Poverty Alleviation through Tourism Development

Dr. Robertico Croes currently serves as the Chair of the Tourism, Events & Attractions department as well as the Associate Director of the Dick Pope Sr. Institute for Tourism Studies at the Rosen College at the University of Central Florida in Orlando, Florida. Dr. Croes has published two recent books, titled The Small Island Paradox: Tourism Specialization as a Potential Solution and Anatomy of Demand in International Tourism. Both books investigate tourism dynamics and the opportunities spawned by tourism specialization in small island destinations. Additionally, he is a contributor to several books.Dr. Croes has lectured and made presentations throughout the world, including Armenia, the Netherlands, Venezuela, Colombia, Brazil, Nicaragua, Costa Rica, Aruba, Curacao, the Bahamas, Jamaica, Malta, Ecuador, Barbados, Puerto Rico, and Mexico. His research has also been presented in predominant industry and research conferences around the world including South Africa, South Korea, Malaysia, Cyprus, Spain, Germany, Hong Kong, Ireland, Turkey, Taiwan, and Trinidad and Tobago.Manuel Rivera, PhD, is currently Assistant Professor at Rosen College of Hospitality Management at the University of Central Florida in Orlando, Florida. Dr. Rivera’s industry experience expands to companies such as Aramark, Chartwells, Pizza Hut, Starbucks, Java City, Pollo Tropical, Subway, Burger King, McDonalds, and Sbarro. He had also the opportunity of working with institutions such as Florida International University, Saint Thomas University, Nova Southeastern University, Florida Memorial College, the Miami Dolphins Training Center, and the Kovens Convention Center.Dr. Rivera also has served as a researcher consultant for the Puerto Rico Convention Bureau, Puerto Rico Hotel Association, the Cámara de Turismo de Nicaragua, the Consejo Provincial del Guayas in Ecuador, the Curaçao Tourism Bureau, the Aruba Tourism Authority, Coca-Cola’s Latin Center Business Unit, and the Kissimmee CVB among others. Dr. Rivera also has extensive experience working with music festivals in the Caribbean, more specifically the Curacao North Sea Jazz Festival, the Aruba Soul Beach Music Festival, and the Aruba Electric Festival.

"Robertico Croes and Manuel Rivera are crystal-clear as to what moves this book: a faith and hope that the poor can achieve a better life, and a trust that tourism has the potential to contribute to this feat. . . . This is an engaging read, and a timely publication. It has several merits, and throughout the more than 200 pages, the authors call on many voices, local people’s opinions and views, and numerous concrete examples, denoting a strong familiarity with Latin America. At the same time, the book is well-structured, providing a strong cumulative sense as the chapters unfold, and there is a clear sense of direction and progress in the discussion. Poverty alleviation continues to be a critical issue in many countries, and tourism continues to be one of the fastest-growing industries. Croes and Rivera undeniably contribute to our understanding of the mechanisms which make tourism development valuable for poverty alleviation in a holistic and comprehensive manner."— Annals of Tourism Research, 2016"This is one of the most important books ever written about tourism development. . . . A compelling read. . . . The book is an eloquent voice that speaks on behalf of the poor—most of whom are still waiting to experience positive, tourism-related lifestyle change. . . . It is written by expert researchers who live their research and who are passionately concerned about realities on the ground. "This ground-breaking book offers a truly innovative contribution to our understanding of the concept of sustainable and inclusive tourism development. It offers a comprehensive understanding of problems faced by the world’s poorest people and discusses ways of enabling them to participate in sustainable tourism development. It introduces innovative methodologies and approaches using interesting illustrations to systematically guide the reader through alternative approaches to responsible tourism development. This book is an engaging and compelling text. "—Richard Teare, PhD, Co-Founder and President, Global University for Lifelong Learning (GULL)"Croes and Rivera's work is comprehensive because their propositions based on contextual situations are made relevant in two different ways. Firstly, by demonstrating that the propositions can be examined in multiple contexts and secondly, by showing how tourism demand expansion has implications for poverty alleviation...The work of Croes and Rivera clearly demonstrates that tourism demand is linked to economic growth and that economic growth reduces poverty."- Research Features Magazine

• Faces of the Poor. The Poverty Obliteration Paradigm (POP). The potential Double Impact of Tourism Development and Poverty Reduction. The Power of Tourism in Poverty Alleviation: The Empirical Nexus Tourism, Growth, Inequality and Poverty. Tourism and Poverty Intensity. Tourism with a Human Face. Tourism and the Satisfied But Unhappy Poor. Through the Looking Glass: Tourism Development and the Poverty Paradox. A Crazy Enough Idea: A Demand Pull Approach. Index.