Abstract

The role of tourism as an agent of development in small island states is virtually
universal. Indeed, for many islands, tourism is the principal source of employment and
foreign exchange earnings and the dominant economic sector. Nevertheless, many
commentators suggest that island tourismis characterisedby dependency, a condition
which, according to development theory, restricts development. As a result, sustainable
tourismdevelopment is widely seenas a solution tothe problemof islandtourism.
This paper, however, argues that this is not necessarily the case. Based on a case study
of Cyprus, it demonstrates that,despite its inherent dependency, tourism has proved to
be an effective vehicle of development. Moreover, it is the development of mass
tourismas a modernising growth pole that has contributed to the remarkable socioeconomic
development of the island since the mid-1970s. Therefore, it suggests that, far
from being a solution, the current policy for promoting sustainable or ‘quality’ tourism
is not only inappropriatebutmay actuallyhinder the furtherdevelopment of Cyprus