In 2009, the European Tourism Futures Institute was founded with its base at Stenden University of Applied Science in the Netherlands. The founders were inspired by Dr Ian Yeoman's work as a pioneer scenario planner thinking about the future of tourism. The relevance both for the industry and for education is growing. Future thinking in future labs and developing scenarios in unusual settings with different stakeholders as a way of non-linear thinking are welcome tools in tourism and also act as inspiring methods to create innovative new ideas for tourism development.

Picturing tourism destinations in 2050 as scenarios helps the tourism educators, policy makers and the tourism business to think in a structured way about the future and at the same time stimulate creative solutions and new ideas. Scenarios are like paintings and just like good quality paintings, good scenarios are based on well-thought ideas and drivers that have relevance and serve as a base for daily routine.

Following on from Ian Yeoman's Tomorrow's Tourist (2008) book that focused on the drivers and trends that shape tourism demand and destinations to 2030, this book takes a longer view by taking a more quantum leap into the future in order to envisage technological change, new wealth and resources. It serves as a painting that will inspire tourism educators and especially tourism students and everybody working in the tourism industry to look to the future.