`Argued with a real verve, it makes a plea to rethink the role of tourism in modernity seeing it not as a fleeting and marginal element, but as something enduring, emblematic and constitutive of contemporary society. Tourism is seen as a key element of modern life, not an escape from it' - Mike Crang, Department of Geography, University of Durham Tourism: equips students with a critical perspective of the central processes of tourism and the relationship between tourism and culture; places tourism at the heart of modern life rather than as a peripheral feature added on after work; illuminates the relationship between tourism and nation formation, citizenship, consumerism and globalization; and reveals the ritual, performative and embodied dimensions of the tourist experience.