An essential resource for students, researchers, and policymakers navigating the complex intersection of tourism and foreign direct investment (FDI). That’s what a new book, edited by UWI Cave Hill researcher Dr. H. Cristina Jönsson, is offering to the academic community and policy formulators.
Titled, Tourism and Foreign Direct Investment: Issues, Challenges and Prospects, this volume is the first of its kind to offer a comprehensive examination of the challenges and opportunities presented by FDI in the tourism sector—a topic of increasing significance in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic and its economic fallout.
The book is divided into four sections, beginning with an introduction that provides an overview of tourism-related foreign direct investment (TFDI), authored by Dr. Jönsson herself. This foundational chapter sets the stage for the discussions that follow, offering insights into the overarching themes and objectives of the book.
In the second section, which addresses current issues in achieving sustainable FDI in tourism, Dr. Jönsson contributes another critical chapter co-authored with Dr. Nicola Palmer of Sheffield Hallam University. Titled “Local Impacts and Perceptions of Tourism Foreign Direct Investment (TFDI): A Conceptual Framework”, this chapter explores how TFDI affects host communities, offering a framework for understanding the complex social, economic, and environmental implications of these investments.
Dr. Jönsson also authored the twelfth chapter, titled “Experienced ‘Realities’ of Tourism Foreign Direct Investment: Empirical Evidence from Barbados”, in which she presents empirical data on how TFDI has shaped the tourism landscape in Barbados. This chapter offers a unique, localised perspective on the broader issues discussed throughout the book, making it particularly relevant for Caribbean scholars and practitioners.
The book concludes with a forward-looking chapter by Dr. Jönsson, “Current Knowledge and Future Research Directions in Tourism Foreign Direct Investment”. Here, she synthesises the key findings from the various contributions and outlines areas where further research is needed, particularly in light of the ongoing impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on global tourism.
Tourism and Foreign Direct Investment: Issues, Challenges and Prospects is a timely and critical addition to the literature on tourism development. By focusing on the economic, social, and environmental dimensions of TFDI through a range of case studies from across the globe—including France, Croatia, China, and Barbados—the book provides a nuanced understanding of how FDI can both positively and negatively impact host destinations. It is a must-read for anyone interested in the future of tourism in a post-pandemic world.
