World, National, Regional, and Other Organizations - Tourism: Principles, Practices, Philosophies - page 71

INTRODUCTION

T The complex organization of tourism involves literally thousands of units. This chapter focuses on

some of the organizations that perform the catalyst, planning, development, and promotion
functions within destinations. As Figure 4.1 stresses, all of these functions must be carried out with a
high degree of cooperative interaction between the public and private sectors at all levels of the
destination hierarchy. This destination hierarchy provides a geographical classi cation and sub-
classi cation of the world. The world is divided into nations, which, in turn, commonly consist of
regions, states/provinces, and urban centers (cities/municipalities).
In addition to a geographic classi cation, tourism organizations can also be classi ed by ownership,
such as government, quasi-government, or private; by function or type of activity, such as regulators,
suppliers, marketers, developers, consultants, researchers, educators, publishers, professional asso-
ciations, trade organizations, and consumer organizations; by industry, such as transportation (air, bus,
rail, auto, cruise), travel agents, tour wholesalers, lodging, attractions, and recreation; and by pro tor
nonpro t.
The purpose of Chapters 4 through 8 is to discuss the major types of tourist organizations and how
they interrelate and operate, focusing on illustrative examples. The discussion begins with of cial
international tourism groups in this chapter and ends with the private organizations and rms that
make up the tourism industry, covered in Chapters 5, 6, 7, and 8.

INTERNATIONAL ORGANIZATIONS

The discussion first examines the nature and activities of the highly in uential organizations
representing the public and private sectors in tourism. These organizations provide both moral
and functional leadership that coordinates and strengthens the visibility and effectiveness of tourism
organizations that provide public-sector governance and private-sector functionality.

n

World & National
Tr avel Industry
Associations

World & National
Government
Tourism Offices

State and Provincial
Tr avel Industry
Associations

State and Provincial
Government
Tourism Offices

Local & Regional
Tourism Associations/
Convention & Visitor
Bureaus

Local & City
Government
Tourism
Departments

Figure 4.1 Tourism organizations.