The Asia-Pacific is the world's most rapidly growing tourist region. Tourism is a major export earner for many of the countries in the region and is an industry of major economic significance. But there are also considerable social and environmental impacts such as coastal pollution, ecological destruction, and social dislocation.

Tourism in the Pacific Rim is the first book to provide a coherent picture of international tourism in the Asia-Pacific region. Countries included in the book are Japan; China; North East Asia comprising South Korea, Taiwan and Hong Kong; the ASEAN nations of Brunei, Malaysia, Indonesia, The Philippines, Singapore and Thailand; Australia and New Zealand; and the microstates of the South Pacific.

Each country is analysed in terms of the significance of its tourism industry, inbound and outbound travel, government policies, the impacts of tourism development, and the future prospects for tourism growth.