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In-Depth Information
Elsewhere, such as in Dubai, the government has established Free Zones with
attractive investment incentives.
In regard to the promotion of tourism of destination regions, Williams
and Shaw (1995) call for additional investigations into the social construc-
tion of tourism and tourism images. As governments pursue tourism as a
regional development tool, they need to consider what forms of tourism to
develop in different areas and what agencies will be responsible for the devel-
opment project. Ultimately, if regional development is the focus, consider-
ation needs to be directed towards who will actually benefit from tourism
development. In the case of the poorest regions, Burns (1999) proposes a
continuum on which tourism planning advice may be placed. The first pole
is 'Tourism First', whereby developing the tourism industry is the focus of
the planning and the second pole is 'Development First', whereby planning
is framed by national development needs. Whether a government selects to
pursue tourism so that national development needs are met and regional
disparities are reduced or whether they let industry lead by facilitating tour-
ism development will depend on the agenda of the government. While in
many cases government takes an active role in the development process it is
important not to neglect the role of the private sector, including small entre-
preneurs and the growing role of non-governmental organisations (NGOs).
There is also intense competition between private sector tourism consulting
companies to bid for the right to create regional tourism development plans
for various levels of government (Telfer & Sharpley, 2008). The remainder of
this chapter will examine regional tourism development cases in a variety of
locations (urban, rural, island, peripheral and international). While it is not
possible to highlight every possible type of region, it is hoped that these
examples highlight the challenges and opportunities associated with tourism
and regional development.
Tourism and Urban Redevelopment
The use of tourism for regional development is promoted in urban areas
as governments attempt to revitalise sections of a city. 'The creation of urban
development corporations and enterprise boards is tied in with urban and
regional redevelopment programmes seeking to “rejuvenate” inner-city and
industrial lands. Urban revitalisation typically includes the development of
inner-city leisure spaces, waterfront redevelopment, festival market-places,
casinos, conference centres and sports stadia' (Hall & Jenkins, 1995: 38).
Jansen-Verbeke and Lievois (1999: 81) comment that 'policies for urban revit-
alisation are strongly inspired by the possibilities of exploiting the cultural
potential of urban historic cities'. In reviewing the pros and cons, Fainstein
and Judd (1999) found that proponents of regeneration through tourism
argue that central-city regeneration spurs economic growth through strong
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