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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Kevin Phun passes a sustainability lens over concerns about mangrove forests to determine what it would take for our travel & tourism industry to be a responsible contributor to protecting and restoring them. It’s his third “Good Tourism” Insight. Mangroves are important to coastal communities. They shield them from the worst effects of strong winds, […]
Read More How can tourism protect & promote mangroves?
… community members, of course! In his second “Good Tourism” Insight, community-based and sustainable tourism consultant Peter Richards reflects on the most important thing he has learned during his career so far, and how to make it so. While working at the crossroads of tourism and community development for more than 20 years, one gradually accumulates […]
Read More And the most important colleagues in a community-based tourism project are …
Angelo Sciacca was the first guest author to introduce the concept of the circular economy to this website when he argued for its potential to make small island destinations more resilient and less dependent on travel & tourism. In this, his third “Good Tourism” Insight, Mr Sciacca adds frugal innovation and traditional knowledge to his […]
Read More Save to sustain: Frugal innovation & traditional knowledge in circular tourism
Is the United States’ travel & tourism industry based on white privilege and Black exclusion? Stephanie M Jones thinks so. In this “Good Tourism” Insight, Ms Jones explains why she reckons a permanent budget item for racial diversity, equity, and inclusion would make for better tourism. What’s good about tourism? The people who make it […]
Read More For the better: Racial diversity, equity, & inclusion in USA tourism
Partner Message by Paul Rogers of “GT” Insight Partner Planet Happiness: As tourism stakeholders, if we truly value and believe in this life-changing industry, if we want to advocate its merits and ability to deliver the UN SDGs, we need to recognise the imperative to value and measure travel and tourism’s contribution to destination well-being. Travel and […]
Read More Prioritising well-being in travel & tourism
Arizona’s great outdoors is a draw for people escaping COVID lockdown. While the state’s cities and tourist towns reap the economic rewards, some places only see the downside as the masses pass through. How can tourism policy-makers account for the potential negative effects of inbound travel on those just outside a destination? It’s a “Good […]
Read More On the fringes: When the City of Sedona’s tourism policy failed the urban outskirts