Developmental Theories and its Relevance in Tourism

Development theory is a conglomeration or a collective vision of theories about how desirable change in society is best achieved. Such theories draw on a variety of social science disciplines and approaches. Tourism is one such discipline which has developed over the ages from being in primitive stage to a full fledged multibillion dollar industry today. Various learned peoples have dwelled on the concept of development theory and for tourism, Jafari's theory of tourism development is best known for the inclusivity and comprehensiveness it entails.

This research paper is an endeavor in the direction to elucidate the various development theories and how tourism responded to the various stages of its development. Here one thing should be noticed that none of the theory is all inclusive and it each has its own importance and relevance at different levels of tourism development and at different time and situation.