Tourism: rethinking the social science of mobility Tourism is a critical and cutting-edge introduction to the major issues surrounding the production and consumption of tourism and its associated effects for the 21st century. Tourism is presented as one of the key social science disciplines by which contemporary human mobility can be understood. Issues are examined in terms of some of the key concepts of contemporary social and environmental studies, such as globalisation, localisation, identity, security and global environmental change, as well as utilising the concept of mobility to provide a coherent framework for analysing the development, nature and issues surrounding this worldwide industry that is integral to many government's regional development strategies. Tourism helps provide an understanding of the contemporary forces shaping tourism and its study in a manner that connects the field to broader policy and scientific debate that is approachable by students of tourism at all levels. *Divided into a series of chapters covering fundamental areas of interest such as production and consumption, each chapter includes a short guide to further reading, relevant websites.* Presents analytical as well as descriptive frameworks using a range of concepts and theoretical constructs to illustrate how tourists and tourism occurs in different places and spaces and how tourism mobility changes over time.*Provides a concise introduction to core tourism concepts and links the study of tourism and its development as a discipline to the wider social sciences.*International in scope, with case material from the developed world and less developed countries. *Provides insights into some of the key theoretical and conceptual issues in tourism studies and links qualitative and quantitative understandings of tourism related mobility*Coverage of business networks, the tourism value chain, the nature of the tourism product, innovation, governance and the connections between regional development and place promotion ensure the text is firmly rooted in providing an understanding of destination and firm-related tourism studies that is relevant to students of the business and public sector dimensions of tourism as well as those in the wider social sciences. This core text is designed to meet the demands of tourism students for a more conceptual, innovative and critical examination of the discipline in the context of the wider economic, political, and social environment within which the phenomenon of tourism mobility occurs. It will be essential reading for students and practitioners in tourism, business studies, geography and across the social sciences. C. Michael Hall is Professor of Tourism at the University of Otago