The tourism sectors economic importance along with its potential cultural, social and environmental impacts on the host country, has given tourism an important place in the public policy debate of most nations.

Governments authorities are concerned to manage tourism development in their regions in order to maximize its benefits and minimize any negative effects. Therefore, one of the central questions that have arisen in recent years has been what is the appropriate role of the private and public (government) sectors in tourism development?.

This publication is the result of a Tourism Symposium convened in Yogyakarta, Indonesia as part of the annual meeting of the East Asian Inter-Regional Tourism Forum (EATOF). In this volume, academics and experts from the Academic Working Group of EATOF debate that important questions. As well, case studies are presented from the Asia Pasific region focusing on detailed examples of how the public and private sectors have functioned in developing tourism in their respective regions.