As the tourist industry becomes increasingly important to communities around the world, the need to develop tourism in a sustainable manner has also become a primary concern. This impressive collection of international case studies addresses this crucial issue by asking what local communities can contribute to sustainable tourism, and what sustainability can offer these local communities in return. The role of the community in environmental, cultural and economic sustainability is highlighted in an extraordinary variety of contexts, ranging from inner-city Edinburgh to rural northern Portugal and the beaches of Indonesia.
Individually, the investigations in this text present a wealth of original research and source material, while collectively, they illuminate and clarify the term 'community' - the meaning of which, it is argued, is vital to understanding how sustainable tourism development can be implemented in practice.

1. The Community; A Sustainable Concept in Tourism Development? Part 1: Community, Participation and Identity 2. Approaches to Sustainable Tourism Planning and Community Participation: The Case of the Hope Valley 3. Residents' Perceptions of the Socio-Cultural Impacts of Tourism at Lake Balaton, Hungary 4. Identity, Community and Sustainability: Prospects for Rural Tourism in Albania Part 2: Sustainable Tourism and the Community 5. Environmental Standards and Performance Measurement in Tourism Destination Development 6. Developing Sustainable Tourism in the Trossachs, Scotland 7. Establishing the Common Ground: Tourism, Neighbourhood and Environmental Quality in Edinburgh, Scotland 8. Local Agenda 21: Reclaiming Community Ownership in Tourism or Stalled Process? Part 3: Developing Community Enterprise 9. Fair Trade in Tourism - Community Development or Marketing Tool? 10. Tourism, Small Enterprises and Community Development 11. Gili Trawangan: From Desert Island to 'Marginal' Paradise: Local Participation, Small-Scale Entrepreneurs and Outside Investors in an Indonesian Tourist Destination 12. Tourism in Friesland: A Network Approach 13. Understanding Community Tourism Entrepreneurism: Some Evidence from Texas Part 4: Rural Communities and Tourism Development 14. Can Sustainable Tourism Positively Influence Rural Regions? 15. Cultural Tourism and the Community in Rural Ireland 16. Agritourism - A Path to Community Development? The Case of Bangunkerto, Indonesia 17. Community and Rural Development in Northern Portugal 18. The Market for Rural Tourism in North and Central Portugal: A Benefit - Segmentation Approach 19. Tourism Brand Attributes of the Alto Minho, Portugal 20. Conclusions

Derek Hall is Head of the Leisure and Tourism Department at the Scottish Agricultural College and has a personal chair in regional development. He has particular interests in welfare issues in tourism and in the role of tourism in restructuring processes in central and eastern Europe.

Greg Richards is Lecturer in Tourism Management at Tilburg University and is co-ordinator of the European Association for Tourism and Leisure Education (ATLAS). He has directed a number of ATLAS projects for the European Commission on topics including sustainable tourism.