Tourism Policy: Structure, Content and Process
Learning Objectives
DEMONSTRATE THE CRITICAL IMPORTANCE OF TOURISM POLICY TO THE COMPETITIVENESS AND SUSTAINABILITY OF A TOURISM DESTINATION.
Outline the structure and content of a typical policy framework for a tourism destination.
Describe a process for the formulation of a destination tourism policy.
Key Concept Definitions
COMPETITIVE DESTINATIONS: DESTINATIONS THAT POSSESS THE ABILITY TO ATTRACT AND RETAIN VISITORS, AND TO DO SO IN A MANNER THAT INCREASES THE ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL WELL-BEING OF THE RESIDENTS OF A DESTINATION; WHILE ENSURING THAT THE ENVIRONMENTAL AND CULTURAL INTEGRITY OF THE DESTINATION IS MAINTAINED AND/OR ENHANCED.
CONTENT OF TOURISM POLICY: The major components of destination tourism policy. These include, a philosophy of tourism development, a vision for the future ideal state of the destination, a set of tourism objectives and associated constraints, supporting supply and demand development strategies, and a destination management organization (DMO) development strategy.
CORE VISION: The component of the total vision statement that attempts to capture the overall essence of the “ideal future” for the destination in question.
DESTINATION POSITIONING: The way in which consumers in the travel market perceive a destination relative to its competitors. These perceptions involve comparisons and contrasts along a number of concrete dimensions (or destination attributes), as well as overall (or holistic) judgments regarding the similarities and differences among competing destinations.
DESTINATION VISION: A statement (or set of statements) that describe a shared consensus of all stakeholders regarding a desired future state of the region as a tourism destination. A total vision commonly consists of a “Core Vision” and a number of supporting elements (or vision sub-themes).
IMPLEMENTATION STRATEGY: The total set of initiatives pertaining