Governance in the Tourism Practice

Abstract

Many rural areas, even in mature economies possess an obvious yet weakly cultivated tourism potential for short stays and leisure. Even with a plurality of initiatives, the industry can remain rather fragmented. This chapter, based on quantitative and qualitative methods, provides insights into collaboration among the local entrepreneurs of such an area (case: the Flemish Ardennes in Belgium) and their willingness to participate in a regional tourism development process. It also discusses perceptions and opinions about the effectiveness of institutional actors and influential tools such as a White Paper. Though the study discerns a deep gap between collaboration discourse and common practice, it also illustrates the inauguration of a reflexive process, a change of attitudes and a clustering of activities following from a White Paper initiative.

Citation

Vanneste, D. and Ryckaert, L. (2012), "Governance in the Tourism Practice", Fayos-solà, E. (Ed.) Knowledge Management in Tourism: Policy and Governance Applications (Bridging Tourism Theory and Practice, Vol. 4), Emerald Group Publishing Limited, Leeds, pp. 301-321. https://doi.org/10.1108/S2042-1443(2012)0000004019