Maria Giaoutzi is Professor of Geography and Regional Planning at the National Technical University of Athens, Greece. Peter Nijkamp is Professor in the Department of Spatial Economics, Free University, The Netherlands.

’Tourism is increasingly a strategic key factor for economic growth. With penetrating intellect and vision, Giaoutzi and Nijkamp examine the interconnections between tourism, ICT and regional development. All those seeking to enhance their understanding of this complex subject would do well to read this book.’ Professor Yoshiro Higano, University of Tsukuba, Japan ’Tourism and Regional Development is a tour de force explaining how ICT is amplifying travel demand and revolutionizing destination marketing, investment, and management, and in turn the behavior of the tourist. The book provides solid new information on trends, methods of analysis and current policy strategies used by regions to enhance the competitiveness of this sector and its destinations.’ Professor Roger R. Stough, NOVA Endowed Chair, Eminent Scholar, George Mason University, USA

• Contents: Emerging trends in tourism development in an open world, Maria Giaoutzi and Peter Nijkamp. Tourism, Regional Development and Communications Technology: Information technologies and tourism development, Elvira Morella; 'Reverse network engineering': a top-down and bottom-up approach in the tourist market, Dirk-Jan F. Kamann and Dirk Strijker; The potential of virtual organizations in local tourist development, Anastasia Stratigea, Maria Giaoutzi and Peter Nijkamp; E-travel business: e-market places vs. tourism product suppliers, Dimitris Papakonstantinou; ICTs and local tourist development in peripheral regions, Anastasia Stratigea and Maria Giaoutzi; European informational cultures and the urbanisation of the Mediterranean coasts, Lila Leontidou. Methodological Advances in Tourism Research: Economic impacts of tourism: a meta-analytic comparison of regional output multipliers, Eveline S. van Leeuwen, Peter Nijkamp and Piet Rietveld; Competition among tourist destinations: an application of data envelopment analysis to Italian provinces, M.Francesca Cracolici and Peter Nijkamp; Delineating ecoregions for tourism development, Thomas Hatzichristos, Maria Giaoutzi and John C. Mourmouris; Tourism and the political agenda: towards an integrated web-based multicriteria framework for conflict resolution, Andrea De Montis and Peter Nijkamp; A methodology for eliciting public preferences for managing cultural heritage sites: an application to the temples of Paestum, Patrizia Riganti, Annamaria Nese and Ugo Colombino. Policy Strategies on Tourism: The importance of friends and relations in tourist behaviour: a case study on heterogeneity in Surinam, Pauline Poel, Enno Masurel and Peter Nijkamp; Technology transfer to small businesses in the tourist sector: supporting regional economic development, Peter M. Townroe; Possibilities for using ICT to realize heritage and eco-tourism potential: a case study on the Zululand region of South Africa, Peter Robi

Maria Giaoutzi is Professor of Geography and Regional Planning at the National Technical University of Athens, Greece. Peter Nijkamp is Professor in the Department of Spatial Economics, Free University, The Netherlands.

’Tourism is increasingly a strategic key factor for economic growth. With penetrating intellect and vision, Giaoutzi and Nijkamp examine the interconnections between tourism, ICT and regional development. All those seeking to enhance their understanding of this complex subject would do well to read this book.’ Professor Yoshiro Higano, University of Tsukuba, Japan ’Tourism and Regional Development is a tour de force explaining how ICT is amplifying travel demand and revolutionizing destination marketing, investment, and management, and in turn the behavior of the tourist. The book provides solid new information on trends, methods of analysis and current policy strategies used by regions to enhance the competitiveness of this sector and its destinations.’ Professor Roger R. Stough, NOVA Endowed Chair, Eminent Scholar, George Mason University, USA

