Tourism and health, risks and challenges

Abstract

Whilst the entry ‘tourism, health and well-being’ articulates the consensus that tourism experiences can have health benefits for individuals and societies, there are also health risks involved when it comes to international travel. Tourists and tourism organisations need to be aware of and to manage such risks in order to mitigate the potentially far reaching health consequences. By its nature, tourism involves the movement of people from place to place and as such increases the unplanned exposure of tourism stakeholders to a variety of health related risks. This entry takes a tourism, tourist and community perspective rather than a health or medical practitioner stance, in order to highlight some of the risks and challenges that may emerge in the context of tourism and health.