The tourism industry is seen as a transformation agent because it can act as a catalyst for local economies dependant on the income that visitors provide.
If you take Lake Como for example, the influx in wealthy visitors (including the likes of George Clooney) have meant that renewed interest in the area has helped it develop out of its pastoral and rustic traditional environment, and helped it become an affluent area where tourists help support a number of local businesses and initiatives.
A good example would be the Egyptian resort of Sharm-el-sheikh.
With bars serving alcohol, scantily clad women sunbathing, and dance clubs pretty much everywhere... It's almost like a different culture and country separate from the rest of conservative Egypt.
While economy has a role to play in how willing locals are to accept cultural transformation, it is an interesting phenomenon of its own.