• Contents: Emerging trends in tourism development in an open world, Maria Giaoutzi and Peter Nijkamp. Tourism, Regional Development and Communications Technology: Information technologies and tourism development, Elvira Morella; 'Reverse network engineering': a top-down and bottom-up approach in the tourist market, Dirk-Jan F. Kamann and Dirk Strijker; The potential of virtual organizations in local tourist development, Anastasia Stratigea, Maria Giaoutzi and Peter Nijkamp; E-travel business: e-market places vs. tourism product suppliers, Dimitris Papakonstantinou; ICTs and local tourist development in peripheral regions, Anastasia Stratigea and Maria Giaoutzi; European informational cultures and the urbanisation of the Mediterranean coasts, Lila Leontidou. Methodological Advances in Tourism Research: Economic impacts of tourism: a meta-analytic comparison of regional output multipliers, Eveline S. van Leeuwen, Peter Nijkamp and Piet Rietveld; Competition among tourist destinations: an application of data envelopment analysis to Italian provinces, M.Francesca Cracolici and Peter Nijkamp; Delineating ecoregions for tourism development, Thomas Hatzichristos, Maria Giaoutzi and John C. Mourmouris; Tourism and the political agenda: towards an integrated web-based multicriteria framework for conflict resolution, Andrea De Montis and Peter Nijkamp; A methodology for eliciting public preferences for managing cultural heritage sites: an application to the temples of Paestum, Patrizia Riganti, Annamaria Nese and Ugo Colombino. Policy Strategies on Tourism: The importance of friends and relations in tourist behaviour: a case study on heterogeneity in Surinam, Pauline Poel, Enno Masurel and Peter Nijkamp; Technology transfer to small businesses in the tourist sector: supporting regional economic development, Peter M. Townroe; Possibilities for using ICT to realize heritage and eco-tourism potential: a case study on the Zululand region of South Africa, Peter Robi

Maria Giaoutzi is Professor of Geography and Regional Planning at the National Technical University of Athens, Greece. Peter Nijkamp is Professor in the Department of Spatial Economics, Free University, The Netherlands.

’Tourism is increasingly a strategic key factor for economic growth. With penetrating intellect and vision, Giaoutzi and Nijkamp examine the interconnections between tourism, ICT and regional development. All those seeking to enhance their understanding of this complex subject would do well to read this book.’ Professor Yoshiro Higano, University of Tsukuba, Japan ’Tourism and Regional Development is a tour de force explaining how ICT is amplifying travel demand and revolutionizing destination marketing, investment, and management, and in turn the behavior of the tourist. The book provides solid new information on trends, methods of analysis and current policy strategies used by regions to enhance the competitiveness of this sector and its destinations.’ Professor Roger R. Stough, NOVA Endowed Chair, Eminent Scholar, George Mason University, USA

• Contents: Emerging trends in tourism development in an open world, Maria Giaoutzi and Peter Nijkamp. Tourism, Regional Development and Communications Technology: Information technologies and tourism development, Elvira Morella; 'Reverse network engineering': a top-down and bottom-up approach in the tourist market, Dirk-Jan F. Kamann and Dirk Strijker; The potential of virtual organizations in local tourist development, Anastasia Stratigea, Maria Giaoutzi and Peter Nijkamp; E-travel business: e-market places vs. tourism product suppliers, Dimitris Papakonstantinou; ICTs and local tourist development in peripheral regions, Anastasia Stratigea and Maria Giaoutzi; European informational cultures and the urbanisation of the Mediterranean coasts, Lila Leontidou. Methodological Advances in Tourism Research: Economic impacts of tourism: a meta-analytic comparison of regional output multipliers, Eveline S. van Leeuwen, Peter Nijkamp and Piet Rietveld; Competition among tourist destinations: an application of data envelopment analysis to Italian provinces, M.Francesca Cracolici and Peter Nijkamp; Delineating ecoregions for tourism development, Thomas Hatzichristos, Maria Giaoutzi and John C. Mourmouris; Tourism and the political agenda: towards an integrated web-based multicriteria framework for conflict resolution, Andrea De Montis and Peter Nijkamp; A methodology for eliciting public preferences for managing cultural heritage sites: an application to the temples of Paestum, Patrizia Riganti, Annamaria Nese and Ugo Colombino. Policy Strategies on Tourism: The importance of friends and relations in tourist behaviour: a case study on heterogeneity in Surinam, Pauline Poel, Enno Masurel and Peter Nijkamp; Technology transfer to small businesses in the tourist sector: supporting regional economic development, Peter M. Townroe; Possibilities for using ICT to realize heritage and eco-tourism potential: a case study on the Zululand region of South Africa, Peter Robi