It is predicted that travel and tourism will be one of the highest growth sectors in the present century.The UN World Tourism Organisation statistics indicate that the tourism industry will continue to grow from strength to strength. From 70 million international tourist movements in 1960, the number increased to over 710 million in 2000 and is expected to reach 1.5 billion by 2020.In the present revised work, effort has been made to explain the tourism phenomenon in its various manifestations. An attempt has been made to piece together different facts relevant to the early history and development of tourism as well as through the years to the present day. The book attempts to cover the nature, structure, organisation, marketing and promotion of the global tourism industry and its impact on the economic, social and cultural aspects of the host countries. It explains the latest technological changes in the industry. The book will be of immense value to students pursuing tourism studies at graduate and post-graduate levels at Indian and foreign universities and institutions. It will be of great help to the teachers and professionals in the travel and tourism industry,as well as those seeking opportunities for professional development.A.K. Bhatia was a senior official in the Ministry of Tourism,Government of India for more than two decades. As Deputy Director General, he was responsible for the marketing of Indian tourism in different parts of the world. As a field officer, he had several assignments in India???s overseas tourist offices including those at Brussels, Paris and Geneva. He represented the Ministry of Tourism at many international conferences. After obtaining a post-graduate degree from the University of Delhi, he acquired an advanced post-graduate Diploma in Tourism Marketing from the University of Viterbo, Italy.