Global dynamics and local welcome : the opportunities and risks of tourism without frontiers ? Introduction to the theme for 2004 Since 1999 the Chamonix-Mont-Blanc Tourism Summits have focused our attention on the complex and fascinating question of sustainable development in tourism. The conference cycle is now in its sixth year. This continuity has helped to give the Summits international renown. The success of these Tourism Summits is due to the fact that we have systematically adhered to the motto "Think global, act local". The fact that globalisation is bringing the world's population closer together has been given due consideration. In a world that is increasingly integrated, and has become an altogether smaller place, it is impossible to remain aloof from major worldwide trends, or from local trends which are often diametrically opposed to these. Tourism is one of the forces that are causing globalisation to accelerate. It is also an essential factor for local development. No frontier is too far for today's tourist, whose heart is set on the most remote locations imaginable. People everywhere, rich and poor, urban and rural, are investing in the development of local tourism. The debates of the 6th Tourism Summits will attempt to analyse the structural changes which the internationalisation of demand is bringing about in the world's tourism resorts. As we await the much heralded relaunch of tourism, the objectives we have set for the 2004 conference are to better understand the dynamics of the world market and to adapt the local welcome to the kind of "tourisme sans frontière" in which there are fewer and fewer limits, whether geographical or socio-economic. The inaugural debate : the new challenges in the world market Considerations on the impact of the internalisation of tourism First debate : the structure of the world market Second debate : the risks and opportunities of international tourism Third debate : adapting products and services to the needs of a new clientele Fourth debate : the creation of high performance industrial structures Fifth debate : welcoming a growing number of international visitors The final debate : internationalisation strategies Closing session of the 6th Summits Awarding of the Tourism Summits prizes Internationalisation and tourism policy   Prof. Peter Keller President of the Scientific Committee of the Chamonix-Mont-Blanc Tourism Summits Association