Developing an evolutionary tourism partnership model

Partnerships have become a popular tourism management strategy for leveraging scarce resources in an era of fiscal constraint. Despite this popularity, little empirical research has been done to explain the processes that occur when such interactions take place. An evolutionary model is presented based on an empirical study of three tourism partnerships, a review of existing tourism partnership case studies, and the integration of emerging theory from the organizational behavior field. The model suggests that tourism partnerships begin in a context of environmental forces and evolve sequentially through problem-setting, direction-setting, and structuring phases. Special facultative skills are needed to sustain and nurture tourism partnerships.     

Clusters in regional tourism An Australian case

With changing industrial patterns in regional Australia, tourism has gained increasing currency as an agent for regional economic development. This paper investigates the applicability of cluster theory in supporting the movement from comparative advantage to competitive advantage for four regional towns located on the Murray River in Australia. Thus far cluster analysis has largely been applied in the manufacturing industry. This paper reports on its potential as an analytical tool in service-based tourism and, through the cases studied, identifies vital attributes of clusters that are lacking in the least economically successful region in the study area.     

Yugoslavia's tourist trade pot of gold or pig in a poke?

Yugoslavia's international tourist trade has expanded during the postwar period to the point where the country has become one of Europe's major tourist destinations. In common with many social-scientific students of tourism, Yugoslav development planners have stressed the value to the country of the inflow of convertible foreign exchange which this has stimulated. The article sets out to balance this argument by reference to four problems associated with the growth of tourism which have not been given adequate attention: the impact of tourism upon regional development; problems of sectoral balance; the structure of the labor force in tourism, particularly the problems which this structure potentially poses for the Yugoslav system of self-management; and the risks consequent upon the particular market structure of Yugoslav tourism.     

Domestic tourism in FRG : Trends and problems

Participation on tourism of the population of the Federal Republic of Germany (FRG) has enormously increased. Domestic tourism, however, stagnates. The German tourist regions have to expect a significant decrease in visitors, since an increasing segment of the German holiday-makers (now two thirds) travels abroad. The German domestic tourism providers and vacation travel organizers have not yet fully realized the new trends in the travel behavior. The unfavorable trend can only be met through a continually increasing supply with vacation homes and apartments. Moreover, the various resort towns need to join regional tourism associations which are able to achieve a more effective regional marketing for smaller tourist regions. Preparations for the establishment of regional tourism associations and programs for a subsidization of regional marketing plans are imminent.     

Towards an ethics platform for tourism

Ethical distinctions inform all human actions and decisions. On inspection, however, dominant paradigms in tourism scholarship are imbued with the myth of objectivity and thus ignore the ethical dimension. Since the four platforms of scholarship were first published in 1990, a representation of one of the most value-based concepts of this time, sustainable development, has been embraced; a fifth platform has emerged to dominate the rhetoric of tourism praxis. However, this paper argues that a sixth platform, an ethics platform, is needed to interrogate the morality of the positions taken in policy, planning, development, and management. These platforms are proposed against a background of environmental ethics and global political economy.     

Liberation wars and tourism development in Africa : The case of Zambia

Development of Africa's immense tourism potential is severely limited for reasons including lack of capital, distance from the large North American and European markets, the cost of travel to Africa, and Africa's poor image abroad. A key factor contributing to this image problem is political instability. Since World War II, almost all African countries have achieved independence. In several countries, this decolonization process has taken the form of long and often bloody liberation wars. This paper examines the impact of Zimbabwe's protracted liberation war on tourism development in Zambia and suggests that a detailed examination of major internal and external political events associated with the decolonization process in Zimbabwe could provide important perspectives on the obstacles to tourism development in other African countries.     

Traditions of sustainability in tourism studies

As sustainability has become an important policy issue in tourism, it is arousing growing discussion and criticism, and an increasing need to understand the nature of the limits of growth. This paper analyzes how these limits are approached and evaluated in discussions on a local scale. The purpose is to recognize that behind the different understandings of them lie distinct traditions that are different in their focuses. These are referred to as resource-, activity-, and community-based traditions of sustainability. Further, the relationship between sustainable tourism and sustainable development is critically discussed.     

