The struggle for resources is surely one of the ubiquitous features of human societies, and correspondingly, industrial endeavour. The tourism industry, in its multiple guises, relies upon a wide variety of resources, such as landscape, beaches and architecture, with which to attract visitors. It refers to such resources as products, in contrast to the visitors, which form the demand side of the equation.

Within this section of the book, the chapters examine different types of resources and the struggle for control over them, and it will become apparent to the reader that each case study has resonance for many tourism destinations worldwide. The resources examined are, in order of appearance: water, architecture, cultural heritage and the relatively intangible condition of security. The notion of security might also be understood as the condition that enables a destination to better utilise its assets, such as beaches, landscapes, material and intangible culture, and the indigenous population, in order to attract tourists: security will apply to all destinations as a desirable resource. In the chapter in question, terrorism threatens the security of the country, leaving it unable to capitalise on many other resources.

Power becomes involved where any struggle is experienced, as earlier discussions in the Introduction have explained. Different individuals or groups will have reasons for joining together or competing, be they economic, social, kinship related, religious, political, cultural or ideological. Tourism is a high profile and highly influential industry with immediate and profound impact on human groups. In this section, examples are given where disagreements and struggles occur between members of the same regional population who have varying relationships with and understandings of a resource. The chapters examine the following situations: people from widely different cultural backgrounds, cultural capital and economic status who ostensibly share a desire to conserve a resource; differing sectors of the nation who seek to promote their perspective on national and local history or culture; people from similar national and economic backgrounds who differ on religious and moral principles.