Scroll down for posts that have been tagged with “policy and governance” as that relates to travel & tourism destinations and industry stakeholders.
According to the Cambridge Dictionary, a policy is “a set of ideas or a plan of what to do in particular situations that has been agreed to officially by a group of people, a business organization, a government, or a political party”.
The same dictionary defines governance as “the way that organizations or countries are managed at the highest level, and the systems for doing this”. Governance also pertains to how industries, such as travel & tourism, and destinations are regulated, directed, and managed from on high.
Tourism policy and tourism governance are crucial concepts for managing the travel & tourism industry. What does tourism policy and tourism governance mean? And how can they can be optimised for, say, sustainable tourism?
Tourism policy, according to the United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO), is a “set of regulations, rules, guidelines, directives, and development/promotion objectives and strategies that provide a framework within which the collective and individual decisions of various public and private sector actors may be made to achieve the desired outcomes of the tourism sector”. Thus tourism policy can provide a framework for managing the travel & tourism industry to ensure that it operates sustainably.
Tourism governance, on the other hand, refers to the structures and processes that are put in place to manage the travel & tourism industry. These structures and processes can include regulatory bodies, tourism boards, and public-private partnerships. Effective tourism governance is critical for ensuring that tourism policies are enforced, and that the travel & tourism industry operates in a way that is consistent with these policies. Therefore, governance helps to ensure that the interests of all stakeholders in the travel & tourism industry strike an acceptable and sustainable balance that benefits the economy, the environment, and local communities.
Optimising tourism policy and tourism governance involves a number of strategies, including stakeholder engagement, policy coherence, and effective implementation.
According to the UNWTO, stakeholder engagement involves “the involvement and participation of various actors in the decision-making processes related to tourism policy and planning, such as government authorities, private sector stakeholders, and local communities”. This ensures that all stakeholders have a say in the development of travel & tourism industry policy.
Policy coherence might involve aligning tourism policies with others, such as for environment and culture, to ensure that tourism supports the sustainable development goals.
Effective implementation involves ensuring that tourism policies are enforced and that the travel & tourism industry operates in a way that is consistent with these policies.
In conclusion, tourism policy and tourism governance are important for promoting and/or mandating sustainable tourism practices, creating economic benefits for local communities, and ensuring that tourism operates in a way that is consistent with the broader sustainable development goals of people and the planet.
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Abolishing taxes on tips is a promise made by both US presidential candidates. Based on where you are, and your experience of tourism and hospitality, what do you think of the policy? It’s a “Good Tourism” Insight Bites question. Your correspondent put the question to the travel & tourism stakeholders in the “GT” network, inviting responses of no […]
Read More Would you abolish taxes on tips?
The Pacific Asia Travel Association (PATA) Travel Mart 2024 gets underway this morning with some 266 sellers representing 168 organisations from 24 destinations hoping to establish and strengthen relationships with 191 buyers from 173 organisations from 21 source markets. Connection Attendance at B2B travel trade events like PATA Travel Mart continues to be essential. At […]
Read More PATA Travel Mart 2024 underway with Asia Pacific arrivals forecasts positive
Pacific Asia Travel Association (PATA) Chair Peter Semone identified five key challenges for the travel & tourism industry during a media briefing on the eve of PATA Travel Mart 2024: Crises of all sorts “There will be more crises,’ Mr Semone said. “Health crises, natural disasters, and political unrest. They all affect tourism. “Remember, tourism is […]
Read More Five key challenges for the travel & tourism industry: PATA Chair
If one assumes that mass tourism is unavoidable without an authoritarian crackdown on mobility, what should be done about it? Kevin Phun suggests that in every challenge lies an opportunity, and proposes how we might manage mass tourism for sustainable, equitable, and progressive outcomes. In less than two hours’ time (as I write this), I will […]
Read More Can we manage mass tourism for sustainable, equitable, and progressive outcomes?
Delly Chatibura sees a huge opportunity for Botswana to leverage its natural and cultural resources for food security and good food tourism. But conservation, climate, and cultural challenges impede food tourism in Botswana. Food cultures are often integral to tourism, with Bangkok’s street food, New York’s diners, tea in China, and French baguettes being four arbitrary examples. But how many of the world’s tourists are familiar with Botswana’s rich food culture, and the issues attending it?
Read More Conservation, climate, culture challenge food tourism in Botswana
CABI Tourism Cases presents successes, potentials, and challenges of community-based tourism and hospitality for urban and rural development in sub-Saharan Africa. The tourism industry has become one of the key socio-economic sectors of sub-Saharan Africa. In the last few decades, the tourism industry in most sub-Saharan African countries has surpassed most other economic sectors in terms of generating business opportunities, foreign exchange earnings, and employment prospects.
Read More Community-based tourism for urban & rural development in sub-Saharan Africa