Tourism and governance in Turkey

Tourism is speedily changing form, process, and structure. As a result of the globalization of its supply and demand, many countries have felt the need to reconsider related structures and processes, including the specific role of the state. This study indicates that tourism in Turkey developed in stages, constantly interacting with political, social, and economic components of the polity. During most of these stages, the state played a dominant role. But since the 80s, the dynamics of governance has triggered a gradual transformation from a basically state-sponsored and managed development to different forms of public–private partnership; a process curtailed, however, by the political culture.     

Rural tourism and gendered nuances

Research findings on rural residents’ attitudes towards tourism are often contradictory, in part due to a lack of data examining the often divergent perspectives of particular subgroups. Regional survey data from the Intermountain Western United States is used to provide an improved understanding of rural tourism attitudes as they are linked to community involvement and changes, while also exploring both intragender and intergender differences. Group differences in levels of community involvement, perceptions of tourism and various other issues are observed. While differences emerge, there is also widespread agreement on the importance of preserving local culture and the opposition to sale of agricultural land for development.     

The evolution of Canadian international travel documentation

Canada's geographic position, adjacent to the United States and comparatively distant from other countries, has concentrated a very large part of the foreign travel into a north-south flow. The development of international travel statistical methodologies has been patterned upon this heavy preponderance of travel. The evidence shows that the magnitude and scope of the flow of people and money between Canada and the United States necessitated that a cooperative approach be taken by both countries in undertaking this large-scale, continuous statistical operation. Canada's international travel statistical methodologies have demonstrated a flexibility to adapt to changing travel patterns and the reduction in border restrictions and documentation. At the same time, the statistical systems have had to meet increased demands of international tourism on a global scale.     

Community views of ecotourism

Ecotourism can be an incentive for conservation, especially when it triggers positive economic change. Yet it introduces many changes to communities:positive and negative, social and economic. The full range of change is seldom evaluated in direct relation to conservation at the local level. In this study of three Amazon ecotourism projects, local leaders discussed changes from ecotourism in their communities. Economic benefits were mentioned, but so were new restrictions on time, decreased reciprocity, and social conflict. Other changes included heightened self-esteem and greater community organization. Such shifts should be considered in relation to conservation as they affect the stability of local institutions and the prospects for long-term collective action for resource management.     

Politics and tourism interface: The Case of Cyprus

The Cyprus tourism industry has had to be sensitive to the political problems between Turkish and Greek Cypriots. Federation is considered to be a partial solution to the problems. This paper evaluates the influence of politics and nationalism on the tourism planning and development under a possible federal constitution. The views of Turkish and Greek Cypriot participants from private and public organizations are studied through semistructured interviews. The findings suggest that any future planning and development is likely to be a complex undertaking, as the two societies tend to have different sets of objectives and expectations.     

Shared decision-making in tourism land use planning

A Canadian government commission dealing with environmental resources attempted to incorporate several innovative approaches for shared decision-making into its strategic land use planning process for central British Columbia. This paper describes a framework of design and evaluative criteria for guiding such shared decision-making processes. It uses these criteria to assess the efficacy of the process from the perspective of those tourism stakeholders who participated in this planning exercise. The article offers recommendations to government as well as tourism sector organizations concerning the management of future public land use planning strategies designed to fully incorporate stakeholders into such processes.

Résumé

Les décisions partagées au sujet de la politique foncière du tourisme. Une commission du gouvernement canadien s'occupant des ressources environnementales a essayé d'incorporer plusieurs nouvelles méthodes de décisions partagées dans la planification des stratégies d'utilisation foncière pour la Colombie britannique centrale. Cet article décrit un cadre de critères pour la conception et l'évaluation des processus de décisions partagées. L'article utilise ces critères pour mesurer l'efficacité du processus du point de vue des planificateurs. Il fait des recommandations au gouvernement et aux organisations touristiques au sujet de la planification et de la future gestion de l'utilisation de la propriété publique pour que tous les intéressés soient compris dans ces processus.     

