Geography Reference
In-Depth Information
development that meets local and
visitor needs in a sustainable fashion.
The mixed development of the island,
including a market, restaurants, shops,
ships' chandlers, artists' workshops,
theatres, a hotel and a concrete works,
utilises a port area that was left
redundant following the onset of
container shipping in the early 1970s.
if only authorised or ratified, by public agencies (Hall et al. 1997). Public policy-making,
including tourism policy-making, is first and foremost a political activity. Public policy is
influenced by the economic, social and cultural characteristics of society, as well as by
the formal structures of government and other features of the political system. Policy is
therefore a consequence of the political environment, values and ideologies, the
distribution of power, institutional frameworks, and of decision-making processes (Hall
and Jenkins 1995; Hall et al. 1997) (Figure 9.2).
Tourism public policy is whatever governments choose to do or not to do with respect
to tourism (Hall and Jenkins 1995). However, as a number of studies by geographers
have indicated (e.g. McKercher 1993c, 1997; J.Jenkins 1997), pressure groups (e.g.
tourism industry associations, conservation groups, community groups), community
leaders and significant individuals (e.g. local government councillors), members of the
bureaucracy (e.g. employees within tourism commissions or regional development
agencies) and others (e.g. academics and consultants) influence and perceive public
policies in significant and often markedly different ways.
Research on tourism policy research may generally be divided into two main types of
theory: that which adopts prescriptive models and that which adopts descriptive models
(B.Mitchell 1989; Hall 1994; Hall and Jenkins 1995). 'Prescriptive or normative models
seek to demonstrate how [planning and] policy making should occur relative to pre-
established standards', whereas 'descriptive models document the way in which the
policy process actually occurs' (B.Mitchell 1989:264). Prescriptive (normative) models
serve as a guide to an ideal situation. The majority of references to policy- and decision-
making in the tourism literature have tended to utilise a prescriptive model of policy-
making which demonstrates how tourism policy- and decision-making should occur
relative to pre-established standards (e.g. Murphy 1985). The prescriptive-rational
approach assumes that a dichotomy exists between the policy-making process and
administration and the existence of 'Economic Man [sic]', whereby individuals can
'identify and rank goals, values and objectives', and 'can choose consistently among
them after
