Tourism, a major global economic activity, is now growing fastest in the South. Promoted as a means of development since its modern beginnings, its benefits for developing countries remain debatable at best, even with the evolution of new, eg ‘pro-poor’ (ppt), forms of tourism and the advent of codes of practice and a more ethical approach among some consumers. It is, however, impossible to isolate tourism from the wider systemic processes against which it takes place. This introductory paper discusses some of the themes highlighted by the papers in this collection. They include the extent to which ppt may make a positive contribution to development, issues of control over the industry, the effects of climate change and tourism's relation to structural inequalities of power.