Ecotourism in Appalachia

"The authors of this important book not only provide a positive vision, they also supply a telling critique of tourism as it is promoted currently, and they do all this with a profound international consciousness and helpful comparisons from all over the world."—Appalachian Heritage

"The authors argue that tourism can help the economy and preserve the environment only when local communities control the development and government regulates business practices."—Idaho Falls (ID) Post Register , Topeka (KS) Capital-Journal , Lexington Her

"Suggests many ways in which real ecotourist activities can provide meaningful and enjoyable engagement with the natural world, while making vacations, for both travelers and host communities alike, the regenerative, enriching experiences they should have been all along."—Modern Mountain Magazine

"Encompassing history, economics and culture, and using examples of other tourism areas such as Hawaii and Alaska, Fritsch and Johannsen lay out a comprehensive . . . treatise of the importance of fostering green tourism."—Publishers Weekly

"An argument for taking advantage of the possibilities offered by tourism to invigorate the economy of Appalachia and preserve the unrivaled environment."—Berea College Appalachian Center Newsletter

"A useful book. . . . Its overall tone almost echoes that of a how-to book for tourism developers to promote sound tourism activities and for tourists to correct their tourism behavior and choices."—Appalachian Journal

"'Ecotourism' conjures exotic images of beautiful places in the world, but as this book forcefully points out, it also brings up a slew of questions about the preservation of nature and of culture, and the inherent conflicts between economic development and community rights. The book brings these questions home to the highlands of Appalachia. Beautifully written, filled with anecdotes and illustrations, Ecotourism in Appalachia engages the reader in a search for 'green tourism' in America's own backyard. The book makes an important contribution to our understanding of tourism in Appalachia and beyond, and will be invaluable to people who study or practice tourism."—David Zurick, Eastern Kentucky University

"Thoughtful, packed with enthusiasm and ideas. It is refreshingly readable, genuinely useful work, and offes recommendations to shape ecotourism in the 21st century. . . . It is a fundamental first step for tourism planners, environmentalists, academics and policy makers."—P.P. Karan, University of Kentucky, editor of Japan in the Bluegrass

"An important contribution to tourism studies, largely because this is the first attempt to examine tourism development (past, present, and future) within the Central Appalachian region. The authors provide both positive and negative scenarios for future tourism development in the study area that are well reasoned and thought provoking."—Richard Alan Sambrook, Eastern Kentucky University

"Does not disappoint. The authors usefully maintain a tension between the salutary potentials of 'eco' and the damaging consequences of tourism, now the world's largest industry. [It is] written in clear, accessible prose."—Journal of Appalachian Studies