Beyond authenticity and commodification

Authenticity and commodification are central to academic debates in tourism. Previous analyses suggest that the commercialization of local identities leads to negative consequences. Based on a long-term study in Eastern Indonesia, this paper examines authenticity from three perspectives: government, tourists, and villagers. While the former two reflect views highlighted in the literature, the villagers’ interpretation is different: tourism brings a sense of pride and identity and also a political resource to manipulate. Seen in this context, the debates about authenticity should examine how the notion is articulated, by whom and for what purposes, to reveal in what circumstances cultural tourism leads to positive responses and empowerment.     

Tourism Brochures: Usefulness and Image

Tourist information has been shown to have an important influence on the choice of vacation destinations. This article studies brochures, their significance as image generators, and their influence on the selection of destinations. The study sought to discover which features in this medium are more relevant in image generation and destination choice using logistic regression analysis. The analysis is based on data collected from tourists in Madrid, Spain. The results establish a model of usefulness of brochures in order to propose recommendations for their design and content. Implications pertain to the development of theoretical understandings about the influence of the information sources on destination image, destination choice, and satisfying tourist needs.     

Tourism in Tropical Africa A review of literature in English and research agenda

Literature on tourism in tropical Africa is reviewed to indicate the current and future roles of tourism in tropical African countries. Attention is then directed to research issues whose investigation may lead to the development of guidelines for the extension, regulation, and management of tourism. These issues are arranged under the following headings: inventory, demand, types of tourism, economic impacts, socio-cultural impacts, environmental impacts, infrastructure, regional patterns, international cooperation, and tourism futures.     

The economic impact of tourism at the port of Miami

The total disaggregated economic impact that cruise industry tourism has on Dade County is examined in economic terms using a regional input-output model developmen by the Regional Science Research Institute. The analysis indicates that cruise industry tourism at the Port of Miami had a total economic impact on Dade County of $546 million in 1982. The total direct, indirect and induced number of jobs generated by the cruise industry and cruise passengers is 21,627. Wages totalling $271 million were paid in 1982 in Dade County as a result of the total impact of the cruise industry. Finally, the model revealed that cruise industry tourism contributed $264 million to the county's Gross Regional Product in 1982     

Attitudinal compliance with ecotourism guidelines

This study has developed and tested a conceptual framework to explain compliance attitudes of ecotour operators with industry guidelines. The results suggest that compliance with ecotourism principles is a function of a multitude of intrinsic and extrinsic factors concerning ecotour operators, including the type of social and economic sanctions, gender of the respondents, perceived moral obligations, and revenue obtained from ecotourism. The key strategies for increasing compliance seem to lie in educating the tour operators and placing a call to their conscience. Some strategies for increasing compliance are suggested.     

Tourists and refugees: Coinciding Sociocultural Impacts

The new millennium holds promise of being both the “Century of Tourism” and the “Century of the Refugee.” Never in history have there been so many refugees and tourists crossing international borders. This paper discusses the ironic similarities of both positive and negative impacts of tourism development and refugee relief on developing countries. Parallels in recommendations for both phenomena are also presented. Although not originally intended, the observations made in the paper are drawn from two different fieldwork projects: a study of refugee camp aid with Operation Lifeline Sudan in northern Kenya in 1994 and an investigation of tourism development in Malaysia in 1992.     

The convergence process in heritage tourism

The theoretical background behind heritage tourism is conventionally categorized in terms of two stages: the demand and supply side approaches. This has resulted in a fragmented and usually conflicting framework. The purpose of this paper is to devise a model, which will substantiate the existence of both a continuum and a lateral relationship between the contrasting theoretical approaches to heritage tourism. The value added proffered here stems from the incorporation of authenticity as a linking device in each of the two approaches, unifying them into a single theoretical paradigm. The role of authenticity as a contemporary marketing tool, on tourism motivation and the image of the attraction is shown to be pivotal.