Tourism Policy: Structure, Content, and Process - Tourism: Principles, Practices, Philosophies - page 341

concerning the identity, strength, and strategies of those tourism destinations most likely to be
appealing to the same segments of demand as those of interest to the tourism region in question. Such
information is essential if a region is to effectively counter the efforts of such competitors from the
standpoint of both supply development and demand modi cation.

Operational Phase

Once the various types of analysis have been carried out, policy makers must move to develop speci c
strategies and action plans that can be implemented. As shown in Figure 15.7, this operational phase is
envisaged to contain three conceptually different types of activity; in reality, these different activities
are executed almost simultaneously.
The identi cation of strategic conclusions flows directly out of the analytical phase, and its goal is
to synthesize the large amounts of information obtained into a limited number of major conclusions.
In addition to specifying the major findings from each type of internal and external analysis, this
process also must attempt to provide conclusions that assess the impact of the trade-offs that
inevitably are made when attempting to match supply and demand.
The strategic conclusions themselves may be viewed as reasonably factual information; that is,
they are the result of a logical process of analysis that would give rise to generally similar findings
irrespective of the investigator. In contrast, the drawing of '' implications of the conclusions for supply-

and-demand development strategies involves a high degree of judgment on the part of the

individuals involved. The goal of this process is to attempt to assess the signi cance of each
conclusion for tourism in the region. Although the actual conclusions may be clear, the implications
of these facts for the kind of policies and programs needed to deal with them involves a considerable
level of interpretive skills derived from both experience and a creative mind.
The subsequent stage of the policy formulation process is the identi cation of speci c ''policy/
program recommendations for supply/demand development.'' For our purposes, this rather complex

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The presentation of national treasures is an integral part of tourism policy. In this photo, the great Buddha
in Taiwan is but one of the kinds of treasure that policy formulation in tourism must address.
PhotocourtesyofCorbisDigitalStock.