Power and Politics at the Seaside. The Development of Devon's Seaside Resorts in the Twentieth Century

The seaside is the twentieth century's pre-eminent global tourism site and this is the first book of its kind to examine political and power relations in modern seaside resort development. As an historical study of seaside tourism in Devon-England's most popular domestic holiday destination-it reveals the complex interplay between ideology, class and power and the consumption of landscape and place. Drawing on rich local, regional and national sources and bringing together approaches from history, sociology, geography and cultural studies, the book addresses the seaside holiday as an historical and sociological phenomenon. It locates seaside tourism within the wider leisure experience and suggests that the seaside manifests and reinforces the wider social, economic and political power relations which shape society.

Nigel Morgan is Principal Lecturer and Director of Graduate Studies in the School of Hospitality, Leisure and Tourism at the University of Wales Cardiff. He was previously Tourism Development Officer for Vale of Glamorgan Borough Council. He is a co-author of Tourism, Promotion and Power: creating images, creating identities (John Wiley & Sons, 1998).

Annette Pritchard is Senior Lecturer in the School of Hospitality, Leisure and Tourism at the University of Wales Cardiff. She was previously Senior Research Officer for the Wales Tourist Board and is editor of The Leisure Monitor. She is a co-author of Tourism, Promotion and Power: creating images, creating identities (John Wiley & Sons, 1998).