Managing and working in the travel industry requires specialised knowledge and skills that generic textbooks on operations management do not address. To address this gap, the aim of this textbook is to contextualise the application and analysis of the major managerial principles and theories in various travel related companies, including airlines, travel agents and tour operators, cruise companies etc. To achieve that, the textbook includes ten chapters covering the management of various management areas and business functions (such as marketing, finance, operations management and supply chain management (SCM), human resource management (HRM) and strategy) rather than focusing on the in‐depth analysis of a single function namely (service) operations management, as the textbook title may imply and/or create the impression.The textbook is edited by Peter Robinson and book chapters are contributed by a diverse group of eight international researchers from various academic and professional backgrounds. All chapters provide a good overview and discussion of the major concepts and models related to their business functions. Moreover, all chapters follow a very clear and student‐focused structure starting with identifying learning objectives, including several mini and longer case studies explaining theoretical concepts and concluding with summaries, further reading, additional references, review questions and a list of interesting websites. The textbook is very reader‐friendly which is demonstrated in its writing style and language as well as in the very helpful illustrations and tables that it provides. Copyright 2010 Emerald Group Publishing usc