Tourism, Development and Terrorism in Bali

Book excerpt: This book investigates tourism as a form of globalization within the context of the island of Bali, which has been voted the world's top island destination for the third time running by American travellers. The volume covers the onset of the Asian Crisis, the largest stock-market crash since the Great Depression. The authors chart the turbulence that has afflicted the island at a time of market uncertainty and global political strife and analyze the responses of Bali's business and community leaders to the crises that have buffeted the island since the fall of Suharto. In particular, the book analyzes crisis management with regard to the Bali Bombings, the impact of the bombings on the tourism development cycle and investigates the motives of the bombers. The authors argue that the actions of the bombers can best be understood with regard to the rise of political Islam as a global issue and the book breaks new ground with an analysis of the bombers' global experiences. The book also examines home-grown resistance to certain aspects of globalization, notably the attempt to turn Besakih, the island's mother temple, into a World Heritage Site and top tourist destination.