本文回顧近三十年來旅遊時空模式發展的過程。在不同時段中發展的重點不一。早期發展基礎以起迄點間之模式爲主，不同研究者分別以經濟、心理、空間發展等概念來詮釋其旅遊模式；而後，又以著重環境保育的角度來強調如何發展旅遊空間。近年來，研究者發現開發中國家的旅遊時空架構組成與已開發國家不同，開發中國家旅遊事業不僅存在於其現有社經體系中之正式部門，同時亦存在於其非正式部門之中。這兩部門的旅遊事業在旅遊演化各階段中彼此交替存在或共生著，故而形成不同於已開發國家的空間演化模式。

This article reviews tourism development theories with respect to their spatio-temporal implications in the past thirty years. Early in the seventy, most of these models based on an origin-linkage-destination systems, with various writers giving different emphasis to these three elements and expressing them in different terms. Recently, researchers focused on the evolutionary model in developing countries. The influence of the existing social and economic structures in these countries, differentiates the tourism industry into two sectors, formal/informal sector, and recognizes the spatial segregation and different economic impacts of the sectors.