items are unclear in meaning, e.g., ‘‘[t]he infrastructure

1208 Publications in review / Annals of Tourism Research 38 (2011) 1193–1211

to travel to Northern Ontario is nonexistent as it is mainly by car’’ (p. 159), this justafter the authors have described travel by tourists on the Polar Bear Express train.

In conclusion, the book would be a useful addition to a tourism library, largelybecause of its extensive review of the literature and the interesting case studies. Itwould benefit, however, from the addition of a sub-title, such as ‘‘Why It Has NotBeen Achieved’’.

Paul F. Wilkinson: Faculty of Environmental Studies, York University, Toronto,Ontario, Canada M3J 1P3. Email <eswilkin@yorku.ca>

Assigned 16 January 2011. Submitted 18 March 2011. Accepted 21 March 2011.

doi:10.1016/j.annals.2011.04.012

Annals of Tourism Research, Vol. 38, No. 3, pp. 1208–1209, 2011Printed in Great Britain

THE TOURISM ENCOUNTER: FASHIONINGLATIN AMERICAN NATIONS AND HISTORIES

By Florence E. Babb. Stanford University Press<www.sup.org> 2011, xvii + 243 pp. (figures, bibliography,index) $21.95 Pbk. ISBN 978-0-8047-7156-6.

Jillian M. Rickly-BoydIndiana University, USA

Florence Babb brings together years of research and experience in fourgeographic regions—Cuba; Nicaragua; Andean Peru; and Chiapas, Mexico—inher book, The Tourism Encounter. While her work has not always focused ontourism, the author notes, ‘‘I have found tourism research to offer fertileground for thinking through the diverse, often unexpected ways in whichtransitional societies work to further processes of social transformation and,as they do so, fashion themselves anew’’ (p. xiii). Babb’s argument centerson the notion of ‘‘tourism as a staging ground for national-heritage formationin societies undergoing abrupt political and economic transition’’ and suggests,accordingly, that differences of gender and race affect the positioning of suchactors in subsequent tourism development, marketing, and experiences (p. 15).In that sense, the title of this book—The Tourism Encounter—is quite appropri-ate, as the author aims to hold both tourists and toured in equal measure asshe focuses on the ‘‘intimate relationship’’, the ‘‘coming together’’, of thosefrom different cultures and societies under the framework of tourism. Whatis not suggested by this title, but figures quite prominently throughout the text,is the significance of gender in the power relations that govern tourismencounters in these transitional nations.

Presenting sustained ethnographic projects in a comparative framework, theauthor brings together a number of qualitative methods. While a strong threadof historical research and participant observation runs through these projects,interview and questionnaire data are utilized to different ends. Whereas question-naires seem to have been more narrowly utilized, representing tourist motivations,