Tourism and socio‐economic development: UK tour operators' business approaches in the context of the new international agenda

Rapid growth of tourism to developing countries has led to new international expectations for tourism as an agent of socio‐economic development. This paper describes these new expectations, reviews the influence of tour operators on tourism‐dependent economies, and reports research into ways that UK outbound tour operators could respond to the new international expectations of their business ethic and practices. It shows that structural and business practice issues, especially local economic linkages in the supply chain, need to be addressed if the tourism industry is to contribute effectively to meeting new expectations of its role in socio‐economic development in developing countries.