Philosophical and theoretical debates in tourism must be situated not just within economic and cultural contexts, but also political and social ones (Ataljevic, Pritchard & Morgan, 2007). Tourism is more than an ‘industry,’ Freya Higgins-Desbiolles argues, but a means for people to learn, to connect with others, for estranged cultures to learn about each other and even, to validate and encourage world peace (Higgens-Desbiolles, 2006).