Tourism in the mountain South

"Tourism in the Mountain South: A Double-Edged Sword provides the first broad historical synthesis of how tourism has shaped the economy, cultural identity, and landscape of the Mountain South. Concentrating on the period from after the Civil War up to the present day, this interdisciplinary study provides a significant contribution to southern historiography while challenging prevailing assumptions in Appalachian studies. C. Brenden Martin examines tourism in the context of the transformation of transportation networks, urban and rural community development, and the changing role of government in regulating tourism. Martin illustrates how tourism represents a double-edged sword, cutting both ways in its impact on the region. It is a transformative force that has accelerated the modernization of the Mountain South in many ways, and yet tourism has also provided the main economic rationale for the region's cultural, historical, and environmental preservation movements"--Jacket.