Tourism Policy: Structure, Content, and Process - Tourism: Principles, Practices, Philosophies - page 327

Residents of the ``host'' destination

&

Local/municipal/regional/provincial/national governments

&

Local/regional/national environmental groups

&

Local visitors/excursionists

&

Remote visitors/tourists

&

Tourism industry sectors:
&

&

Accommodation

Attractions

&

Adventure and outdoor recreation

&

Entertainment

&

Events

&

Food services

&

Tourism visitor services

&

Transportation

&

Travel trade

&

Destination management organization (DMO)

&

Figure 15.2

Examples
of the many stakeholders in
tourism within a given
destination/region.

Culture/heritage groups

&

Social/health/education groups

&

individual decisions directly affecting long-term tourism development and the daily activities within a
destination are taken.

The Purpose of Tourism Policy

A tourism destination hosts visitors in order to provide its stakeholders (see Figure 15.2) with a broad
range of economic and social bene ts, most typically employment and income. This employment and
income allow stakeholders to reside in and to enjoy the quality of the region. Tourism policy seeks to
ensure that visitors are hosted in a way that maximizes the bene ts to stakeholders while minimizing
the negative effects, costs, and impacts associated with ensuring the success of the destination. In
effect, tourism policy seeks to provide a framework within which the destination can provide high-
quality visitor experiences that are pro table to destination stakeholders while ensuring that the
destination is not compromised in terms of its environmental, social, and cultural integrity.

Why Is Tourism Policy Important?

The area of tourism policy is often overlooked in terms of its importance in ensuring the success of a
tourism destination. Perhaps its most important role is to ensure that a given destination has a clear
idea as to where it is going or what it is seeking to become in the long term. In parallel, it must strive to
create a climate in which collaboration among the many stakeholders in tourism is both supported and
facilitated. In more speci c terms, tourism policy ful lls six functions:

1. It de nes the rules of the game — the terms under which tourism operators must function.

2. It sets out activities and behaviors that are acceptable for visitors.

3. It provides a common direction and guidance for all tourism stakeholders within a destination.

4. It facilitates consensus around speci c strategies and objectives for a given destination.